New amnesty danger looms: The release of 50 thousand people could be paved!
With a radical change to be made in the penal execution law, the way could be paved for the release of 40 to 50 thousand people convicted of certain crimes. While the law will be based on the principle of equality in execution, crimes that disturb the public conscience will be kept outside the scope.
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Preparations in Parliament have accelerated for the reorganization of the penal execution system. The new regulation, which has been worked on for a long time and is eagerly awaited by the public, aims to eliminate the injustices that arise due to the fact that execution periods vary according to crime types.
The change, agreed upon by officials from the AKP, MHP, and the Ministry of Justice, primarily aims to establish equality in execution. In this context, it is planned to bring the execution rates applied to various crimes to a standard level. If the law enters into force, a convict sentenced to 10 years in prison will be eligible for release after completing 5 years of their sentence in prison. The path to freedom will also be opened for inmates who have already served half of their sentences.
This change in execution periods is expected to directly affect approximately 40,000 to 50,000 convicts.
In the planned regulation, while release conditions for those convicted of judicial crimes are being relaxed, high execution rates will be maintained for crimes that deeply shake society, such as terrorism, murder of children, women, parents, and siblings, and sexual abuse. It is envisaged that a significant portion of the sentence for such crimes will be spent in prison.
Officials point out that subjecting convicts to different execution practices due to similar crimes committed at different dates damages criminal justice. The law aims to resolve ongoing grievances and establish a more transparent and predictable order in the execution system.
"GOOD CONDUCT" FACTOR WILL BE DETERMINING IN RELEASE
In the draft law being prepared, the "good conduct" assessment for conditional release carries great importance. The good conduct determination to be made by Prison Administration and Observation Boards regarding convicts will stand out as the determining factor in release processes. However, some opposition parties and non-governmental organizations have expressed concerns that there may be a lack of objectivity in the decisions of these boards.
Taking these criticisms into account, it is being considered to change the working principles of observation boards in the second phase of the regulation and to increase the number of psychologists, pedagogues, and psychiatrists among board members. Thus, it is aimed to evaluate the rehabilitation of convicts and the risk of re-offending more healthily.
POST-PRISON SUPPORT AND SUPERVISION ARE COMING
The third phase of the law focuses on the post-prison processes of released individuals. Accordingly, psychosocial support programs for those conditionally released and their families will be implemented, and employment and vocational training opportunities will be provided. Supervision and monitoring of these individuals will continue to facilitate social integration and prevent potential recidivism.
All stages regarding the legislative proposal are planned to be brought to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in the coming months. If the comprehensive execution reform is accepted in Parliament, a new page is expected to be turned for thousands of convicts.