181 convicts are currently serving a life sentence in Albania. Of these, 122 are being kept at the high-security penitential facility in Peqin.

A new law is now being implemented, allowing convicts to make a living behind bars.

Euronews Albania takoi Kastriotin, i dënuar në burgun e Durrësit për vjedhje me armë të një turisti.

Euronews Albania met Kastriot, serving an 8-year prison sentence at the Durres jail.

The 35-year old was convicted for the armed robbery of a tourist. Now, he works as a cook in jail.

“I wake up in the morning, take over my shift from 9 AM to 2 PM and then I go to my room. This is my day. I was sentenced to 8 years for a robbery, I have around 5 years and six months left”, Kastriot says.

The job he found in prison is not just a hobby, but it will help him make an income as he serves his sentence.

Albania has 24 penitentiary institutions, from Saranda to Shkodra, 7 pre-trial detention centers, as well as 9 medium-security and 5 high-security prisons.

According to official data, Albania has 5,059 convicts behind bars, including those kept in pre-trial detention centers.

A majority, 60% to be more precise, are serving sentences connected to drugs or murder-related offenses.

Other criminal activities, such as fraud, manslaughter, or participation in a criminal group fill up an inconsiderable portion of the overall offenses that Albanians have been convicted on.

According to the same data, the most common age group is from 30-40, 15 are minors and 176 convicts are from the age of 60 to over 80.

547 people were handed 5-10 years sentences, 408 other 10-20 years and 335 are serving 20-25 years behind bars.