Uzbek authorities will cut jail sentences for those who read

Uzbek lawmakers have approved a draft law that would allow inmates to reduce their jail terms by reading books / Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Milosh Muratovskiy

Under the proposal from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, prisoners could cut their sentences by three days for each book they read — provided they prove their comprehension by narrating the story, Gazeta.uz reported.

«A draft law proposes introducing a new Article 74-1 on inmates ‘moral correction’ by encouraging them to read books. Those serving full jail terms could reduce their sentences by three days for every book they read from an approved list and after successfully passing an official exam,» the report states.

Additionally, reading books would be crucial when a state commission reviews a prisoner’s eligibility for parole.

The draft law was adopted in its first reading on Feb. 13.

In December, Kazakhstan amended its legislation to allow individuals convicted of crimes related to drug distribution to apply for parole. At the same time, authorities moved to tighten penalties for drug producers.