Serbia's prisons overcrowded

BELGRADE, Serbia, April 21 (UPI) -- More than 10,000 inmates are locked in Serbia's prisons -- about 4,000 beyond their capacity -- a Justice Ministry official said.

The Council of Europe's committee against torture in jails has reprimanded Serbia for its overcrowded prisons, the Serbian Radio-Television RTS said Tuesday.

The Serbian Ministry of Justice said another 5,500 convicts are waiting for space in prisons to begin serving ther jail terms.

A new prison building is to be completed by the end of this year within the Padinska Skela penitentiary complex on the outskirts of Belgrade, and the government plans to build another four prisons across Serbia, said Slobodan Homen, state secretary in the Justice Ministry.

The number of prisoners in Serbia has risen by 60 percent over the past five years.

About 2,000 prison guards watch about 10,000 inmates.

The capacity problem could be improved by introducing a system of home detention and alternative sanctions, Homen said.