The sentence imposed by the court and the time actually spent in prison are not the same. Under the Law on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures (CGTİK), the general rule for fixed-term prison sentences is that half of the sentence is spent in prison with good conduct (iyi hal). After that, the convict is granted conditional release (koşullu salıverilme) (CGTİK art. 107(2)). If the conditions are met, the last part of this period can also be spent outside under supervised release (denetimli serbestlik, a form of probation).
Below we answer, in order, the questions that matter most to families. If you would like to see an approximate result for your own case, you can use our sentence execution calculator.
Conditional release ratios
| Offence / sentence | Time to be spent in prison |
|---|---|
| Fixed-term imprisonment for most offences | Half of the sentence |
| Offences listed in art. 107(2), such as intentional killing, torture, sexual assault (Turkish Criminal Code (TCK) art. 102(1)) and offences against private life | Two thirds |
| Forming or leading a criminal organisation, or offences committed as part of the organisation’s activities | Two thirds (art. 107(4)) |
| Aggravated sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, drug trafficking | Three quarters (art. 108(9)) |
| Terrorism offences (fixed-term imprisonment) | Three quarters (Anti-Terror Law art. 17) |
| Life imprisonment | 24 years |
| Aggravated life imprisonment | 30 years |
Where there is more than one fixed-term sentence, this period is at most 28 years (art. 107(3)). The limits are higher for organised crime offences.
Recidivism: For first-time repeat offenders the ratio is two thirds (art. 108(1)). For second-time recidivism there used to be no conditional release at all. That bar was removed by the amendment of June 2025; for fixed-term imprisonment the ratio is now three quarters (art. 108(3)).
Calculations specific to drug trafficking are covered in our article on time served for drug trafficking.
Conditional release does not mean the sentence has ended
A person granted conditional release is subject to a supervision period. This period is as long as the time that had to be spent in prison, but it cannot go beyond the date on which the sentence would end completely (art. 107(6)). If an intentional offence is committed during the supervision period, the conditional release is revoked. In that case, a period equal to twice the sentence imposed for the new offence must be served in prison as it stands (art. 107(12)–(13)).
Supervised release: the last year outside
A convict with good conduct who is in an open prison and has one year or less left until conditional release may, on request, spend the remaining period outside under supervised release. The decision is made by the enforcement judge (infaz hâkimi) (art. 105/A(1)). For offences committed after June 2025, it is also required that at least one tenth of the time to be spent in prison until conditional release has actually been served (art. 105/A(1), provisional art. 11).
Example: Someone sentenced to 6 years for theft is granted conditional release after 3 years under the general rule. If they meet the conditions, they can spend the last year under supervised release, so their time in prison falls to about 2 years. Time spent in pre-trial detention is also deducted from this.
Transfer to an open prison
- Those sentenced to a total of 3 years or less for intentional offences, or a total of 5 years or less for negligent offences, are placed directly in an open prison. For intentional offences this rule does not apply to those convicted of terrorism, organised crime or sexual offences, to second-time recidivists, or to those whose conditional release has been revoked (art. 14(2)).
- Others are transferred from a closed to an open prison following an assessment by the administration and observation board.
- For those sentenced to a total of 10 years or more, and for those convicted of terrorism, organised crime, intentional killing, sexual offences and drug trafficking, this decision is implemented only after approval by the enforcement judge (art. 14(4)).
Good conduct is a precondition for conditional release as well as for transfer to an open prison and to supervised release (art. 107(1)). Disciplinary penalties directly affect this assessment.
Deduction: time spent in detention is deducted
Time spent in police custody and pre-trial detention before the judgment becomes final is deducted from the sentence (TCK art. 63). For judicial control in the form of house arrest, every two days count as one day (Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK) art. 109(6)). Other types of judicial control (reporting/signature obligation, travel ban) are not deducted.
Child, female, elderly and sick convicts
- Children: Each day spent in prison before turning 15 counts as two days. The August 2026 amendment excluded intentional killing, sexual assault and child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and forming a criminal organisation from this rule (art. 107(5)).
- Women with a child aged 0–6: They can benefit from supervised release when two years remain until conditional release (art. 105/A(3)(a)). For pregnant women and within one and a half years after giving birth, execution of the sentence is postponed as a rule (art. 16(4)).
- Those who are seriously ill, disabled or unable to look after themselves due to old age: Supervised release is possible when three years remain until conditional release. This must be documented by a report approved by the Forensic Medicine Institute (Adli Tıp) (art. 105/A(3)(b)). If remaining in prison poses a definite danger to the convict’s life, execution is postponed until recovery (art. 16(2)).
Offences committed before 30 March 2020
The provisional articles contain more favourable rules for older offences:
- The one-year period for supervised release is applied as three years. Exceptions such as intentional killing, sexual offences, drug trafficking, terrorism and offences against the state are excluded (provisional art. 6(1)).
- Except for the excluded offences, for women with a child aged 0–6 and for those who have completed the age of 70, the period is four years. Convicts who have completed the age of 65 and cannot look after themselves can benefit from supervised release without any time limit (provisional art. 6(2)).
- Convicts with good conduct in a closed prison also benefit from these rights (provisional art. 6(3)).
- Days spent in prison before the age of 18 count for more: until age 15, one day counts as three days; until age 18, as two days (provisional art. 6(4)).
For offences against sexual integrity (TCK arts. 102–105) and drug trafficking committed before 28 June 2014, the ratio for fixed-term imprisonment is at most two thirds (provisional art. 9(4)). For offences committed on or before 31 July 2023 as well, except for the excluded offences, a convict who has stayed in an open prison for at least three months may benefit from supervised release three years earlier (provisional art. 10(6)).
Prisoner leave
- Compassionate leave: A convict who has served one tenth of their sentence with good conduct may be granted leave of up to 10 days, excluding travel time, in the event of the death or serious illness of their mother, father, spouse, sibling or child, or if any of them has been affected by a disaster (art. 94(1)).
- Escorted leave: Convicts not considered dangerous may go out, accompanied by a security officer, for up to 2 days to attend a funeral and up to 1 day to visit a seriously ill relative (art. 94(2)).
- Special leave: Those in open prisons and those entitled to transfer to an open prison may take leave of up to 7 days, excluding travel time, once every three months (art. 95).
Recent Court of Cassation decisions
- Court of Cassation 1st Criminal Chamber, 28.11.2025, E. 2024/7685, K. 2025/8371: The court examined the supervised release request of a woman convicted of a terrorism offence who had a child aged 0–6. Since terrorism offences are an exception to provisional art. 6, it held that the convict had to meet the conditions for transfer to an open prison and have one year or less left until conditional release, and that having a child did not change this result. The decision granting the request was quashed in the interest of the law (kanun yararına bozma). Decision text
- Court of Cassation 1st Criminal Chamber, 12.12.2025, E. 2025/2932, K. 2025/8958: It was explained that even if the sentence for the offence committed during the supervision period has already been served, this does not prevent the revocation of conditional release. However, if the offence was committed before the conditional release decision was given, revocation cannot take place, even though the decision has retroactive effect. Decision text
- Court of Cassation 2nd Criminal Chamber, 18.02.2026, E. 2026/1563, K. 2026/3014: The judgment did not state the deduction of the time spent in pre-trial detention. The Chamber found no need to quash it, since these periods can be deducted at the execution stage under TCK art. 63. Decision text
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. For your specific situation, please seek advice from a lawyer.