Turkey has authorised the release of up to 38,000 prisoners to make way for tens of thousands of suspects from last month’s failed coup.

The government issued two decrees on Wednesday, introducing measures including the release of non-violent inmates who displayed good behaviour and who have two years or less to serve of their prison terms.

People convicted for murder, domestic violence, sexual abuse or crimes against the state are excluded.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag wrote on Twitter the measure was not a pardon or an amnesty but a conditional release of prisoners.

The reform is a measure to counter the country’s already straining prison capacity before the mass arrests that followed the coup.

The Turkish government also ordered the dismissal of 2,360 police officers, 100 military personnel and 196 staff at Turkey’s information and communication technology authority, BTK, the Official Gazette published.

A total of 40,029 people have been detained in investigations following the coup and 20,355 of them formally arrested, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a speech on Wednesday.

He said 79,900 people had been removed from public duty, in relation to purges in the civil service that have targeted the military, police, teachers and judiciary.