Number of inmates granted early parole rises on prison overcrowding: lawmaker
The number of inmates released on parole before serving 60 percent of their full sentence has increased due to prison overcrowding, a lawmaker said Sunday. A total of 634 inmates who had served less than 60 percent of their full sentence were granted early parole in the January-August period, Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing justice ministry data. The figure…
Inmates granted early parole have surged in recent months due to prison overcrowding, according to lawmaker Rep. Joo Jin-woo. Between January and August, 634 inmates were released before serving 60% of their full sentence, a significant rise from the annual average of 172 in 2025, Joo noted, referencing data from the justice ministry. This represents a staggering increase of around 3.7 times.
The number of early releases fell below 40 between 2022 and 2024 but surged last year, Joo explained. The surge was directly linked to overcrowding in prisons nationwide. As of the end of August, correctional facilities were operating at 126.2% of their capacity, up from 122.1% in 2025, the data revealed.
In an effort to alleviate overcrowding, the justice ministry has been expanding early parole options for elderly and ill inmates deemed to pose a low risk of reoffending. The ministry plans to further increase the number of early releases.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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