Number of working prisoners to increase to 60 percent

The Czech prison authority says that it wants to increase the number of working prisoners by 15 percent by next June. The director of the prison authority, Ludek Kula, has told reporters 60 percent of all inmates should be employed. For example, they will not be allowed to refuse work for public institutions. An amendment to the penal code to that effect has been prepared by the Justice Ministry. According to a recent report by the Czech ombudsman, the main problems faced by Czech prisons are overcrowding and lack of staff.