Kazakhstan and Tajikistan: prioritising employment and reintegration

In both Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, PRI is working with the governments and prison authorities to improve rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners, with a focus on providing more marketable employment opportunities in prison.

In Kazakhstan, the President has identified the rule of law as a priority area. Improving the resocialisation of prisoners and creating employment in prisons are two objectives in a new 100 step manifesto for reform.

PRI’s Central Asia office has been working with parliamentarians and other agencies to develop and introduce better provision for rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners. The Penal Committee (Ministry of Justice) and the Ministry of Health and Social Development will soon launch new joint system, which will enable them to cooperate in delivering resocialisation services. The new system will include a database of all prisoners and former prisoners which will enable the agencies to improve the coordination of job, education and health related services.

Last December, the Tajik government issued a decree on prison employment. Currently although 88 per cent of prisoners in Tajikistan are able to work, only 18 per cent do. In May, PRI Central Asia met with the Deputy Minister of Justice to discuss its new policy, which includes plans to diversify the range of work available to prisoners, new equipment, and for the development of links between prisons and business.