Prague, Jan 25 (CTK) – A reform of the Czech prison service for the next ten years, to be debated by the government yesterday, is to make prisoners work and study so that they do not return to prisons after another crime, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes.
Over 20,000 prisoners were serving their sentences at the end of last October, while at least three-quarters of them had been behind the bars before, MfD writes.
This is an alarming figure as in Britain this proportion is under 50 percent, it adds.
The reform concept is to focus on the reduction of repeat crime, MfD writes.
At present, a little bit over one half of prisoners work, while the rest waste their time in prisons, it adds.
Under the draft reform, the prisons are to be allowed to have their own fields, bakeries and restaurants and to breed domestic animals, MfD writes.
Besides, there may be online teaching of languages and educational courses for computers in a few years if the change is approved, it adds.
Filling the boring life behind the bars by any activity is vital for a convict’s correction, police psychologist Jiri Jelen is quoted as saying.
“There are lots of people in the prisons who want to have some work, who know that it is useful for them, but they do not have it as there is a tremendous shortage of jobs in prisons,” Jelen said.
“It is also vital to have some education, to gain some skills,” he added.
Prisoners’ communication with the law-enforcement bodies is also to be facilitated by IT means, specifically by video conferences, MfD writes.
“In six months, video conferences are to start working in roughly 20 Czech prisons,” Justice Ministry spokeswoman Kristina Laboha is quoted as saying.
“This may save 100-150 million crowns as the costs of escorts to courts and state attorney’s offices will be curbed,” she added.
In 2014, the expenditures of Prison Service amounted to almost eight billion crowns, MfD writes.
“Obviously, the concept is quite ambitious. Any ambitious project demands some costs. However, if the Czech prison system wants to reach Western European standards, this will certainly demand some investments,” Petr Dohnal, head of the Czech Prison Service, is quoted as saying.
In 2014, the average monthly salary of a prisoner was about 3,700 crowns. Those who worked really hard were paid even 9,000 crowns, MfD writes.
However, the salaries were stalled in 2000. Now the ministers will deal with their increase, it adds.
In addition, a prisoner does not keep all the money as a part of it is swallowed by the judicial system itself, MfD writes.
“If a prison earns a sum, we want him at first to repay his debts from the outer life. This may include maintenance,” Dohnal said.
“Some companies see advantages in the employment of prisoners or after they are released from prisons,” Laboha said.
“The firms most often cite the convicts’ gratefulness, loyalty and diligence. Moreover, the prisoners are cheap labour for them,” she added.
($1 = 25.002 crowns)
