Geneva and Vaud urged to hand out fewer jail sentences

Champ Dollon prison (c) wrs

Geneva and Vaud have the highest prison rates in the country - but not because there are more crimes or fewer spaces.

A new study, says it’s mainly due to a tougher penal culture in these cantons. 

Both cantons have big enough prisons, but they lock up nearly twice as many people per capita as the national average. 

Researchers say the problem is too many prison sentences are handed out and there’s too much pretrial detention, even when suspects aren’t eventually jailed. 

The courts are being urged to hand out fewer prison sentences. 

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