The persons who committed minor offenses will serve their sentences in open prisons, not in semi-closed prisons at as present. The MPs gave a first reading to relevant amendments to the Criminal Code and the Contravention Code, IPN reports.

Stanislav Kopetski, secretary of state of the Ministry of Justice, said the sentences in open prisons are now served by persons who committed offenses out of imprudence. The goal is to humanize the criminal policy and to place emphasis on restorative justice.

The legislative proposal extends the applicability of alternatives to jail terms for a number of categories of offenses. According to the secretary of state, the Criminal Code now provides for the substitution of the non-served time with a milder punishment as an alternative, in the case of minor, less serious and serious offenses. Such a method could be now applied also in the case of especially and exceptionally serious offenses, by clearly stipulating the period of time that the person must serve in jail.

Stanislav Kopetski also said that the statute of limitations for criminal cases will be extended from two to three years and will be interrupted when the case is remitted to court. The legislation is supplemented with new offenses in the field of ecology and with new components of offenses for the protection of persons –identity fraud and identity theft. The list of cybercrimes will be reviewed and adjusted.

The bill is to be given a final reading.