Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Erkebek Ashirkhodzhaev noted that after the abolition of the recidivism institution in 2019, there has been an increase in the influence of organized crime groups, which is linked to the lack of strict measures of responsibility for repeat offenses.
Currently, repeat offenders are subjected to probation, early conditional release, or receive the same penalties as those who are charged with a crime for the first time.
The draft law strengthens the responsibility for individuals who commit crimes in a state of recidivism. Thus, the punishment for recidivism should not be less than half of the maximum term, while for dangerous recidivism — not less than two-thirds, and for particularly dangerous recidivism — not less than three-quarters of the maximum punishment provided for a specific crime.
Additionally, the draft law prohibits the release from criminal liability for individuals who commit crimes during dangerous or particularly dangerous recidivism as part of an organized group or criminal community, even if they have reached an agreement with the victim. Recidivism will be considered an aggravating circumstance, and probation supervision and early conditional release will not apply to such offenders.
Furthermore, for a number of crimes related to organized crime (including murder, bodily harm, robbery, extortion, theft, rape, pornography, and kidnapping), a new qualifying feature is introduced — the commission of these crimes during dangerous or particularly dangerous recidivism. This will be classified as a more serious crime and will entail stricter penalties.
The committee members expressed their support for this draft law.
