Activities of Joëlle BERGERON related to 2015/2062(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Prison systems and conditions (debate) FR
Prison systems and conditions (debate) FR
Reports (1)
REPORT on prison systems and conditions PDF (503 KB) DOC (84 KB)
Amendments (26)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
— having regard to the UN minimum rules on the treatment of prisoners and the declarations and principles adopted by the General Assembly; having regard to the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, particularly Recommendation (2006)2 on European Prison Rules, Recommendation (2006)13 on the use of remand in custody, the conditions in which it takes place and the provision of safeguards against abuse, Recommendation (2008)11 on the European rules for juvenile offenders subject to sanctions or measures, Recommendation (2010)1 on the Council of Europe Probation Rules, Recommendation (2017) 3 on the European Rules on community sanctions and measures and the recommendations adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14
Citation 14
— having regard to its resolution of 25 November 2015 on the prevention of radicalisation and recruitment of European citizens by terrorist organisations (2015/2063(INI))9, _________________ 9 Texts adopted on that date, P8_TA(2015)0410. and the UNODC Handbook9a on the management of violent extremist prisoners and the prevention of radicalisation to violence in prisons, _________________ 9 Texts adopted on that date, P8_TA(2015)0410. 9a http://www.unodc.org/pdf/criminal_justic e/Handbook_on_VEPs.pdf
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas prison conditions and prison management are responsibilities of the Member States but the Union also has a necessary role to play in protecting the fundamental rights of prisoners and in creating the European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice;(Does not affect English version.)
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas there is no correlation between severity of sentences and a drop in the crime rate;
Amendment 43 #
E. whereas imprisonment is a particularly inappropriate situation in which to place certain vulnerable individuals, such as minors and people suffering from mental and psychiatric disturbanceserious mental or physical illness;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the increase in multi- ethnic societies, migration, terrorism and poverty are transnational problems which require a harmonised response strategy in Europe; whereas to combat crime effectively it is necessary to develop respect for and protection of the rule of law, to support integration and to reduce social inequalities;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas, according to Council of Europe figures for 20145, on average 210% of prisoners in European prisons are foreigners and whereas they are most often remanded in custody because of the greater risk of absconding associated with them;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas better initial and continuous training of prison staff and an increase in staffing levels among them are essential to ensure good detention conditions in prisons;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas any violation of the fundamental rights of prisoners which does not result from restrictions that are vital for the deprivation of freedom is detrimental to human dignity and significantly impairs the sentence’s corrective purpose;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses its concern about prison conditions in certain Member States; calls on Member States to comply with the rules on detention derived from the instruments of international law and Council of Europe standards; calls on Member States to adopt independent prison monitoring mechanisms as laid down in the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT);
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reaffirms that detention conditions are a decisive element in the application of the principle of mutual recognition of judgments in the European Union Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, as the Court of Justice held in the Aranyosi and Căldăraru cases;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Deplores the fact that overcrowding of prisons, which is very common in Europe’s prisons, particularly in Greece, France, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia and Romania, in many cases has a serious impact on the safety of prison staff and prisoners, but also with regard toon living conditions, the activities made available, medical care and monitoring of prisoners; points out that Member States calculate prison capacity and, therefore, overcrowding rates, in accordance with spatial parameters that differ radically from country to country, making it difficult, if not impossible, to draw comparisons across the European Union;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Encourages Member States, with a view to preventing recidivism and encouraging the reintegration of prisoners, to prioritise policies and legislation focusing on restorative and mediation-based justice, which uses social, economic and cultural tools rather than purely punitive measures;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that increasing prisons’ capacity is not the sole solution to overcrowding, as the prison population tends to rise at the same rate as increases in prison capacity; calls nonetheless on Member States to allocate appropriate resources to refurbishment and modernisation of prisons in order to protect the rights of prisonersioritise small units with accommodation for a restricted number of prisoners and therefore better protect their rights and to encourage rehabilitation and reintegration into society; recalls that the Commission recently mentioned the possibility of drawing on the Structural Funds of the European Union;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that remand in custody must remain a measure of last resort, to be used in cases where it is strictly necessary and for the shortest possible period of time; deplores the fact that in many Member States in practice remand is used systematically, which, combined with poor prison conditions, may constitutes a violation of the fundamental rights of prisoners;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on Member States to use solitary confinement only as a last resort, and to do so in a strictly regulated way; calls on Member States to abolish this measure for detainees who are minors;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Recalls the principle of the universal right to health, and encourages Member States to guarantee access to health in prison;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Encourages Member States to adopt non-custodial measures as an alternatives to detention and calls on them to ensure that, in addition to the punitive aspect of imprisonment, attention is also devoted to more educational and social aspects, particularly in relation to the rights to education, work and training, in order to enable punishment to be managed better, make a success of social reintegration and reduce recidivism; draws attention in this connection to the good practices which exist in the Scandinavian countries;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Encourages Member States to ensure that prisoners are able to maintain links with family and friends by allowing them to serve their sentences in establishments close to their homes and by promoting access to visits, telephone calls and supervised use of new technologies;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on Member States to abide by the recommendations in force concerning the treatment of female prisoners, avoiding any gender discrimination;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Calls on Member States to take action against any form of discrimination in the treatment of prisoners on the grounds of sexual orientation, and to take positive actions to guarantee prisoners’ rights to sexuality;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on Member States to abide by the recommendations in force concerning the treatment of foreign prisoners, based on their right not to suffer discrimination, in particular by promoting action being taken by cultural mediators;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on Member States to combat the growing phenomenon of radicalisation in prison while protecting freedom of religion and avoiding discrimination relating to the practice of a faith;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recalls that consideration for and, training of and respect for prison staff isare essential in order to ensure good detention conditions in prison, and encourages Member States to share information and good practices and to adopt a code of ethics for their prison staff; to this end, calls for a General Assembly of Prison Administrations to be convened;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on Member States to promote policies to reintegrate prisoners into civil life and to establish policies on monitoring and adjustment of penalties; points out that recidivism is less frequent when prisoners have a staged move from life within prison to life outside prison;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Encourages Member States to develop tools to support prisoners’ return to professional life with the aim of identifying job opportunities in relation to local needs, to organise and supervise training and work in as tailored a way as possible and to be in constant dialogue with employers’ representatives; calls on Member States to ensure that work in prison is better paid than is currently the case; encourages Member States to create incentives for employers wishing to employ prisoners;