Number of prisoners decreases

The number of prisoners in the Czech Republic has decreased over the past three years. While in the year 2000, the Czech Republic had 24000 prisoners, this year it is 7000 less. The change is due to an amendment to the penal code in 2002 which introduced various alternative punishments. Czech prisons have been suffering from overcrowding for years. While the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture recommends 6 square metres of floor space for every prisoner, in the Czech Republic, it was just over half the area before 2002.