As for 1 January 2026, the Institute for Crimination of Freedom (ÚVTOS) in Levoča will be canceled. This step is part of wider consolidation measures, that have a goal Ensure the sustainability of public finances while maintaining the necessary level of imprisonment. The Prison and Judicial Guard Corps (ZVJS) informed about it on the social network.
The abolition of the Levoča prison is related to wider rationalization measures in the area of prison. These arise from the implementation plan revision of expenditure in this area by 2030, which has developed the value of the value of the money of the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic. As part of the revision of expenditure, the possibilities of optimizing equipment have been identified in order to reduce state spending. Among other measures, the material has identified the space to review the needs and use of up to a total of four institutes. By reducing the capacity of the prisons by 1443 to 2743 beds, it is expected to save 37 to 50 million euros.
Pursuant to the Act, the establishment and cancellation of institutions falls within the competence of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. ‘Based on a thorough assessment of the proposed measures, as well as other factors, including the current capacity of equipment, occupancy, one imprisoned person and efficiency of use, it was decided to cancel the ÚVTOS Levoča. This assets will be transferred to the administration of the Prešov Institute and then another way of using this property will be determined,”Said ZVJS.
The decision to cancel the Institute will affect 92 members of the Corps and 11 employees. The church will try to do the maximum to make employees who show interest in it, They found new jobs within other service authorities. In the case of ZVJS members, the procedure is different and will be transferred to another location Taking into account education, professional experience, results of service evaluation and health.
K 29 September 2025 is located in Úvtos Levoča 92 convicted women who will be transferred to other institutions in accordance with the applicable legislation. As a regional prison, it was in operation until 1949 and disappeared 11 years later, and subsequently used the building as a warehouse of state material reserves. After almost 37 years, the prison was reconstructed and resumed its activities by establishing a custody institution in February 1997.
