In a bid to reduce government spending by VND200 billion (US$9 million), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently approved a plan to release 20,000 prisoners by 2018.
First-time offenders jailed for “non-severe” crimes will be eligible to apply for early release, reports Tuoi Tre. Those who have served at least half of their appointed sentence may submit an application and appear before a committee tasked with handing out commutations on an individual basis.
The Ministry of Public Security and the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam are responsible for setting up these committees, which will review early release applications once every three months for the next two years.
The national government aims to release roughly 20,000 inmates, or an average of two to three inmates per commune-level administration.
According to the news outlet, the current cost of housing a prisoner is VND10 million per year. By commuting the sentences of certain inmates, the government will save money as well as downsize its prisons, laying off 3,000 wardens and officers.
Once released, prisoners will be monitored by local authorities and enjoy their full rights barring any exceptions specified in the early release ruling.
[Photo via Doi Song]
