Communist Albania maintained labour camps (Albanian: Kampe pune) throughout the territories it controlled. The first Albanian Communist labour camps were greatly expanded around Tirana, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime. A number of camps existed between 1946 and 1991 [1] as political prisoners, criminals, the mentally ill and others were incarcerated, generally without trial or judicial process. Political prisoners were severely and continuously under Sigurimi surveillance.