Last week the Minister of Justice Lilijana Kozlovič visited Ig female prison where she was also presented with the annual report from the National Prison Administration (Uprava za izvrševanje kazenskih sankcij) for the year 2019.
Ig prison is located in a 500 years old castle building for which a renovation and extension is planned. The works are supposed to commence in 2021, and the investment itself is expected to amount to more than 34 million euros. Apart from Ig, another prison is planned to be constructed in Dobrunje, where male prisoners from Povšetova in Ljubljana would be moved.
Last year, an average of 1,435 people were imprisoned in the Slovenian prison system, which is 6% more than the year before. This significant increase is largely due to those detained for those caught helping people to illegally crossing the state border. A significant increase in foreigners among inmates has been noticed as well, with non-Slovenes composing 30% of the entire imprisoned population.
The problem of overcrowding was partially solved by moving people between different institutions; however, prisons in Ljubljana, Koper, Novo mesto and Nova Gorica were still working over the limit of their capacity.
In her press statement Lilijana Kozlovič said that there was a possibility of introducing an alternative to prison sentences. She announced that a material basis would be created for a different kind of sentencing, namely penalties of non-confinement, where she sees great benefits in some already existing re-socialisation and community service programmes.
