F. Alasgarov about new stage of legal reforms

The Probation Service is created in Azerbaijan, taking into account the international experience, the head of the Law Enforcement Bodies Department of the President’s Administration, Fuad Alasgarov said in an interview to AzerTAc news agency.

He commented on the President’s last week’s decree on the Probation Service establishment. One of the goals is to create conditions for the correction of convicts without isolation from society.

The term “probation” in Latin means “test.” In theory, it means release of a person from punishment if he follows certain conditions. Probation is an important part of the correctional system of the majority of Western countries, such as Sweden, the USA, Finland, Latvia, Great Britain, Denmark, Estonia, etc.

Probation authorities exercise control over the observance of the conditions stipulated in the sentence by the convict, as well as enforce penalties not involving deprivation of liberty.

Modern technological advances make it possible to establish full control over human behavior, not arresting him. In many countries electronic control systems are widely used in the penitentiary sphere.

It is also the liberalization of criminal policies by improving legislation, and in particular the decriminalization of economic crimes and those not posing a public danger.

Alasgarov acknowledged that the presidential administration received information about attempts to executive pressure on the courts to issue a preventive measure in the form of arrest. However, the country’s leadership demanded that the courts be guided only by the law.

In order to attract the people sentenced to socially useful work, orders were given for the creation of new productive sectors in prisons and the need was noted for measures to attract businesses to this area, Alasgarov said.

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