RESTRICTIONS ON TELEPHONE TALKS FOR PRISONERS CANCELLED IN MOLDOVA

The Government approved a decree on cancelling restrictions on telephone talks for prisoners, as well as on allowing their possible leaving the territory of the prison without guards.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the document implies canceling of the current limit of telephone talks for prisoners (20 minutes per month). They will be able to communicate with any person, without restrictions of time of talks with condition that the person the prisoner is talking to will pay for the call. The document also provides simplified conditions for issuing permit on telephone calls, long meetings with other persons except husband/wife or their relatives.

“Thus, persons in cohabitation will not have to present proofs, including certificates about children. This will allow removing the element of discrimination in relation to other prisoners. Currently, the law does not regulate in detail the number, time and periodicity of calls prisoners may make. These will be established by the Ministry of Justice”, the document says.

The explanatory note to the proposed innovation says that the administration of prisons regards one of its main goals the establishing and supporting of the detainees’ connection with persons, which are close to them.

According to the same document, some categories of prisoners (usually those, who are working outside the prison), will have the possibility to leave the territory without being accompanied by guards. For this, they will need permit, signed by the head of the prison with no need to get consent of Penitentiary Institutions Department Director.

New rules will come into force after the governmental decree is published in the Monitorul Oficial governmental bulletin.