MIDNIGHT EXPRESS IT'S NOT: MODEL TURKISH PRISON

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TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL OSCE TU
SUBJECT: MIDNIGHT EXPRESS IT'S NOT: MODEL TURKISH PRISON
SHOWCASES JUSTICE SECTOR REFORM


1.(SBU) Summary: GOT and EU officials inaugurated Turkey's
second "model prison" on February 8 in the western town of
Usak. The GOT overhauled the medium security facility where
violent riots killed four during the 1990s as part of a 10.7
million Euro EU-funded Judicial Modernization and Penal
Reform Program. The three-year project transformed the
crumbling facility where inmates previously lived together in
large "wards" into a solid structure with a calming
pastel-colored interior, clean four-person cells, a library,
gym, medical center, and educational and vocational training
rooms. Turkey's Director General of Prisons Kenan Ipek
declared at the opening that the GOT is poised to implement
this rehabilitative model in prisons throughout Turkey.
Although human rights contacts maintain that Turkey's prison
system remains imperfect, the Usak project shows that with EU
assistance, Turkey can effectively overhaul its more
antiquated institutions when it is determined to do so. The
GOT's rapid transformation of some of its most violent and
decrepit prisons into paradigms of modern rehabilitative
punishment remains one of its unsung success stories. End
summary.

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GOT Transforms "Riot Prison" to "Model Prison"
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2.(U) On February 8, the Ministry of Justice and EU
Delegation to Turkey jointly inaugurated Turkey's second
"model prison" in Usak, located in Western Turkey. The
medium security, or E-type prison, has a capacity of 501
inmates and currently houses, in separate quarters, several
hundred men, twenty women, and twelve under-18 boys. The
effort is parthllfter a series of bloody rioQs during the 1990s in which five
people were killed, it had become a symbol of the sad state
of Turkish detention facilities. The GOT hoped to erase
images of past prisoner rebellions against staff, and show
that it could turn a problematic facility into one fully in
line with European standards.

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Prison's New Face: Pastel Pink and Soothing Yellow
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3.(U) Slideshows at the opening ceremony and a two-hour
walking tour through most of the prison highlighted the
differences between past and present: Dark, crumbling
buildings had been turned into solid structures painted with
pastel colors chosen for their calming effect on inmates.
Large wards where hundreds of prisoners lived together, and
that led to gang violence, became three or four person cells.
Barren, unused rooms were turned into a library with
thousands of books, modern gym facilities, and education and
vocational training rooms. Decrepit medical rooms were
turned into hygienic dental and medical examination and
treatment rooms.

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Renovation More Than Physical
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4.(U) The aim of the project was not only to improve physical
conditions in the prison but to educate the staff in modern
prison administration methods, Ipek told us during the tour.
The project organized training programs for the prison staff
to improve dialogue among themselves and with detainees.
From prison directors to guards, all staff attended the
Council of Europe-led classes covering areas such as human
rights, conflict management, anger management and behavioral
science. Over three years, European Council and MOJ
officials worked to implement eight different training
programs to educate the 200 prison staff on modern prison
administration methods.

5.(U) During our tour we observed another important element

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of the program -- educational and vocational training
programs for detainees. Over 75 per cent of inmates take
part in training workshops where they can learn skills in
hairdressing, auto shop, textile weaving, plumbing,
computers, electrica- preparing detainees for release. Theyhad
further helped decrease annual disciplina2y cases to 12 from
over one hundred the previous year.

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The Challenge: Implementing the Model Throughout Turkey
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6.(U) EC delegation Justice Section Head Michael Vogele
pressed the GOT to continue to modernize its prisons as part
of the overall strategy of justice reform. During his
inauguration speech, Vogele said that many Turkish prisons
remain overcrowded and under-resourced. The EU stands ready
to assist in the challenge. DG Ipek said Turkey would rise
to the challenge. The MOJ has now trained over 18,000 of its
prison staff at its four training centers, and will continue
to collaborate with other ministries, the EU, local NGOs
until all prison staff are properly trained.

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Human Rights Observers Cautiously Optimistic
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7.(SBU) Human rights contacts welcome the advancements the
Usak model prison represents, but cautioned that prison
conditions remain inconsistent throughout the country. Human
Rights Association President Yusuf Alatas told us that the
worst problems, such as physical torture, have nearly ceased.
However, the physical conditions of prisons are still very
bad in much of the country, vocational training opportunities
are rare, and prison staff usually do not received training
in the humane treatment of inmates, according to Alatas. He
remained cautiously optimistic that the EU accession process
would help spur the GOT to continue momentum on prison
reform. Izmir Human Rights attorney Nalan Erkem told us that
the main problem is that prisons are not open to civil
monitoring by domestic organizations. The GOT's "prison
monitoring boards" are comprised mostly of government
officials, are toothless, and ultimately ineffective. The
GOT continues to show off its handful of model facilities to
foreigners while it keeps all other prisons closed off.

8.(SBU) Comment: The Usak model prison projects highlights
the tremendous progress Turkey has made in improving human
rights since it stepped up the pace of its EU harmonization
efforts in 2004. It also illustrates what Turkey can
accomplish when it works determinedly and collaboratively to
transform its more antiquated institutions. While human
rights observers correctly point out that more transparency
is still needed, Turkey's rapid transformation of some of its
most violent, decrepit, and overcrowded prisons into
paradigms of modern rehabmains e at
http://www.state.sov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON