Guidelines for Inmates Applying for Alternative Fines

For minor crimes where a short-term imprisonment is imposed, according to the provisions of the Criminal Code, the following conditions must be met in order to apply for the conversion to a fine:

• If the maximum penalty prescribed by law for the committed offense (i.e., the highest sentence that can be imposed) is imprisonment for less than five years.
• If the sentence pronounced by the court is imprisonment for less than six months or detention.
• In cases eligible for imposition of a fine, if the convicted person is abroad and unable to personally appear for processing due to working on a deep-sea fishing vessel or suffering from a serious illness as certified by a physician, the spouse of the convicted person, blood relatives within the third degree, or relatives by marriage within the second degree, can submit the application on their behalf with proper documentary evidence.
• The application for the imposition of a fine only needs to be made orally or in writing. The request may be granted by the executing prosecutor unless it is determined that executing the pronounced sentence would be difficult to achieve correctional effects or maintain legal order. Requests involving solicitation or lobbying will be strictly investigated.