Turkey plans to build prisons for drug addicts

In Turkey, a project entitled "Rehabilitation prison facilities for drug-dependent prisoners and convicts" is planned. Work has already begun in Bolu and Adana.

The Director-General of Prisons and Detention Centres, Enys Yavuz Yildyrym, made a presentation to the Parliamentary Human Rights Inquiry Commission and reported on the latest prison situation. Yildyrym reported that there are currently 340,268 prisoners and convicts in prisons and that drug-related crime ranks first among all types of crime - 36%. In total, there are 119,000 prisoners and convicted drug offenders in prisons. Yıldırım stressed that the Turkish criminal system applied stricter measures for such criminals than Western countries. 

"In this context, we will build prisons specifically for drug addicts, where they will be provided with the necessary rehabilitation and psychological support, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Health will try to treat drug addicts in these institutions. We are starting to work on two such institutions - in Bolu and in Adana," said Yildir.