Sins forgiven

Tbilisi , Georgia - Petty criminals in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia may have the opportunity to serve shorter sentences by spending time in a monastery. An estimated 80% of the Georgian population are Orthodox Christians and the church plays an influential role in the country's political structure.

Offering a cassock and allowing certain criminals the chance to serve out their sentence as monks would prove to be a beneficial form of rehabilitation while easing the severe overcrowding in the country's prison system.

Officials from the prisons ministry and the Church said they would work together to select appropriate candidates who would respond best to the unique program of reform. A recent report by a penal reform panel showed the incarceration rate in Georgia had risen some 300% since 2004 and the system was far beyond capacity.