Ministry crafts plan to relieve strain on overcrowded prisons

The Czech Ministry of Justice is working on a plan to relieve pressure on overcrowded prisons and thus the state budget, Czech Television reported. The plan envisages lower sentencing rates and greater use of alternative sentences as a way to ensure fewer inmates in the national prison system.

Most people currently locked up in the country have been found guilty of repeated theft or non-payment of alimony, Czech TV said.

Members of the Czech judiciary and opposition leaders ANO welcome the proposals.