Inmates can shorten prison terms by reading, new law stipulates

Amendments to the Criminal, Criminal Procedure, and Penal Codes have been approved, allowing sentence reductions for inmates who demonstrate reform through reading.

The law, “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan,” has been adopted at the 10th plenary session of the Senate.

Under the new provisions, Article 741 has been added to the Criminal Code, allowing a reduction of the prison term for inmates who have embarked on a path of rehabilitation.

To qualify, inmates must read books from a list approved by the Republican Center for Spirituality and Enlightenment, aimed at instilling correct spiritual and moral values. Upon verification by a commission, each book read can reduce the sentence by three days, up to a maximum of 30 days per year. This provision applies only to inmates eligible for parole.

According to Deputy Interior Minister Bekmurod Abdullaev, over the past eight months, inmates have most frequently read works such as The Property of Humanity by Tahir Malik, The Fields Left by My Father by Togay Murad, Between Two Doors by Utkir Hoshimov, It Is Hard to Be Human by Ulmas Umarbekov, as well as world literature classics like Dostoevsky’s The Idiot and Crime and Punishment.

Senators emphasized that the law aims to enhance the effectiveness of educational work in correctional facilities, prevent inmates’ social isolation, encourage reading, and foster law-abiding behavior and moral values.