Council of Europe praises low-contact prisons in Turkey

A top European body on Monday praised a new system at Turkish prisons that minimizes direct contact between inmates and staff to help stem the spread of coronavirus.

The practice could set an example for other member countries of the Council of Europe, said a delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) during a visit to Abdulhamit Gul, Turkey’s justice minister, in the capital Ankara.

Under the new pilot scheme, transactions such as video calling, roll call, and going to the doctor are done electronically rather than in person, whenever possible.

Recent changes in Turkish penal law are having positive effects, said the delegation, adding that judicial reform efforts are also producing benefits.