Punishment for petty crimes excessive, decriminalization needed – Kudrin

Alexei Kudrin file photo

KRASNOYARSK. April 21 (Interfax) – The system penalizing for misdemeanors in Russia is too harsh, with its shortages of workforce the country needs to decriminalize its laws, Alexei Kudrin, Chairman of the Board at the Center for Strategic Research.

“We need decriminalization, the punishment for petty, insignificant crimes should be reduced, [imprisonment] up to two to three years for insignificant crimes is too much,” Kudrin said at an economic forum in Krasnoyarsk on Friday.

There are over 600,000 inmates in Russian jails and 200,000 are employed as prison guards, Kudrin said.

“Under conditions of demographic challenges and the growing lack of additional workforce, we must review [the penalizing system]. We have twice, three times as many inmates per capita as in Europe, so there is the need for decriminalization in the laws,” Kudrin said.

[featured image is file photo]

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