Govt mulls reducing life terms, releasing elderly inmates

The government is considering reducing the 30-year jail term for life-sentenced prisoners and releasing some elderly inmates after reviewing their sentences, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Sunday.

He disclosed the plan while speaking to reporters at the Secretariat after a meeting of the core committee on law and order.

“There are many challenges in prisons and reforms are necessary. Budget constraints are also an issue. Elderly inmates suffering from various illnesses require additional funds for treatment,” he said.

The adviser said the current provision of life imprisonment defined as 30 years of imprisonment could be rationally reduced.

“We want to see whether this period can be cut down to a reasonable level so that arrangements can be made to release those who have become and are no longer a threat. We have not fixed the age limit yet. Based on discussions, we are thinking of reducing the term for women to 20 years while for men it may remain slightly higher,” he said.

Source: UNB