Corrupt Romanian politicians could stop writing books in prisons

Prisoners in Romania could stop benefiting from a loophole in the law that allows them to reduce their sentence by 30 days for each scientific paper they produce in jail, according to a bill submitted to Romania’s Senate. The current law allows inmates to reduce their sentence if they produce scientific papers or patented inventions. The 15 MPs who initiated the bill argue that the law stimulates imposture and offers legal ways to deceive the prison sentences, reports local Mediafax. Almost 200 convicted prisoners who have been serving jail sentences in Romania have written and published books in the last three years (from January 2013 until December 2015). They wrote more than 400 books in total on various topics, mainly to get their jail sentences reduced. Many famous politicians and businessmen, who have been convicted for corruption and economic crime, have been using this loophole in the law in the past years, and the phenomenon has been highlighted by international publications such as The Economist and The Guardian. Romania’s “prison literature” gets more international exposure. editor@romania-insider.com