Türkiye will maintain an uncompromising fight against crime and organized criminal groups while expanding programs aimed at rehabilitating inmates and helping them reintegrate into society, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said Thursday.

"While maintaining our uncompromising resolve in the fight against crime and criminal organizations, we will never give up on creating the necessary opportunities to reintegrate convicts into society,” Gürlek said.

The minister was speaking at the opening of the Prison Workshops Ankara Products and Handicrafts Fair in the Turkish capital.

Gürlek said Türkiye’s approach to its prison system extends beyond carrying out sentences and emphasizes preparing inmates for their eventual return to society.

"The duty of a state governed by the rule of law is not only to fully enforce a sentence but also to work in a way that prepares the person serving that sentence for reintegration into society,” he said.

He emphasized that inmates should be equipped with vocational knowledge, professional experience and workplace discipline that would enable them to rebuild their lives after release.

Türkiye’s Prison Workshops Institution operates 378 directorates covering more than 200 professions and sectors, including furniture, textiles, metalworking, food production, agriculture, livestock farming, electronics, construction and handicrafts, Gürlek said.

Participation in employment and on-the-job vocational training programs increased by 32.6% in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to the minister.

More than 77,000 inmates participated in employment and vocational training programs during 2025, while 56,963 inmates had taken part in such activities as of Aug. 31, 2026, Gürlek noted. Some 12,635 personnel are involved in administering the programs.

Türkiye has also increased the number of vocational education centers operating in prisons from 67 to 73 over the past six months.

As of August, 1,539 inmates were studying at the centers, which provide qualifications including journeyman and master craftsman certificates, master instructor qualifications and vocational high school diplomas. More than 25,000 vocational certificates have been issued through the programs to date, Gürlek noted.

‘Iron fist’ against organized crime

Gürlek said the state would continue taking a tough approach toward criminals and organized crime groups while providing opportunities for those who have served their sentences to return to society.

"Our state maintains its iron fist against criminals and organized crime gangs that threaten the peace of our citizens and makes no concessions in this fight,” he remarked.

But Gürlek said a strong state must also prevent former inmates from returning to crime by helping them acquire skills and find employment after their release.

He described rehabilitation programs as the state’s "velvet hand” extended to people seeking to rebuild their lives after serving their sentences.

The Justice Ministry is also working on new models aimed at making it easier for people who have acquired vocational skills and workplace discipline in prison workshops to enter the labor market following their release, he said.

Gürlek said strengthening the rule of law, maintaining public security and improving the prison system were part of the government’s broader "Century of Justice” objective under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s "Century of Türkiye" vision.

New constitution

Gürlek also reiterated the government’s call for a new constitution, describing the initiative advocated by Erdoğan as one of the most significant legal objectives of the "Century of Türkiye" vision.

"We regard the goal of a new constitution, which our president has long advocated as civilian, democratic, inclusive and based on the will of the nation, as one of the most important legal steps of the 'Century of Türkiye,'” Gürlek underlined.

He said Türkiye’s democratic development should be complemented by a civilian constitution that strongly safeguards human dignity and fundamental rights and freedoms while reflecting the common will of the nation.

Gürlek added that the government would continue working to strengthen the rule of law, preserve social peace and improve the criminal justice system as part of its goal of making the "Century of Türkiye" a "Century of Justice.”