A total of 3,357 people were serving a prison sentence or detention measure in the prison system in B&H last year, while 421 persons were in the house arrest with electronic surveillance, according to the data of the Ministry of Justice of BiH.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry, Marina Bakic, said that according to the latest data, the overall capacity of the prison system in B&H amounts to 3,221 people, and it is estimated that it is necessary for B&H to have 3,750 places.
“This means that in 2015, alternative criminal sanctions have played a positive role regarding the prison system of B&H and for the second time allowed to not express a greater number of people who cannot be sent to serve their prison sentence. The data show that the combination of imprisonment, detention and alternative criminal sanctions brought the prison system in B&H into balance,” explained Bakic.
When it comes to alternative criminal sanctions, Bakic says that the criminal sanction of community service was imposed to 96 people, and prison sentence was replaced by fine payment to 237 people, while house arrest with electronic surveillance was imposed to a total of 421 person.
Also, added Bakic, one person was given pardon, and 789 people were earlier released from serving a prison on the basis of an approved parole, which is 790 people or 23.5 % of the total prison population. This had a considerable impact on the prison system of B&H, which was balanced last year.
When it comes to Republika Srpska, a total of 767 persons were serving a prison sentence and custody was imposed to 85 persons, juvenile prison for 2 persons, while 9 people were imposed with the educational measure in a correctional facility. Also, 12 women served a sentence of imprisonment, and 2 women were in custody, which amounts to 877 people all together.
Bakic says that the construction of all facilities of the state prison in East Sarajevo is completed.
The construction is completed according to the planned deadlines and it is expected that by the end of the year, BiH will have highly secured facility for accommodation of most serious perpetrators of criminal acts. The beginning of work of the state prison is expected early next year.
(Source: informative.ba)
