Government okays plan to add living space for prisoners

Move to address overcrowding will see new holding cells built, as well as penal reforms intended to reduce the number of inmates

The government on Sunday approved a plan to upgrade the country’s prisons and add living space to facilities in order to address the growing problem of overcrowding, the Ynet news site reported.

The plan, led by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, calls for 4,000 new holding spaces to be built in the next nine years, with a minimum of 4.5 square meters (15 square feet) per prisoner.

It also calls for reforms in policy — to shorten prison time on certain offenses and encourage alternative punitive measures such as community service — in order to reduce the number of prisoners held at any given time.

The plan comes in response to a 2017 High Court ruling that ordered the state to provide every prisoner with at least 4 square meters of living space — a figure that is still far less than the average 8-9 square meters (26-30 square feet) in the Western world.

It is expected to cost nearly NIS 3 billion ($860 million).