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Prisons under control or propaganda under the cameras?

2026-05-25 10:18:00, Aktualitet CNA

From the moment images of prisoners partying with alcohol and drugs circulated in Albanian prisons, the General Directorate of Prisons began to promote inspections of Albanian penitentiaries.

What is served every day is that cell phones, alcohol, and narcotics are found during checks.

In some cases, it is even said that the checks were carried out on the orders of the director of the General Directorate of Prisons, Adriatik Kupit, who is widely known as the soldier of the arrested mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj.

But let's go further. In fact, the phenomenon of frequent searches in prisons deserves to be seen beyond media reports and images of seizures.

Essentially, the fact that cell phones, chargers, and other prohibited items are repeatedly found in the same institutions does not necessarily indicate the strength of the system, but can also be interpreted as an indication of its structural weakness.

Drugs, alcohol and phones/ Flash checks in Fier prison
May 24, 12:53

But from what is sold as a success in itself, the question arises: how does the same mechanism of smuggling continue to function? Repeated checks at the Penitentiary and again the propaganda shouts, 1 cell phone, 2 chargers, etc. were found.

If the phenomenon is repeated without interruption, then the problem is not the lack of controls, but the lack of real control over the penitentiary system. Every cell phone found is proof that security has failed before.

These actions also create a communication paradox. On the one hand, institutions seek to convey the message that they are taking action and "hitting down on illegality," on the other hand, the very repetition of the news exposes the normalization of smuggling within prisons.

Flash checks at Peqin prison/ Cell phones and alcoholic beverages seized
May 23, 15:15

So, the more the controls are promoted, the more the public perception is created that the state is failing to solve the problem at its root.

Another issue that is evident during this process is the lack of transparency regarding institutional responsibility.

We see that various items are seized but we do not see those responsible. Who are the ones who bring these items in? Have measures been taken against these people? Why is the security system not strengthened when an IEPD goes for a check for the first time and illegal items are found and a check is carried out again and illegal items are found again?

Isn't it assumed that after the first time, measures should be taken to prevent this phenomenon from happening again?

Checks continue in the country's penitentiaries/What was seized in Fier prison
May 22, 16:46

Serious investigations into the people who enable the introduction of these items, whether it be corrupt employees, internal networks, or technological security failures, are rarely made public.

Focusing only on the seized items shifts attention from real responsibility to the media effect of the operation.

Controls may have operational value, but the way they are publicly communicated brings them closer to the logic of propaganda.

Success is not measured by the number of checks or items seized, but by the ability to sustainably reduce the phenomenon and restore confidence in the functioning of penal institutions./ CNA