24.02.2020
“During my work visit to Germany and the prisons there, I noticed there was an important difference regarding our terminologies. In Germany, they ask the prisoner ‘how much of the sentence have you worked off’ as opposed to us, because we ask ‘how much of the prison sentence have you laid off” – the Assistant Director of the Department for Criminal Sanctions Enforcement (UIKS) in Spuž, Kemal Zoronjić, told us when we visited them recently.
It sounds so appropriate and defining – both for hard working Germans and non-working Montenegrins.
However, as we have learned during our visit to UIKS (which is the new name for the prison in Spuž and as far as we can see not yet adopted by the employees and common citizens) the aim is to ensure that the sentence is not just “laid off” in the Montenegrin largest prison. UIKS is working in cooperation with the German humanitarian organization Help, with the financial support of the German Government – and the symbolism is noticeable.
Zoronjić says that in addition to Help, they also cooperate well with the German Federal State of Bavaria, where he has also visited several prisons.
“It is exactly with the German experts from the techno-economic sector of the prison – that we have defined how to increase production at UIKS as well as the number of prisoners employed, and this dynamic is actually being successfully implemented with the support of Help. First, we had to recognize what those priorities were, after which we compared them together and started carrying them out.”
Help is working in cooperation with the UIKS administration to strengthen their existing work resources at Spuž Prison in order to create better living conditions for prisoners, as well as working on the future re-socialization of the prisoners.
Director of UIKS, Milan Tomić is particularly pleased or rather enthusiastic about the construction machine, a backhoe loader. He was joking that “they are not shutting down the machine and that it does not know what they got in store for it yet”.
“We are going to ‘break’ this machine in a positive way – of course, because we have not shut it down since it came here. The machine showed itself to be excellent.”
This is the machine that Help has donated, among other equipment, to the Department for Criminal Sanctions Enforcement (UKIS) under the project “Support to socio-economic stability of the Western Balkans region 2019-2020” funded by the German Government.
Director Tomic says that until now they had to hire private individuals for all the work in the prison and that they had to pay for it, but now they are producing a lot of products for their own needs and that they hope that in the future they will be able to sell the left over amount. Among other things, they are able to produce the concrete blocks, which is thanks to another Help donation – the block production line which they call “the blocker.”
The machine produces about 500 to 600 concrete blocks per day during one shift. They note that the construction of concrete blocks also depends on the weather, because the blocks have to dry out. Assistant Director Zoronjić recalls that the start of block production was a little late last year, because of the high temperature and the rainy season, but it is now in full operation.
On the very day of our visit they were expanding parking lots with the concrete block of their own production, and when we visited the place where the blocks are made around 10 am, the newly constructed blocks could be seen on the “runway” – as can be seen on the pictures.
“The blocker is producing blocks just for our own needs for now, but in the future we plan to try selling them.”
The runway for the operation of the block production line itself has cost UIKS 10 thousand euros.
We have learned that the plans for the construction of four facilities within the UIKS are underway: a hospital, a register post, a multifunctional facility for the education, culture and religious needs of prisoners, as well as an open type prison for the lightest legal offenses – for the people who would spend only one night in prison.
The amount of work for which they will now be able to use their own resources is quite large, which of course results in savings on their part. In addition, they plan to completely rebuild the fence around the entire complex with concrete and wire all by themselves.
Help has also donated to UIKS a tractor with a hydraulic arm and an attachment for loading manure among other various equipment. They also hope to start producing steel wire soon.
Tractors, construction machines, kitchens and workshops
Along with the construction work, Help has assisted them with the reconstruction of a poultry stable on an agricultural estate within the UIKS. They have their own egg production for their nutritional needs that operates according to the highest standards, and they sell surpluses on the market through a company they have a contract with.
They have three flocks in total and they are planning the fourth. Their eggs are the main source of the income for now although they have developed other activities, both agricultural (they also own a pig and cattle farm) as well as locksmith, carpenter and mechanic activities.
“Last year we had only about Euro 130.000 of income.”
To my remark “great” Mr. Tomić replied:
“I would not agree, that’s not enough. We can do more ”… and he added: “This is not some big money, but it means to us a lot and we try to increase it. This can be done with careful and strategic planning, as we do in our cooperation with Help. All the equipment we got with the support from Help were things that turned out to be extremely useful, both the excavator and the machine as well as everything else. Everything is being used and everything works, even more than the current possibilities allow according to the head of the labor administration, Saša Tmušić, who often tries to remind me that we are not a construction company yet.. ”
He explained that not all of the aforementioned income was from their own production, that it was also from services they provide – services for the courts or allowing prisoners to visit private doctors, but the primary goal is to increase their own production at their agro-industrial complex, which is the standard practice elsewhere.
Tomić reckons that the block production line will produce blocks on a larger scale in the future when all of the workers/prisoners request to work on it. They are working intensively to balance the quality and to reach even higher standards which will enable them to enter the market with a competitive product easier, he believes.
They also have woodworking and one of their most famous products – typical Montenegrin “tableware”, a wooden table with chairs and “tripods”, although they do always have customers for other wooden products – or artwork as well. Due to them currently having only one talented wood carving artist, they rarely stock these products since they are often pre-ordered and sold.
They are also planning to start manufacturing high quality steel wire for various uses in the near future. In the last year alone for example, they have spent close to € 20,000 on their own steel network, and they are going to need even more of it this year. They hope that all of this will be their own products in the future and a potential income.
On the other hand, the savings allow them to buy some other essential items for which there is no money in the budget provided for them.
It is invaluable that thanks to Help – through their cooperation with the ZOPT (Center for Education and Training) the prisoners in Spuž are now receiving vocational training, after which they receive certificates, which can be of great benefit for their re-socialization after life in prison.
According to the Director Milan Tomić, the media always captures all the negative aspects and events in prison, but they leave out the important positive aspect of their work on the re-socialization of people, which is something that they have invested in a lot in recent years.
“This is exactly what our cooperation with Help is based on and why we like it so much. It is a combination of our technical equipment and training and at the same time the involvement of prisoners which in the end results in our main goal – that they receive an official certificate from a licensed provider of the Ministry of Education. After that they will be able to work in required occupations that are in deficit such as cooks, assistant cooks, garden nurseries, carpenters, locksmiths and so on”.
During the course of this project in cooperation with Help alone, a total 19 prisoners have received professional training and certificates of knowledge and skills. Appropriate equipment has also been purchased, such as tractors, machines and workshops tools.
With all the equipment donated by Help with the financial support from the German Government, it is also expected to train people to work on it, equipping them with certificates of expertise for the future. The kitchens for example, along with metal works and carpenters’ workshops satisfy the technical training requirements.
Tomić says that he personally found it extremely helpful to visit the two prisons in Serbia, which was organized by Help, during which they were focused precisely on learning about their resources and how they have worked in these areas we have already mentioned.
“I had many job commitments during that period and we had to reduce that visit to a minimum, but as I have told Dženan (Dženan Demić, a colleague in charge of training and employment at Help), I would have regretted it had I not participated. We saw a lot of useful things there – very, very useful. We have also seen some things that we can immediately apply here, for example – for our own production of steel wire. The steel wire production line itself costs as much as we paid just for our needs last year.”
When asked whether prisoners have motivation to engage in work and training, especially given the prejudice that “Montenegrins are a lazy people”, Director Tomić and Assistant Zoronjić, as well as Chief Nikola Tanasilović responded identically:
“Yes”, and then they explained that it was of multiple benefit to them.
Work as psychotherapy and investing in life beyond the prison walls
“They work and they get paid for it, and therefore they have the opportunity to advance in the groups that we have here, to move into a more favorable group, so they are very inspired to do it. Kemal can tell you as I was not present directly when certificates were awarded after training, that the whole event was very emotional. These people are employed here, and after that they undergo a vocational training which opens the door for them to continue their lives when they leave prison. This means that not only do they know how to work, they also get a practice and a ‘ćaga’ (an archaic expression for a certificate) that confirms all of this, and therefore they are very interested in working. We have over 300 convicts on a monthly basis that are engaged through various workshops. In some cases, we even have a shortage of people – for example for construction jobs, because we cannot hire people who are not proficient in such jobs but still our goal remains to engage them as much as possible.”
Chief Nikola Tanasilović says that every third prisoner is engaged in work both indoors and in half open space, and that the number has doubled compared to 2017. Previously, there had been only 12 percent of prisoners who worked, and Tanasilović added that his long work experience showed that work engagement motivates people in multiple ways, especially the convicts who spend a long time indoors – as much as one-third of their sentence. Through work engagement, they are given the opportunity to get into a semi-closed system where they also have other benefits.
Assistant Director Kemal Zoronjić pointed to another particularly important segment of the work engagement of prisoners – the people who spend much of their lives behind prison walls.
“The biggest motivation for prisoners when it comes to work is that it is also a form of psychotherapy. For the people who are confined in a closed space all the time, the time itself is passing slowly and they are looking for work. In this way their days pass faster for them, their thoughts are focused on other things, and this occupational therapy is extremely desirable both on our part and on their part in order to withstand prison conditions more easily. It is because man in prison has limited freedom – which is something that has no price. Therefore, there are many factors that, when gathered produce a positive result. When prisoners are engaged in work there are less problems inside. After work they return to the room tired, they take a shower and rest in various ways, they do not have the need to cause problems. Whereas, when people do nothing indoors, they are full of negative energy and start to cause problems. So it is a mutual interest that they work in order for us to ‘have peace in house’.
A further increase in the employment of prisoners is planned, he announced, by putting into operation a cattle farm, where they will need about 10 more people. They also plan to increase the production of blocks for which they will need another 6 to 10 prisoners.
In addition to the existing greenhouse obtained from Help, it is also planned to quickly build another one for the production of flowers, where they will also need more workers, as well as their own production of onions and potatoes for their needs. They have two tractors and the plows.
The administrative buildings were both richly decorated with prisoners’ works, paintings and sculptures in wood, from which we toured the working part of the Spuž prison with Chiefs Tanasilović and Tmušić, and we also had a chance to talk to some of the prisoners who had received Help training as well as certificates with professional titles.
Tomo Milačić and his colleagues in the carpentry workshop are working on making a more popular product coming out of the UIKS – table and tripods (small three-legged chair). Milačić says that he is a health worker by profession and that carpentry is his new second profession, which he received thanks to Help.
“I worked in health care for years and I accepted this new profession by chance, which I have practiced for eight years so far. I have also received Help training and a certificate.”
With a slight irony in his voice he adds:
“I am full of diplomas now, I just need to find a job.. but it will happen eventually. ”
He then explained in a more serious tone:
“The prison as an institution is a small town with thousands of prisoners living here 24 hours a day. These people live in some rooms. These are small apartments, small rooms with various infrastructures, kitchens, bathrooms with electrical connections. It takes electricians, carpenters and plumbers and all the craftsmen in order to maintain all of this. So we always need tools and training because people come and go. The prisoner fluctuation is significant and the support like the one provided by Help is necessary, positive and very good. People who can work, people who want to work and who are committed can make it possible for them to develop an interest or make a living from it when they leave prison”.
When asked if he intends to return to his first job in health care or his new found art – of which he says “the pieces themselves speak”, he told us that he is yet to decide.
“It is useful for me to have a certificate, I will be able to join a carpentry company if I decide so, or possibly have one of my own – this is the primary intention. Why not a small carpentry shop even?”
“In addition to tables and similar products, we do a lot of paneling, including kitchens, doors and windows. Here at the prison, we arrange our space ourselves, although most of the work consists of repairs.”
In any case, they have a lot of work that helps them with “spending time constructively and being useful.”
“In a way, we must amend ourselves to the society. Because we are a kind of sinners, so in some way we can repay ourselves by working as much as we can. And that is also useful for us when we leave prison. It would also be great if this work and engagement could result in some conditional paroles. We have a salary, which is about 72/73 euros – one third of the minimum labor cost. But it’s just a tip compared to what some of us do here, though almost everything in the carpentry workshop is done by teamwork.”
While saying goodbye to Tomo Milačić, he reminded us that the work of Help is very important to them and that it would be good to continue this practice.
A “small town” of 1000 people that eats in one place
When asked if he intends to return to his first job in health care or his new found art – of which he says “the pieces themselves speak”, he told us that he is yet to decide.
“It is useful for me to have a certificate, I will be able to join a carpentry company if I decide so, or possibly have one of my own – this is the primary intention. Why not a small carpentry shop even?”
“In addition to tables and similar products, we do a lot of paneling, including kitchens, doors and windows. Here at the prison, we arrange our space ourselves, although most of the work consists of repairs.”
In any case, they have a lot of work that helps them with “spending time constructively and being useful.”
“In a way, we must amend ourselves to the society. Because we are a kind of sinners, so in some way we can repay ourselves by working as much as we can. And that is also useful for us when we leave prison. It would also be great if this work and engagement could result in some conditional paroles. We have a salary, which is about 72/73 euros – one third of the minimum labor cost. But it’s just a tip compared to what some of us do here, though almost everything in the carpentry workshop is done by teamwork.”
While saying goodbye to Tomo Milačić, he reminded us that the work of Help is very important to them and that it would be good to continue this practice.
Since the prison is a specific closed system, this is a bit more difficult for the time being because, for example, his work is not recognized as an internship or working experience, although the workload in the prison kitchen is huge.
“You wouldn’t have the amount of work in the kitchen that we have here on any other job, we prepare food for 1300 people for every shift, every day, 365 days a year. The nutritionist determines the menu on a weekly basis. Food choices are adapted for everyone: I am on a diet for example, and many others are too. We also have people with a specific diet due to various illnesses, and we take care of religious dietary needs, all on a daily basis. We have nutritionists who are constantly updating our menu as much as they can, and every morning if there is a specific request or if there is a new inmate, I get instructions for the food preparation accordingly. A total of 15 to 20 people are working in the kitchen, led by the chef. For each of the diets he prepares seven to ten different dishes.”
Beside eggs, they also have pork and beef of their own production, but that is still not enough.
The Master Chef is licensed to provide training, which opens the possibility for faster Assistant Chef training. Chief Aleksandar Tmušić explained to us that they have a nutritionist, a head chef and two other chefs every day in the shift, and that all other kitchen staff consists of prisoners.
He explained to us that the law recognized the so-called open prison system, but that has not yet been implemented. With such a system, the possibility of gaining a greater level of experience in the cooking business, would be raised to a higher level – especially the variety of cooking. Although the level of skills is well above the level of assistant chef diploma they acquire here because of the amount of work that is done in the prison kitchen, Tmušić notes.
Until then, as M.M. had told us, they still have TV, where they watch both local and foreign chefs in order to learn new recipes, dishes and “little secrets of the great masters of the kitchen” – as was the motto of the once popular commercials.
“It is not difficult for me; I really love it. In the evening I often save something to do as a little extra, I really enjoy it. In my spare time, I try new recipes. Besides, it’s nice when my fellow inmates praise certain dishes, when they eat everything and even ask for more.”
M.M. says that after the completion of the vocational training and the award ceremony, it was they, the graduates themselves, who prepared the whole feast for the occasion including the cakes.
Both as a prisoner and as an assistant cook, he is qualified to say that the quality of food in the prison has improved significantly, but that the favorite dish of a great number of prisoners remains to be the “prison beans”, which is the counterpart to the so-called “army beans”. The secret to the taste is, he explains, in the amount of beans that is cooked which is quite large.
At the end, the director Milan Tomić and his assistant Kemal Zoronjić insisted that they are particularly grateful to our colleague Dženan Demić, who “did not find it difficult” to come to them numerous times, to visit all potential resources and to discuss with the management in detail what is most needed and what is the most effective way in which they can be most comprehensively helped. Of course, as they say, “we know that behind Dženan, there are Klaus (Klaus Mock, Regional Help Coordinator), Help and the German Government, and we hope to continue cooperation, because it is in our best interest.”
Based on the reaction of prisoner M. M, who has already received the training for Assistant Chef, we can see that he clearly enjoys the job and already has the idea that we could help him with the training and support in devising a business plan (which would also be significant to other prisoners). This would be “his springboard” after he leaves prison in a couple of years, because he might be thinking of starting some business together with his wife who is already working in the hospitality industry,” so UIKS hopes to continue working with Help towards helping similar cases.
We hope that they become a high-performance enterprise in the future as they want to.
With financial support from the German Government, Help donated € 66,878 worth of equipment and training to UIKS in 2018., and € 52,246 in 2019. Half of the invested funds were provided by the Montenegrin Ministry of Justice through Enfothe Department for Criminal Sanctions Enforcement.
The program of support for Department for Criminal Sanctions Enforcement is part of Help’s regional project “Supporting the socio-economic stability of the Western Balkans region 2019-2020”, funded by the German Government.
Biljana Jovićević
