Regional Ombudsman Mark Denisov explained that the prisons will be closed in order to optimize and save money. However, he is still sure that they will have to be reopened: “The war will end sooner or later. Everything will go back to normal. In five years, we will have to open new ones at triple the cost.
The ombudsman called the trend of reducing the number of correctional facilities “alarming.”
“A one-time large reduction in the number of convicts in Special military operation has prompted some to report to the top about the need to close penitentiary institutions in order to optimize and save money. A number of institutions will be closed this year in our region. Among the most famous are the institutions in Areisky and Hromadske,” Denisov said.
On March 19, the State Duma passed a law on exemption from criminal liability for contracting with the Russian Defense Ministry.
Criminal cases of suspects who signed such a contract will be suspended, and those sentenced to real terms will have their sentences commuted to suspended sentences. The law will not apply to those who have committed crimes against the sexual inviolability of minors, as well as those convicted of terrorism, espionage and treason.
