Amnesty has positive, but also negative effects. On the one hand, it positively affects the convicted person, who is released before time. On the other hand, the victim is not satisfied that the aggressor was released and does not serve time in jail. Lawyer Victor Pantaru stated for IPN that amnesty implies particular risks. A lot depends on the additional policies implemented by the authorities for the person not to return to the circle where this can be influenced negatively and not to commit an illegality again.
Victor Pantaru said that the Penal Code of Moldova contains rather exaggerated punishments for some crimes, which are even disproportionate to the punished acts. On the other hand, once in five and ten years we have amnesty in honor of the country’s independence, which enables some of the convicts to get out of jail before time. The law clearly provides who can be amnestied and what happens when the person becomes a recidivist.
Amnesty is an instrument used in a number of states. Victor Pantaru said the benefits of amnesty apply mainly to the detainee as a person who was recently sentenced to five years can serve only half a year in jail owing to amnesty. The dissatisfaction comes from the victim, who was beaten cruelly, for example, as the aggressor can get rid of detention in half a year, instead of serving 5-7 years. What is important is for the amnestied person not to return to jail or this instrument will not have a sense.
Currently, 7,881 persons are held in Moldova’s 17 penitentiaries. Parliament voted in the first reading a decision to merge a bill submitted by the Cabinet and another bill proposed by a group of MPs, which provide that 1,700 detainees will be amnestied on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of Moldova’s independence.
According to the Department of Penitentiary Institutions, the state spends 132 lei a day on average for a detainee. When the person is released from jail for the first time, this benefits from a lump sum equal to 75% of the average official salary (4,500 lei), which is about 3,379 lei minus the income tax.
