Reduced overcrowding in Serbia’s prison correctional institutions

The rate of overcrowding in Serbia’s prison correctional institutions (PCIs) has dropped as a result of intensive efforts over the past several years towards improving the prison conditions for persons deprived of liberty, which was presented as such in the last report by the Council of Europe (CoE).

From 15 March to 15 April 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of persons deprived of liberty across Serbia’s PCIs reduced by 626 due to the enacted releases on probation and early releases, cancelled detention measures, and the restricted sentencing of new persons to imprisonment.

According to the CoE report for 2018 − the last one published −, Serbia’s ratio of available prison spots and persons deprived of liberty was 100:105.5, compared to the higher rate of overcrowding of 109.2 the year before. An influencing factor in the report being positive was the construction of a new modern prison in Pančevo in October 2018 with the holding capacity of 500 was opened, that is compliant with the relevant standards of the CoE and of the European Union (EU).

The CoE report also states that, compared to Serbia, the CoE and the EU member states face greater problems with higher rates of overcrowding, such as Belgium (with a 120.6:100 ratio), Italy (118.9:100), France (116.5:100), Hungary (114.5:100), Romania (113.1:100), Malta (107:100), Greece (106.8:100), and Austria by a small margin (105.8).

The Ministry of Justice has been making immense effort to improving the housing conditions for persons deprived of liberty. Earlier this year, the construction of a new modern facility with the capacity to hold 200 prisoners of the District Prison in Leskovac was completed. Then last year, a facility for 160 women prisoners of the PCI for Women in Požarevac was constructed, which solved the housing capacity problem in that PCI. Similarly, the PCI Požarevac−Zabela received a brand a new pavilion for 216 convicts last year, and two more pavilions are currently under construction. Finally, a new pavilion for the PCI in Sremska Mitrovica, with the capacity to hold 320 prisoners, will be constructed by the end of this year. 

While these efforts have concerned the serving of sentences in humane conditions, other simultaneous efforts have been made towards the advancement of the alternative sanctions enforcement system. Today, alternative sentencing is 16.9% of the total number of enforced penal sanctions which fall within the purview of the Penal Sanctions Enforcement Administration.

Significant progress has also been made with respect to the monitoring departments, in terms of their normative framework and organisation. The plan for the next period will entail additional capacity building of the Monitoring Department of the Penal Sanctions Enforcement Administration, which will be responsible for the enforcement of alternative sanctions.