OSCE Centre promotes reduction of prison populations in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, 12 December 2013 - A high-level meeting on current efforts to reduce the prison population and reform penal policies in Kazakhstan, organized by the Prosecutor General’s Office and supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana in co-operation with the Penal Reform International Office in Central Asia, took place today in Astana.

The discussion participants analyzed the set of measures proposed to help remove Kazakhstan from the list of top 50 countries with the largest prison populations. Deputy Prosecutor General Zhakyp Assanov presented the National Strategy “Ten Steps to Reduce the Prison Population.” The measures outlined in the plan include amending current legislation, using electronic bracelets, and introducing automatic controls for administrative offenders and conditionally-released persons.

Participants also looked at the alternatives to incarceration along with the application of mild penalties, electronic surveillance of convicts, a clear procedure for reconciliation, expanding the use of early parole, and the social rehabilitation of prisoners.

The event brought together over 230 participants including representatives from state bodies, parliamentarians, Supreme Court and Constitutional Council members, judges and defence lawyers, local and international legal experts as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations and academia. The discussion was intended to provide guidance to legislators who currently consider the draft Penal, Criminal Procedure and Criminal Executive Codes of Kazakhstan.

“The OSCE participating States have consistently supported the protection of human rights in prisons. Reducing prison populations is a key goal in following that principle,” said Ambassador Zarudna, Head of Centre in Astana.

The meeting is part of the Centre’s continued efforts to assist Kazakhstan’s authorities and civil society in reforming the criminal justice system.