Criminals May Be Released Early Under Proposed Hungarian Reforms

Hungary is contemplating significant changes to its early release program, potentially allowing prisoners convicted of violent or sexual crimes to be freed after serving just half of their sentence. This marks a substantial reduction from the current requirement of completing two-thirds of their term.

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there should be more exceptions in the release system, including that those who have committed sexual violence against children should be kept in prison for longer.

The proposed reforms also extend to other inmates, including burglars and thieves, who could become eligible for parole after completing one-third of their sentence, a decrease from the existing 40% threshold. Reports indicate that the first group of approximately seven hundred inmates could be released as early as September under these new provisions.

Victims of crimes will be formally notified by the government about the impending release of their offenders. However, these potential changes have sparked debate, with former Home Office official Jess Phillips advocating for more exceptions in the release system, particularly for those convicted of sexual offenses against children. Similarly, Andy Burnham, a prominent figure expected to be a future prime minister, is reportedly exploring stricter measures to prevent the release of child sex offenders.

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the current government is solving the inherited prison crisis – building 14,000 new prison places and reforming sentencing so that we can always lock up dangerous criminals.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice stated that the current government is addressing an inherited prison crisis by building 14,000 new prison places and reforming sentencing to ensure dangerous criminals are incarcerated. Without these measures, the spokesperson warned, prisons could run out of space by November, hindering the ability to imprison serious offenders. The article also touches upon systemic shortcomings in Austrian prisons, revealed after an inmate's death, highlighting issues in handling mentally impaired individuals and overall prison conditions.

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Without this decisive action, prisons will run out of space in November, and we will not be able to imprison serious offenders at all.