ASTANA. Jan 13 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan should take measures in order to exclude itself from the list of countries with a high number of prisoners, Kazakh Interior Minister Kalmukhanbet Kasymov said.
"Our country currently takes the 35th place in terms of number of prisoners. The number of people kept in colonies has almost reached 49,000 (…) We should stop being leaders in this regard," Kasymov said on Monday when speaking during the governmental hour.
Kazakhstan has high hopes for changing the situation by developing a probation service for the penitentiary system, the minister said.
"We will be able to control our convicts by electronic anklets. We will be given funds for this now. We will set equipment allowing for monitoring these prisoners in each district," Kasymov said.
According to the information of the Interior Ministry, each prisoner costs the budget 651,000 tenge (154.52/$1) a year and each person kept in pre-trial detention facilities - 950,000 tenge.
At the same, "just 50% of prisoners capable of work are currently working in prison colonies," the minister said.
"Of course this is very few. We are currently producing about 10 types of goods there [in correctional facilities] - furniture, construction materials, textiles - this is very insignificant," Kasymov said.
It is planned to build colonies in Kazakhstan upon the state-private partnership principle, the minister said.
"So the one that wins the tender and who will build this colony, will bring his production there. Currently not a single businessman is bringing his business to us in a colony because they are outdated and deserted," Kasymov said.