Fewer detainees in prisons. The number of those behind bars has fallen by almost 15 percent in the first six months of this year, according to a report by the National Penitentiary Administration. In July, there were 7,319 people in the country's prisons, nearly 550 fewer than in the same period in 2017. The authorities say this is due to the law on humanizing criminal policy.

This 55-year-old man spent more than half his life after bars. He was sentenced three times for hooliganism. The last time he received a nine-year prison sentence. However, he served only seven years and nine months because in May this year he was released conditionally.

"We had no violations. Good behavior, we worked", said a detainee.

The man says that freedom changed his life.

"As if you were born a second time, what is more expensive than freedom ?!" "I am engaged in work, I work with my wife together," said the detainee.

Detainees that were released before the term are monitored by probation counselors.

"We check them first and foremost at the place of living, we work with the Police Inspectorates, the field policeman checks them at home, we also check them at the workplace on the basis of our meetings", said Sergei Urmasu, counselor of Probation Office of Buiucani Sector from the Capital.

Also in the first half of the year, 97 people received another penalty instead of imprisonment. State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Anatolie Munteanu, argues that all these changes are due to the adaptation of national criminal law to Council of Europe standards, which aims to reduce the number of detainees in prisons.

"For the first time in the last few years, the outgoing prison numbers are more than the inflows, and we propose to change the working formula of the executive system, less time in detention, more time in the attention of the state body, of freedom will reach the same goal", said Anatolie Munteanu, State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice.

The Interim Head of the National Penitentiary Administration says that this will avoid overcrowding of prisons and savings.

"With the diminishing number of detainees, we have around 80,000 lei of budget-to-budget savings every day, which we can use or redirect to other chapters, including improving the conditions of detention", said Aureliu Suhan, chief interim NAP.

The Law on the Humanization of Criminal Policy entered into force in December 2017.