Inmates in Romania, closer to having sentences reduced due to bad detention conditions

The inmates in Romania who are serving time in improper conditions may have their sentences reduced by 20%. The Chamber of Deputies adopted on Tuesday, May 9, the project that provides that, for every 30 days spent in improper conditions, an inmate would have his sentence reduced by six days. The Government adopted a project in this sense in January, and then sent it to the Parliament for approval. This is one of the measures the local authorities have found for solving the problem of prison overcrowding in Romania, in addition to the pardon law, which is still under debate in the Senate. The project adopted by the Government and later adopted by the Senate provided only a 3-day reduction for every 30 days spent in inadequate detention spaces. However, the Chamber's legal committee doubled the reduction to six days. The project will now be sent to President Klaus Iohannis for promulgation. ECHR: Detention conditions in Romanian prisons are in breach of European Convention of Human Rights New prisons to accommodate overcrowded inmates would cost Romania more than EUR 1 billion Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com