Prisons in UK and Lithuania

England and Wales have the highest prison population in all Western Europe – 143 prisoners per 100 000 people. There are more than 85 000 prisoners in England and Wales. More than 17 000 prisoners were sentenced for doing violent crimes. 10 000 were sentenced because they did crime offences and about 8 500 for doing burglary. In 2007 in Lithuania were sentenced 6967 prisoners. Mostly prisoners are sentenced for the theft.
In Lithuania and England all prisoners have to pass through reception where they are being checked identities and monitoring numbers. Prisoners are searched and given them prison clothes. The nurse looks after them and decides who is a drug addict, who uses medications or who is feeling suicidal.
Prisons also have segregation cells where violent prisoners might be kept for several days. In Lithuania prisoners are separated into 3 groups: ordinary group, light group and forbidden group. Those groups show how violent or not prisoners are and how many exemptions they can get.
Accommodation depends on prisons. There might be single cells or dormitories. Also, there includes recreation areas, a food servery and showers. Cells have toilets and prisoners are allowed to have TVs. The same system is in Lithuania.
All prisoners have a right to study. They can choose mix of courses, including vocational qualifications. For example, Chelmsford Prison has a barber`s salon, IT classes and cookery lessons. Also prisoners can study English. In Lithuania in Pravieniškės 1st correctional institution prisoners can get computer operators profession. Also, in Lithuania Lukiškės prison made a contract with Vilnius Pedagogical university and according to that contract prisoners can study in that university correspondence course.
In England and Wales prisons breakfast, lunch and an evening meal cost an average of 3,81 per day. In Lithuania prisoner for food gets 4,2 LT per day. Nowadays more and more prisons haven`t got dining halls so prisoners have to eat in their cells. In Lithuania prisoners must eat in dining halls.
All prisons have sports facilities, where prisoners can work out and live a healthy life. Also gym staff works with drug addicts and healthcare unit.
Prisoners can be visited, but firstly prisons staff has to make sure that a visit is allowed and a visitor has the right paperwork. Also every visitor must be searched if he or she does not have illegal things.
One of the most sorrowful problem in prison is children. Mothers can`t live with their children if they are imprison for more than 18 months. So children are sent to foster home or to other relatives. In prisons mothers who have children have their own unit, where they can live with children. In England mothers get 17 pounds per week for child support. Also if they want to live with their children, they must be drugs-free and demonstrate their suitability to be there.
In conclusion, I would like to say that in Lithuania prisons are bad condition and do not accord to EU prison`s quality. In England prisoners live better than in Lithuania.

Civil and Public law (summary)

There are two main categories in law – civil law and public law. Civil law consists debates among human (contracts, torts, probate), and public law consists debates between people and nation (crimes, constitutional law, international law). Almost all countries make singularity between civil and criminal procedures. In a criminal action, proof are more substantial than in a civil one. Criminal procedures start by the state, civil actions usually start by people. But sometimes criminal procedures may consist with civil procedures, for example when the loser of civil case refuses to pay the fine, he can be sent to pay criminal penalty too. In English law it is possible to bring a civil case to the police when it does something wrong against the questioned people.

Criminal Law

Crime is an illegal act which is wrong and which can be punished by the law. There are some acts which are penalized in some countries and in another countries the same acts aren`t. In many countries the suspect can`t be called guilty until the state proves it. Two the most essential points to a crime: Actus Reus and Mens Reus. When the court want to decide if the prisoner`s in the dock act caused death, it must be certain that the act was a substantial cause of the result. If an accusatory can prove that he wanted to defense himself, the court excuse his act. There are defenses of duress, insanity, intoxication, self-defense. Criminal law is one of the quickest growing range of the law.

Never again

The debate on capital punishment divides people into two groups, those who are for and those who are against it. Those who are for capital punishment think that murderers would think twice before killing someone if they knew that they might also be killed if they were caught. Also, the convicted murderer would not be set free after serving 20 years or less and would not be able to kill more people. Moreover, criminals should get what they deserve. Also, it is more rational to kill murderers than wasting taxpayers money for having them in prison. Nevertheless, sometimes innocent people are wrongly convicted and it takes time to prove it. It is impossible to brought back people who is dead. The other reason is that the state has no right to take a life than the individual.

Amnesty International

In 1960, Peter Benenson created a campaign for prisoners of conscience. They were in prison because of their political and religious beliefs. Now Amnesty International is the largest of many organizations in the world. It puts pressure on governments to observe human rights.
AI`s aim is a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When the laws of a country violate human rights, Amnesty International protest to the government on moral grounds.
AI`s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression. Also, theirs mission freedom from discrimination.
Amnesty International has got a lot of achievements. In 1977, AI received the Nobel Peace Prize and the United Nations Human Rights prize a year later. In 1989, AI published a report about the use of the death penalty around the world. It was a big step for banning death penalty around the world. In 1994, Amnesty International organized its first global-ever universal campaign on the human rights of women.
Amnesty International works in Lithuania, too. Trafficking of women and theirs sexual abuse are almost the biggest sore subjects there.
Amnesty International is one of the most important organization in the world. It helps not to forget human rights and be fair to all people, respect their sexual or racial orientation.

My Futute Profession

I am studying at the university of Mykolas Romeris, Law and Penitential activities. It is dynamic and modern university, where people can get high quality education.
I have chosen law and penitential acitivities because I like communicate with people. After four-year studies I wil get bachelor of law and then I could work in courts, prisons or maybe just be a lawyer. Then I will help people to solve their problems and maybe give penalties to criminals.
Nowadays I think it is very perspective to know laws and work with them, because every year crime rates are rising and more peole are looking for help. I`m not afraid of hard work if it helps to raise my skills.
In conclusion, I hope to have a job, which I will love.