MOSCOW, June 3 (RAPSI) - Russia's Justice Ministry has submitted new legislation to the State Duma to regulate the creation of prison supervisory boards, Kommersant daily reports on Monday.

According to the report, the bill would provide for boards to be established "to help the prison administration to improve prison facilities and equipment," as well as "to resolve inmates' social security issues, arrange their employment and housing upon release, and to organize their education and reform in prison."

The initiative is mainly aimed at changing the relationship between prison inmates' families and prison administrations, a Justice Ministry source told Kommersant. Essentially, the plan is to legalize material assistance to prison inmates, which is currently provided unofficially.

The boards would operate on a non-profit basis, and would be open for almost anyone to join, according to the amendments proposed: "individuals, representatives of companies and associations of any organizational or legal formats," members of public associations and even regional and municipal officials.

The Justice Ministry would set out the procedure for forming the boards, and decide on the term for the members' service and their competence.

The Federal Penitentiary Service has backed the initiative, Kommersant reports.

Yaroslav Nilov, an LDPR party member and head of the lower house committee on public and religious organizations, believes parliament will support the new legislation.