Guidance on organizing educational programs for new inmates in Vietnam from November 15, 2024

Guidance on organizing educational programs for new inmates in Vietnam from November 15, 2024 (Image from the Internet)

On September 30, 2024, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree 118/2024/ND-CP guiding the Law on Criminal Sentence Execution 2019.

Guidance on organizing educational programs for new inmates in Vietnam from November 15, 2024

According to the provisions of point a, clause 1, Article 12 of Decree 118/2024/ND-CP, the organization of educational programs for new inmates in Vietnam is as follows:

- After arriving at the detention facility to serve their prison sentence, inmates shall participate in learning and being informed of the following contents:

+ Rights and obligations of inmates;

+ Regulations of the detention facility;

+ Rules regarding permissible and prohibited items within the facility;

+ Regulations on cultural lifestyle, communication, and behavior standards for inmates;

+ Regulations on categorizing compliance with imprisonment;

+ Policies on food, clothing, accommodation, daily activities, and health care;

+ Labor regimes and the usage of labor results by inmates;

+ Activities, cultural, and recreational regime, including sports, reading, and entertainment;

+ Arrangements for visits, receiving gifts, and communication with relatives;

+ Regulations on rewards and handling violations by inmates;

+ Various contents on ethical values and life skills.

- The study and education duration ranges from 04 to 06 days from the start date of the class. Upon completing the class, inmates must write a summary report of their learning outcomes. If an inmate is elderly, disabled, unable to write themselves, or illiterate, assistance from another inmate in writing is permissible, with the draft read aloud to the requester for approval and signing or fingerprint marking on the summary report. In events such as epidemics, natural disasters, fires, or other force majeure circumstances, educational programs for inmates must be organized after such situations are addressed.

- The education is organized into classes, each comprising 05 or more inmates. If a new inmate arrives while a class is already in session, they may be added, provided with supplementary learning resources, or included in subsequent classes to catch up with lessons and schedules.

In scenarios with fewer than 05 inmates, or multiple inmates are ill or affected by force majeure events, the Head of the detention facility shall decide whether to organize classes or direct the distribution of materials for self-study and written summaries of learning outcomes.

After completing the initial education program, newly arrived inmates will be assigned into inmate teams (groups). If necessary, the Head of the detention facility may first decide on the team (group) allocation before organizing education programs for the inmate.

Additionally, cultural education, legal familiarization, and civic education for inmates with hearing or visual impairments, mute inmates, pregnant female inmates, maternity leave, caring for young children, or those frequently ill or with other mental or physical challenges are to be decided by the Head of the detention facility for each case. (According to clause 4, Article 12 of Decree 118/2024/ND-CP)

More details can be found in Decree 118/2024/ND-CP which comes into force in Vietnam from November 15, 2024.

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE