Inmates granted clemency on the occasion of the Lunar New Year in the Hà Nội Police's Detention Centre Number 1. — Photo qdnd.vn

HÀ NỘI — Many prisoners in Việt Nam will be granted jail term reductions or early release on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

Hà Nội City's Police Department said 173 prisoners in its Detention Centre Number 1 and Number 2 are to be selected for clemency, of which 13 will be released on parole, 67 pardoned of their remaining jail terms, and 93 granted jail term cuts ranging from two to 10 months.

Hà Nội City grants clemency to prisoners on April 30, September 2, and Tết every year. When the occasion comes, all detention centres under Hà Nội City's Police Department establish councils to review appeals for clemency.

Illustrative image (internet)

After the review process, warders and prisoners will come together to discuss and vote by ballot to select the candidates for clemency.

"For those who made mistakes and are paying the price with years in jail, getting a reduced sentence would bring immense joy, especially during Tết," said Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, Deputy Chief Warder of the Prisoner Supervision Division in the Detention Centre Number 1.

At the Ministry of Public Security's Gia Trung Detention Centre in Gia Lai Province, 800 prisoners have their sentences reduced for good behaviour, of which three will be commuted from life imprisonment to fixed jail terms and 33 released early.

Illustrative image (internet)

The centre has also invited inmates' families to a gathering where they will have a year-end meal with those who had made progress in their rehabilitation.

The clemency will be granted to prisoners in many other detention centres across the country. In Bình Phước Province, the number of inmates to get reduced jail terms reaches 29; Vĩnh Long Province, 21; and Hòa Bình, 19.

The clemency granting is part of the country's policy of kind treatment towards people behind bars. It provides them with an opportunity to make things right and start afresh. 

Illustrative images (internet)