Prosecutor General's Office: former prisoners should be more actively involved in labor activity

December 23, MINSK. Persons who have served their sentences and returned to society should be more actively involved in labor activities, Prosecutor General Andrei Shved told journalists before the 25th meeting of the republican coordinating meeting on combating crime and corruption, BelTA has learned.

According to the Prosecutor General, 68% of them committed crimes without working or studying anywhere. Every third committed a crime while intoxicated .

“This is a very serious problem. it is very important that every subject of prevention, and they have enough powers, finally seriously turn their face to this problem,” Andrei Shved noted.

According to him, starting from the moment a person is released, all measures should be taken to ensure that he is employed, and educational and preventive work is carried out with him. Today there are serious shortcomings in this aspect.

"There are many rights and powers, but the work is being done inefficiently. Today we will give an assessment to each body and demand that everyone, within their competence, begin to carry out this work normally," the Prosecutor General emphasized.

“There are more than enough places for employment in our country, however, executive authorities and other state bodies do not always take serious measures to not only employ people, but also train them in popular specialties. Hence the involvement of these people, due to the fact that they are idle, into criminal activity," Andrei Shved noted.

The issues of combating recidivism have always been and will be in the field of view of prosecutors, law enforcement and other government agencies. The demand of the President of the country that the prevention of offenses in general should be practical and effective remains unchanged, therefore, the activities of the subjects of prevention of offenses are annually assessed, and a set of specific measures is developed taking into account the shortcomings identified by the Prosecutor General's Office.

This year, the situation with recidivism has improved compared to last year: persons with previous convictions committed 7.5% fewer crimes (the number of crimes decreased from 17,455 to 16,140). Compared to 2010, the number of crimes in this category has more than halved.

Among other things, the meeting considers the progress in fulfilling certain instructions of the HEAD of state.

Photo by Vitaly Pivovarchik