MINISTER SELAKOVIC: “PRISON IN MEDVEDJA WON’T BE BUILT”

24. July 2014.

Leskovac – The Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia, Nikola Selakovic, paid yesterday a visit to Leskovac, where he opened the Office for the Execution of Alternative Prison Sanctions. When asked to comment on the longtime announcements about the construction of a prison in Medvedja, Minister Selakovic said:

“It is a sad country where it is considered that the opening of a prison would assist it in the economic sense. When it comes to security, Medvedja is still a volatile area because of the administrative line with Kosovo and the Ground Security Zone. Prisons aren’t built in such zones. Do you know how many people have gone from the municipality over the last 20 years? I don’t think that the prison would bring them back to Medvedja ".

The opening of a prison in Medvedja was being announced by the previous government of Serbia, while the local leaders expressed the hope that that would improve the difficult economic situation of the poor and multi-ethnic municipality.

“Our strategy, as elsewhere in the developed world, is that as few as possible prisons should be opened, while the operating ones should reach the level worthy of man, "said Minister Selakovic.

Minister Selakovic gave the example of a prison in Prokuplje, which, according to him, was built for around 150 inmates and detainees, adding that it had about 60 convicted or detained persons at the moment.

Source: Jugpress, Jugmedia and Coordination Body