MOSCOW, July 9 (RAPSI) – The State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, adopted a bill allowing non-serious crimes convicts to be used as labour outside penal colonies in a final third reading on Tuesday.

Under the draft law, special units of the penal colonies and correctional facilities will be created on the base of organizations where convicts will work. Organizations will be obliged to provide laborers with living facilities and medical and sanitary services.

The order of establishment and functioning of such working districts will be determined by the Justice Ministry; an agreement between penal colonies and organizations using a convict as labour will be approved by the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN).

According to Chairman of the State Duma Committee on state building and legislation Pavel Krasheninnikov, the initiative has been drafted to boost employment of convicts and recovery of damages caused by their crimes.

Amendments have been proposed to the Penal Code of the Russian Federation. They are expected to come into force on January 1, 2020.