Mr Chaika said that the Federal Register of Normative Legal Acts had become effective following the President’s instructions. At present it contains 100,000 acts adopted in regions of the Russian Federation. Mr Putin believes this will create a single legal space within the country, which will in turn have an effect on business activity.
The Ministry of Justice proposed that the maximum term of imprisonment be reduced from 20 years to 15 years. He described the situation with the accommodation of inmates in strict regime labour camps as critical.
The growing number of inmates in strict regime camps, limited to those convicted for committing grave and particularly grave crimes, is, according to the Ministry, due above all to flaws in the Criminal Code where a number of articles provide for unjustiably tight sanctions, which do not correspond to the degree of public danger associated with crimes. The Ministry suggested a series of amendments to appropriate articles, which will help reduce inmate numbers and will not tell on the effectiveness of the penal system.
The President instructed the Government to carry out the necessary work.