In Ukraine, it is possible to avoid imprisonment for murder: President Zelensky has signed a new law that allows for the replacement of prison sentences with probation

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has signed law No. 9185, which allows for the replacement of prison sentences with probation for many types of crimes.

This was reported by the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the country’s parliament.

Probation does not involve isolating the offender from society and can last from one to five years (one to two years for minors). It involves restricting the rights and freedoms of the convicted person “using supervisory and socio-educational measures” in their place of residence, including the use of electronic monitoring bracelets.

The law introduces probation as an alternative to imprisonment for all crimes listed in the Special Part of the Criminal Code, including serious offenses like murder or rape. While it doesn’t exclude imprisonment, it gives judges the discretion to choose between incarceration and probationary supervision for most offenses, except those committed by military personnel.

The aim of this innovation is to optimize the operation of detention facilities (SIZO) during times of martial law, including freeing up space for prisoners of war. Legislators believe that during times of war, “deprivation of liberty and arrest as forms of punishment lose their criminal and social purpose and require significant financial resources.”