Number of foreigners in Slovak prisons increasing

The number of convicted foreigners in Slovak prisons has increased slightly in recent years. At present, 227 foreign nationals are incarcerated in Slovakia, an increase of 16 year-on-year. As the yearbook for the Prison and Judicial Guards Corps (ZVJS) reports, in 2013 there were 188 foreign nations in Slovak prisons, however the number fell to 177 in 2014. Adrián Baláž from the Office of the General Director of the Prison and Judicial Guards Corps explained to TASR that the largest number of prisoners are from the Czech Republic (47), followed by Romania (21) and Hungary (20). Foreigners of the same nationality or speaking the same or similar language will generally be allowed to stay together and communicate with each other in their own language. At present, 1410 accused and 8927 convicted prisoners are serving time in Slovak prisons.