ANKARA
Turkish justice minister has said that 8,600 inmates were released from overpopulated prisons in Turkey after the law known as "the 3rd judicial reform package" came into force on July 5.
Speaking to AA correspondent on Wednesday, Sadullah Ergin said that 10,000 inmates were transferred from overpopulated prisons to prisons with lower population.
Ergin said that they have been working to solve overpopulation problem in prisons for a long time. 15,000 inmates were released from open prisons with a regulation made in April and 8,600 others were released under the 3rd judicial reform package, he said.
The third package aimed to both relieve the judiciary's burden and resolve the overpopulation problem at Turkey's prisons.
Reporting by Aylin Sirikli Dal - Ferdi Turkten
