Baghdad central prison to be dedicated for drug offenders

BAGHDAD, August 28 — Iraq’s Ministry of Justice has announced that Baghdad Central Prison will exclusively house inmates convicted of drug-related crimes, moving prisoners convicted of terorrism-related crimes to a separate facility to avoid mixing.

Ministry spokesperson Kamel Ameen said in a statement to Al-Sabah newspaper that “the classification of prisoners is a provision within the Prisoners and Detainees Rehabilitation Law No. 14 of 2018, where the Ministry achieved a 100% categorization for terrorism convicts to avoid mixing with inmates convicted of other crimes.”

Ameen added that “Baghdad Central Prison, with a capacity of accommodating 15,000 inmates, has been designated for all prisoners convicted in drug-related cases, with consideration for isolating traffickers and dealers from [drug] users.” He expressed hope that “the rehabilitation process will be completed by the end of the current year, as the capacity of its sections currently accommodates 3,000 to 4,000 inmates.”

The spokesperson pointed out that “the major challenge facing the ministry in this matter is overcrowding despite ongoing mitigation efforts, as achieving 100% categorization cannot occur without opening new prisons and having the necessary human resources.”

He also noted that “the budgets of upcoming years do not provide for the appointment of correctional officers within the Ministry, which is a major challenge in case some prisons are completed and reopened.”