Hungarian government to release 700 foreign criminals from jail

In a recent announcement by Gergely Gulyás, Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, it’s been confirmed that 700 foreign human traffickers will be released from Hungarian jails soon. This was enabled by a newly accepted decree, which expanded the use of the reintegration custody system for sentenced criminals.

This decision is expected to save billions of taxpayers’ forints and is unprecedented in the country’s history. Not everyone is thrilled, however. The opposition party Democratic Coalition now accuses the government of allowing nearly a thousand dangerous criminals to roam the streets freely, writes Szeretlek Magyarország.

Reintegration custody

Reintegration custody is a special form of custody that serves to help prisoners reintegrate into society faster and easier. It has been available for Hungarian convicts for a long time now. It enables those sentenced to prison to return to their homes before finishing their term in jail and carry out the remaining time there. This does not mean nullification of the sentence though. For example, they are still required to wear electronic leg cuffs that track their movement.

The recently adopted decree now extends this opportunity to foreigners convicted of human trafficking as well. In this case, however, it does seem to work like a get-out-of-jail card. Those affected by the change will receive 72 hours to leave the territory of Hungary. If they don’t, they will be sentenced to prison again. After departure from jail, these criminals can return to their home country to continue their sentence under surveillance. It is questionable, however, how many of them will actually do so.

Purpose of the decision

In his announcement, Gergely Gulyás stressed the economic benefits of the decision.

“There is overcrowding in prisons, and we are aware of  this. This is how Strasbourg is trying to squeeze more money out of the Hungarian state. So it is the right decision not to use Hungarian taxpayers’ money to continuously detain the hundreds of people smugglers who are now in Hungarian prisons.”

-said the minister.

The main driver behind letting these convicts go is so they don’t burden the Hungarian taxpayers anymore. The number of people convicted and jailed for human trafficking has been steadily growing in the past few years. Thirteen percent of them come from 73 different countries, making up 2,600 of the total amount. Now 700 of them, mostly those originating from neighbouring countries will be expelled from Hungary.

Source: Szeretlek Magyarország