Experts in Bulgaria have been increasingly expressing their reservations about the
building of new prisons as a way of responding to the increase in the prison population.
Instead, the focus has been on legislative reforms to reduce the numbers.
In 1997, a reduction in the numbers of remand prisoners was achieved by limiting the
term of pre-trial detention for remand prisoners. Now remand prisoners cannot normally be
held for more than one year. If charged with grave crimes they can be held for two years.
Bulgaria has also been experimenting with the use of transitory prison hostels, which
were established at the end of 1997. Prisoners with good behaviour, who have served a
specified part of their sentence in closed institutions, can now be transferred to these
hostels. They have been operating on an experimental basis since 1993 and the results are
encouraging.
According to the new law prisoners held in transitory hostels can work without guards,
go on leave, use public medical services and enrol on courses in schools to improve their
education and get new qualifications. All prisoners have been provided with jobs. At the
moment the number of prisoners in the transitory hostels is 600, and is expected to reach
1000 by the end of the year. The underlying idea is that these centres should serve as a
model for the future probation centres which will work with prisoners awaiting release.
Work on the draft of a new Criminal Code, new Code of Penal Procedure and Law on the
Execution of Sentences is under way. The suggestion for the introduction of probation as
an alternative to custody has the support of research workers, judges and prosecutors.
Source: ‘Measures of Regulating the Prison Population in Bulgaria’, by Peter
Vassilev, Deputy Head of the Central Prison Administration. Paper submitted to the seminar
held in June 98, in Popowo, Poland.
