To let police focus on fighting gangs, El Salvador to set 1,000 prisoners free

San Salvador: El Salvador’s Congress has approved a temporary measure to allow about 1,000 old or sick inmates to leave prison, to free up police to fight gangs. [caption id=“attachment_2680076” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The legislation approved on Wednesday may also help reduce overcrowding in the Central American country’s prisons. The government has said it is studying a series of measures to improve the fight against violent Mara street gangs. The measure will allow the release of inmates with a terminal or degenerative illness and prisoners over age 60 who have served at least a third of their sentences. Nobody with a sentence of over eight years nor those convicted of serious offenses will be eligible under the measure, which is scheduled to last one year. AP