Over 9,000 prisoners on run after COVID-19 leave ends

ANKARA

More than 9,000 inmates who left open prison on furlough during the COVID-19 pandemic and were due to return on Aug. 15 this year to serve the rest of their sentences have not returned.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 100,000 inmates were granted tentative parole and released from minimum-security prisons due to concerns about overcrowding and the pandemic's risks.

The Justice Ministry recalled about 19,000 inmates whose sentences had not yet been completed, as the impact of COVID-19 has diminished.

However, 9,056 inmates who were supposed to surrender to prisons have not returned.

The ministry announced that arrest warrants will be issued against fugitive suspects, and after capture, they will complete their sentences in maximum-security regular prisons.

Open prisons offer a more relaxed prison environment for convicts and are more focused on convicts' rehabilitation, with permission for convicts to take up employment inside the prison. Perimeter security does not exist in open prisons. Convicts are also eligible to spend one or more days outside the prison.