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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Alternative penalties to reduce prison crowding

Belgrade, 14 November 2008

State Secretary at the Serbian Ministry of Justice Slobodan Homen said today that alternative penalties could reduce prison overcrowding and make it easier to rehabilitate offenders.

Speaking at the opening of the Commissioners Service Office for Treatment and Alternative Sanctions of the Justice Ministry's Department for Corrections, Homen said that currently there are 9,500 prisoners in prisons throughout Serbia and 5,000 more that are waiting to serve their sentence.

Homen said that these 5,000 include offenders that have not yet been sentenced, those who have appealed against court decisions or appealed to postpone serving sentence.

He said that prisons in Serbia can accommodate 6,500 prisoners, adding that four new prisons are under construction and one of these will be ready to use from August next year.

Alternative penalties and the use of community service can be used to handle the problem of prison overcrowding and lead to better rehabilitation of offenders, explained Homen, adding that the Ministry is committed to the comprehensive judicial reform programme which is of crucial importance to Serbia’s EU integration process.

Director of the Department for Corrections Milan Obradovic said that the implementation of alternative penalties will be a historical event in the Serbian judiciary.

OSCE Acting Head of Mission Anthony Pahigian said that alternative penalties will reduce overcrowding in prisons and funds that are used for prisons could then be spent for other purposes such as building schools.

Pahigian praised the Justice Ministry for its determination in implementing the alternative penalties project that was supported by the Council of Europe and the embassy of The Netherlands in Serbia.

A total of 34 alternative penalties have been given in Serbia to date and with the opening of the Commissioners Service Office for Treatment and Alternative Sanctions implementation of these sentences can start.

The opening of the office coincides with the end of the new training for judges and prosecutors which was also part of the project for introducing alternative penalties and was organized by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Judicial Training Centre in Serbia.