The prisons in Moldova are overcrowded, while the detention conditions are inhuman. The incarceration rate in Moldova is one of the highest in Europe, while the punishments imposed by judges are three times harsher than the European average. To improve the situation, the Council of Europe recommends fewer convictions or shorter jail terms, Council of Europe expert Marcelo Aebi, who is a professor of criminology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, stated in an interview for Radio Free Europe, IPN reports.

“In Europe, this problem of crowdedness in penitentiaries persists, in the sense that the number of detainees per 100,000 people continues to be very high. However, I can give you good news: it is a downward trend,” said the expert. With 140 prisoners per 100,000 people, Romania is placed above the average in the analyses of penitentiaries. The situation in Moldova is worse as the rate here is 200 prisoners per 100,000. The fact that the jail terms are too long is a particularity of both of the states.

Marcelo Aebi noted that in Romania or Moldova, a detainee can be held longer than in any country of Western Europe for the same offense. “We should look for the explanation for the crowdedness in penitentiaries here – at least one of them,” said the Council of Europe expert. In his report, this recommends avoiding the imprisonment where it is possible and using alternative correction measures such as community service or electronic monitoring for not very serious offenses.

Moldova is one of the countries with the highest incarceration rates. 200 of 100,000 people are prisoners. Marcelo Aebi considers such a situation was reached because of the length of the prison terms. “In Moldova, the jail terms are three times longer than the European average. Each country has a tradition as regards the punitive measures. In the northern countries, the sentences are milder than in Moldova, for example. Surely, there is a connection between the deed and the punishment, sentence. But a large number of people are jailed annually,” he stated.

The expert concluded that even if the tendency is for the jail terms to become shorter and even if the crime rate per continent decreases, the number of persons behind bars remains high in Europe.