Give it a chance!

Roma people in Romanian prisons

Sorina LUPU Bucharest, Romania

Rosheim, France – 22 September 2012

Training course ”Combating discrimination towards migrant

and Roma minorities”

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Structure

Context Programs Good

practices

to outline the Romanian programs for integrating Roma people from prisons

Purpose

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Context of Roma people

• Roma people: 619,007 people or 3.2% of the total population of Romania

• second-largest ethnic minority in Romania after Hungarians

• 30,000 total number of people in prisons from Romania (Romanians, gypsys etc)

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

28 August 2012

In prisons from Romania

there were

declared 1999 Roma people

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

<18

18-21

21-60

>60

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Level of education

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Illiterate primary secondary technical school

secondary highschool

high school university

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Criminalities

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Criminalities

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Psyche

Social work

Education

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

The program “Over obstacle with

hope and faith”

• Description

• Objectives

• Target group: 150 Roma people in prisons

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Activities during the programme

• renovation of spaces;

• IT, vocational courses;

• juridical and psychological counseling;

• support in finding and keeping the work place for both Roma prisoners and their families;

• organization of campaigns;

• providing financial support.

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

The international day of Roma people

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Dancing and singing

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

National Anathema and Flag • “Gelem, Gelem”

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Feedback from Roma people in jail

• There is no discrimination between Romanian and Roma people

• They are treated equally and participate in all the activities for them

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

Feedback from Roma people in jail • They accept their status

• Most of them discovered new abilities in the prisons like painting or sculpturing

• They have their own TV programme which is transmitted inside the prison

Structure | Context | Programs | Good practices | Conclusions

One more thing ...

It is easy to say you know what people feel behind bars when

you have never been there ...