MOSCOW, February 20 (RAPSI) – The number of inmates in Russian prisons has decreased 1.8 times during the last 17 years, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Russia Vyacheslav Lebedev has said at a seminar session of Russian courts’ chairmen.

According to Lebedev, in 2000, the number of inmates reached one million while today it is 602,000.

Lebedev noted that there is also a decrease in the number of crimes committed by children and teenagers. At the moment, correctional facilities hold 1,395 convicts, who did not reach the age of 18. Head of the Supreme Court suggested creation of special courts for this category of convicts.

At the seminar session Lebedev stated that in the last year the criminal liability was lifted from over 200,000 persons for various reasons. Overall, the number of sentences last year reached 740,000, the chairman added.

The seminar session’s goal is to summarize the work of courts of general jurisdiction and arbitration for 2017 and identifying the tasks facing the judicial system this year.