North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has approved Decree 1013, a new directive that imposes harsher penalties on repeat offenders, following a proposal from the Ministry of Social Security. The order has been distributed to police bureaus and prison facilities across the country, including organizations in Jagang province and Hamhung.
According to a source in the country recently, Decree 1013 (named after the date Kim approved the proposal, Oct. 13) focuses on methods of criminal rehabilitation and the severity of punishment for repeat offenders.
The ministry’s proposal noted that between August 2022 and September 2023 and August 2023 and September 2024, the recidivism rate for males increased by 4% and the recidivism rate for females increased by 11%; in short, the ministry said, recidivism is becoming a serious social problem.
Decree 1013, which was issued after the ministry’s proposal was approved, includes measures aimed at reducing the recidivism rate. These measures include harsher sentences for repeat offenders, tougher prison work, much less commutation of sentences, and tougher law enforcement.
“The Ministry of Social Security plans to apply much harsher punishments throughout the entire process of investigating, interrogating and sentencing recidivists. The order will be implemented in order to establish law and order in the state and thus prevent recidivism,” the source explained.
In short, the police believe that harsher sentences will deter criminals from committing more crimes and help restore social order.
The tougher sentences for repeat offenders are scheduled to officially take effect on Nov. 1, the source said.
Repeat offenders set to receive much harsher punishments
The next step is to increase the intensity of prison work assigned to recidivists, the source said.
“Reoffenders who will be sent to prison or who are already there will face much more burdensome work and much longer working hours as the authorities take a much stricter approach to managing the rehabilitation and resocialization of reoffenders,” the source said.
In particular, criminals who are sent to prison for committing the same crime three or more times will be subjected to backbreaking labor.
“After Decree 1013 was promulgated by the ministry’s corrections bureau to prisons, recidivists are facing even harsher rehabilitation work than before. In Hamhung Prison, the prison population has been reorganized into groups of two-time, three-time and four-time offenders. Prison authorities have stressed that this is a government measure aimed at preventing the commission of further crimes,” the source said.
Other important measures in Decree 1013 include further limiting sentence reductions for repeat offenders, which were already set at half that of first-time offenders, and making any inmate who causes trouble ineligible for pardon.
“The ministry’s corrections bureau said that taking away sentence reductions for three-time offenders is aimed at preventing recidivism. They want to toughen penalties and raise awareness about repeat offenders,” the source said.
“Decree 1013 also calls for more meticulous management of the rehabilitation process of recidivists, leading to a comprehensive review of the recidivist management system in every local unit. The department has stressed that all police stations and jails must focus on preventing recidivism under the new order.”
The Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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