site.btaOut of 28,000 Sentenced, 1,720 Turned Recidivists over Two Years, Expert Says

Outgoing Deputy Minister of Justice Georgi Nikolov, who spoke at the final conference on a project entitled Strengthening the Implementation of Alternatives to Imprisonment here on Wednesday, said that the concept of working with people sentenced to probation has been revised. The project expert Nikolay Nikolov reported that out of nearly 28,000 people effectively sentenced, only 1,720 committed a new crime or offence over a two-year period.

Willy Gill of the Norwegian Correctional Service said that a code of ethics is very important to instruct probation officers how to work in various circumstances, including off the job. Gill also emphasized the importance of having national standards. He praised Bulgaria for having fast-developing probation, as it plays an important role in preventing recidivism.