A spot check in the 41-bis regime at the high-security prison in Peqin ended with the removal of a number of objects from cells, including plastic and wooden chairs, several types of pots, and cutting tools. The operation comes as part of a tougher line by the General Directorate of Prisons, which is presenting as “unnecessary” even items that had previously been found in pretrial detention and sentence-serving facilities.
The operation in 41-bis and the items removed
According to the official version, the checks were carried out in recent hours by operational forces in all cells of the 41-bis regime in Peqin. After several hours of inspections, plastic and wooden chairs, pots of various kinds, as well as cutting tools were removed from the premises.
The authorities’ statements focus on the fact that the material of some items can be adapted for the production of sharp objects. This list also includes small knives used for peeling fruit and vegetables, as well as items made from brooms and other materials.
What the Prison Directorate is aiming for
According to the General Directorate of Prisons, penitentiary institutions prohibit not only objects that directly violate the law, but also those considered luxury or excessive under internal regulations. It is precisely on this logic that the operation to remove items the administration describes as unnecessary for prisoners and detainees has been built.
This standard also raises a question of interpretation: the boundary between a permitted personal item and one deemed excessive remains, in practice, in the hands of the administration. So far, no more detailed explanation has been made public on the specific criteria used in this check.
The plan launched in April
According to the authorities, the operation in Peqin is linked to a plan launched back in April to increase checks in prisons. Within this framework, the directorate has carried out operations to detect phones and doses of drugs, while cells are being limited to personal items for individual use only.
The new approach goes beyond the search for prohibited items in the classic sense, also affecting objects the administration sees as unnecessary. This points to a further tightening of the internal regime, especially in high-security sectors.
Seized phones and the line of investigation
Earlier, mobile phones were discovered in Peqin prison and in other institutions such as Durrës and Drenova. These devices were sent for examination to SPAK laboratories, while investigations are being directed toward specific individuals suspected of bringing prohibited items into prisons.
According to official data, the phones were found in common areas. This means that individual responsibility remains unclear in each case, while the investigations aim to identify the chain through which these items entered penitentiary institutions.
The check in the 41-bis regime in Peqin comes as part of a broader campaign to impose discipline in prisons, but without much transparency on the standards used to distinguish personal items from those classified as luxury or a potential risk.
Beyond the announcement of the items removed, it remains essential to understand whether such measures are being accompanied by real action against the networks that bring phones and prohibited items into prisons, or whether they are mainly limited to checks inside cells.