Kurdistan prisons hold 6,200 inmates

Shafaq News- Erbil

Correctional facilities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq currently house 6,200 inmates across six prisons, including 1,985 people convicted on drug-related charges and 539 sentenced to death, the Director General of Corrections, Ihsan Abdul Rahman, told Shafaq News on Thursday.

The prison system admitted 4,094 inmates during the first six months of the year, while 3,535 prisoners were released over the same period, he noted, adding that 534 inmates are continuing their education at various academic levels while serving their sentences, and 411 are employed in prison kitchens and gardens as part of rehabilitation and vocational programs.

Abdul Rahman clarified that authorities granted 161 temporary leave permits to eligible inmates and facilitated 3,880 private family visits between prisoners and their spouses. "No divorces have been recorded among inmates who benefited from the program, which reflects its positive role in preserving family ties.”

He also indicated that the directorate organized 238 training courses for prison staff and released 676 inmates under Iraq's conditional release system.

“Cooperation with the Kurdistan Union of Religious Scholars has resulted in 73 religious lectures inside prisons, while 394 social workers were assigned to attend court hearings involving inmates and detainees and monitor their cases.”

On drug control, Abdul Rahman said strict security measures remain in place across all correctional facilities to prevent narcotics from entering prisons, explaining that the facilities are equipped with advanced screening equipment and that “all visits are subject to rigorous inspection procedures.”