The Current Time channel reported on October 1 that paid cells may soon be introduced in prisons in Kyrgyzstan, as proposed by the government to help boost the state budget.
The idea is to create an "experimental regime" in correctional facilities, where inmates could pay for improved living conditions, similar to those found in sanatoriums.
Kemel Sadykov, Deputy Head of the Kyrgyzstan Penitentiary Service, explains, “The experimental regime involves creating an isolated section in one of the correctional facilities. A pilot project will be launched with paid cells for inmates, where the conditions may resemble those of a sanatorium. Why not? This practice has already been implemented in Ukraine and several other countries."
The initiative suggests that prisoners who can afford it may be able to serve their sentences in more comfortable conditions, which would also provide a new revenue stream for the government.
