Justice Minister Edvards Smiltenš has instructed the Prison Administration to submit a detailed report by June 10 on the death of a minor inmate in the Olaine Prison hospital, as well as on the overall situation regarding deaths and suicides in prisons.
Justice Minister Edvards Smiltenš has instructed the Prison Administration to submit a detailed report by June 10 on the death of a minor inmate in the Olaine Prison hospital, as well as on the overall situation regarding deaths and suicides in prisons.
According to the communication department of the Ministry of Justice, the resolution was issued following media reports about the incident in the Olaine Prison hospital and statistics on deaths in prisons. Last year, 32 people died in prisons.
Smiltenš emphasizes the need to ensure clarity regarding what happened and to ensure that lessons are learned from such cases. The Justice Minister points out that the state should not turn away from issues concerning the lives and safety of people.
Smiltenš has demanded information on the circumstances of the specific case and the actions of the institution before and after the incident, as well as a summary of data on deaths that occurred in prisons in 2025 and the first five months of 2026, including suicides.
At the same time, the Prison Administration must provide a report on the measures implemented in the field of mental health care for minor inmates, assessment and prevention of suicide risk, as well as planned improvements in safety and supervision.
The Justice Minister notes that special attention should be paid to the mental health care of minor inmates, timely identification of risks, and actions to prevent them, so that similar tragedies do not occur in the future.
LTV News reported that shortly before Christmas, a 17-year-old boy died in the Olaine Prison hospital. He was in prison for drug use and theft. His parents had their parental rights revoked. After another offense and serving a sentence in prison, the boy was placed in the children's educational institution "Ezermala."
The young man was repeatedly transferred to the Olaine Prison hospital due to uncontrollable behavior and self-harm. Agne Libore, head of the structural unit of the Riga Social Care Center "Ezermala," states that he had already made several attempts to harm himself, which were known to the Prison Administration.
The Prison Administration declined to comment on the case, citing the family's request for confidentiality and the sensitive nature of the topic, and indicated that the criminal process initiated was terminated in February due to lack of evidence of a crime. The boy's mother denies this. She wants to speak publicly and claims she has not received clear answers regarding her son's death.
This is the only case in the last five years in which a minor has died in custody.
