Colombia to cut prison sentences

The State Department in Washington has given a qualified welcome to adecision by the Colombian Senate to approve a bill aimed at reducing seriousovercrowding in the country's jails by releasing prisoners early.

The bill, which will benefit more than ten-thousand people, excludes drugs traffickers and politicians convicted of drugs-related corruption.

But a State Department spokesman expressed concern at the possibility that prisoners convicted of serious offences might still be eligible for weekend release.

Opponents of the bill in Colombia have said it will do little to combat crime.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service