Thousands of prisoners, up to 20,000 according to the government’s own estimates, have begun to leave prisons following the entry into force of a new law on executions which was published yesterday in the Official State Gazette after being approved in parliament, and which allows those convicted who suffer from illness or are of advanced age to be released from prison to serve their sentences under house arrest .
Numerous Turkish media reported in the last hours a common scene outside the gates of prisons in the main cities of the country -including Istanbul, Ankara or Antalya- where relatives and friends came early in the morning to welcome with applause and tears prisoners who, under the so-called ‘10th Judicial Reform Package’, can now return home, as long as they do not represent a danger to society, and can therefore spend the Feast of Sacrifice that starts tomorrow with their loved ones.
The reform, initially with 30 articles, was passed this week in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (parliament) after lengthy negotiations that involved the withdrawal of the 8 articles that were rejected by the opposition. Under the new legislation, some 19,800 prisoners who suffer from serious illnesses or a disability that prevents them from sustaining life independently and who do not pose a significant threat to public security will be eligible for parole or serve the remainder of their sentence under house arrest, even in the case of repeat offenders with multiple convictions. However, those who have been sentenced to life sentences are excluded from these benefits.
To this end, changes are made to the maximum duration of house arrest, which is increased from 1 to 3 years for women, minors and those over 65 , from 2 to 4 years for those over 70, and from 4 to 5 years for those over 75. If the convicted person is over 80 years of age, they may serve up to 6 years of their sentence at home. Women who have been sentenced to up to 5 years of prison and who have given birth within the last 6 months may also serve their sentence at home.
Those sentenced to less than 2 years will have to go to jail
A judge will in any case determine whether the sentence can be served under house arrest, and the convicted person’s medical condition will be reviewed annually by the prosecutor’s office. The legislative reform also establishes other changes in the serving of sentences, such as that from now on those sentenced to less than 2 years in prison will have to go to jail and serve at least 5 days of their sentence in a penitentiary centre.
A mandatory electronic monitoring system is also established for those sentenced to more than 10 years in prison who are on parole; and from now on, any convicted person must have served at least 1/10th of their prison sentence before being eligible for parole.
Finally, the legislative reform approved in Turkey increases the penalties for a number of crimes; the minimum penalty for the crime of deliberate injury is increased from 1 year to 1 year and 6 months in prison, while for minor injuries that do not require hospitalisation, the sentence is increased to a minimum of 6 months in prison (with the possibility of up to 1 year and 6 months), from the previous 4 months. The maximum penalties for serious threats are also increased from 5 to 7 years, and prison sentences for drivers acting under the influence of drugs or alcohol are doubled.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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