BETA


2015/2062(INI) Prison systems and conditions

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead LIBE BERGERON Joëlle (icon: EFDD EFDD) DATI Rachida (icon: PPE PPE), CHINNICI Caterina (icon: S&D S&D), DALTON Daniel (icon: ECR ECR), JEŽEK Petr (icon: ALDE ALDE), JOLY Eva (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE)
Committee Opinion FEMM MATERA Barbara (icon: PPE PPE) Viorica DĂNCILĂ (icon: S&D S&D), Eleonora FORENZA (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL), Arne GERICKE (icon: ECR ECR), Angelika MLINAR (icon: ALDE ALDE), Mylène TROSZCZYNSKI (icon: ENF ENF)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2018/01/22
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2017/10/05
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2017/10/05
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2017/10/05
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 474 votes, to 109, with 34 abstentions, a resolution on prison systems and conditions.

Members recalled that in 2014 prisons across the EU were holding over half a million inmates . Although prison conditions and prison management are responsibilities of the Member States, the EU also has a necessary role to play in protecting the fundamental rights of prisoners held in prisons in some Member States where conditions are degrading and inhumane.

Improving conditions of detention : in view of the alarming conditions of detention in some Member States and the state of a number of several European prisons, Parliament called on the Member State to comply with the rules on detention arising from the instruments of international law and Council Europe standards.

Members deplored the fact that prison overcrowding is widespread in Europe, with the number of prisoners exceeding the number of available places in a third of the European penitentiary institutions. Overcrowding in prisons often has serious impact on the safety of staff and prisoners.

While stressing that increasing prison capacity is not the only solution to overcrowding, Parliament called on the Member States to:

allocate adequate resources to the refurbishment and modernisation of prisons in order to prioritise small units with accommodation for a restricted number of prisoners; establish dignified conditions of detention and create collective spaces that meet the objectives of activities provision and socialisation; encourage rehabilitation and reintegration into society and develop educational facilities; ensure a safer living and working environment for both prisoners and staff.

Parliament also warned against the increasing privatisation of penal systems , which could aggravate detention conditions and undermine respect for fundamental rights.

Detention rules : Members advocated that detention rules that vary in line with the prisoners and the level of risk they pose constitute a good method for preventing recidivism and preventing short-term inmates and those convicted of minor offences from coming into contact with long-term inmates. They recommended that:

prisoners should be offered a balanced programme of activities that allows them to spend as many hours a day outside their cells to benefit from human and social interactions. Solitary confinement should be used as a last resort; Member States should ensure that prisoners have regular contact with family and friends by allowing them to serve their sentences in establishments close to their homes, by encouraging visits, telephone calls and the use of electronic means of communication, subject to authorisation by the judge and monitoring by the prison administration; juvenile offenders should in principle always be entitled to alternatives to detention, regardless of the offence they have committed.

In addition, pre-trial detention should only be used as a last resort and used in the strictly necessary cases and for the shortest period of time, in compliance with the National Code of Criminal Procedure.

In order to reduce the number of prisoners, Members suggested that non-custodial punishments may be used more often as collective punishments. They recalled in this connection that imprisonment, compared to alternative measures , leads to more reoffending for short sentences.

Rehabilitation and reintegration : in addition to the punitive aspect of imprisonment, attention should also be devoted to the development of practical skills and the rehabilitation of prisoners, as well as to reduce recidivism.

Parliament suggested:

putting in place sentence adjustment measures , particularly for the shortest sentences, including the use of day release, increased use of home detention and electronic tagging; putting in place reinforced measures to monitor prisoners after their release from prison where they have been convicted of serious crimes.

Members recommended, inter alia :

taking better account of the vulnerability of elderly and disabled prisoners and persons with mental illness; acting against all forms of discrimination in the treatment of prisoners on grounds of sexual orientation; paying particular attention to the needs of women in prison, in particular during pregnancy and also after they have given birth; developing a national action plan to prevent suicide of persons in detention; ensuring that children in prison are treated in a manner that takes into account their best interests, including being held separately from adults at all times, also during prison transfers, and having the right to maintain contact with their families unless a court rules otherwise; ensuring the provision of health care services and infrastructure in prisons.

Radicalisation in prison : Parliament suggested tackling radicalisation by improving the detection of early signs of the phenomenon (e.g. by training staff and improving prison intelligence), developing educational measures and by strengthening communication and inter-faith dialogue.

Differentiated detention regimes for detainees who are considered to be radicalised should only be imposed on a case-by-case basis , be based on a judicial decision and be subject to review by the competent judicial authorities.

Member States are encouraged to share best practices regarding education, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, with the particular aim of improving reintegration after leaving prison and to help prevent recidivism and further radicalisation.

Documents
2017/10/05
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2017/07/06
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted an own-initiative report by Joëlle BERGERON (EFDD, FR) on prison systems and conditions.

Members recalled that in 2014 prisons across the EU were holding over half a million inmates , including both convicted persons serving their definitive sentence and persons accused of a crime who were on remand. Although prison conditions and prison management are responsibilities of the Member States, the EU also has a necessary role to play in protecting the fundamental rights of prisoners held in prisons in some Member States where conditions are degrading and inhumane.

Improving conditions of detention : in view of the alarming conditions of detention in some Member States and the state of a number of several European prisons, the report called on the Member State to comply with the rules on detention arising from the instruments of international law and Council Europe standards.

Members deplored the fact that prison overcrowding is widespread in Europe, with the number of prisoners exceeding the number of available places in a third of the European penitentiary institutions. Overcrowding in prisons often has serious impact on the safety of staff and prisoners.

While stressing that increasing prison capacity is not the only solution to overcrowding, Members called on the Member States to:

allocate adequate resources to the refurbishment and modernisation of prisons in order to prioritise small units with accommodation for a restricted number of prisoners; establish dignified conditions of detention and create collective spaces that meet the objectives of activities provision and socialisation; encourage rehabilitation and reintegration into society and develop educational facilities; ensure a safer living and working environment for both prisoners and staff.

Detention rules : Members advocated that detention rules that vary in line with the prisoners and the level of risk they pose constitute a good method for preventing recidivism and preventing short-term inmates and those convicted of minor offences from coming into contact with long-term inmates.

Prisoners should be offered a balanced programme of activities that allows them to spend as many hours a day outside their cells to benefit from human and social interactions. Solitary confinement should be used as a last resort.

Member States should ensure that prisoners have regular contact with family and friends by allowing them to serve their sentences in establishments close to their homes, by encouraging visits, telephone calls and the use of electronic means of communication, subject to authorisation by the judge and monitoring by the prison administration.

In addition, pre-trial detention should only be used as a last resort and used in the strictly necessary cases and for the shortest period of time, in compliance with the National Code of Criminal Procedure.

The number of prisoners could be reduced by the frequent use of non-custodial punishments .

Rehabilitation and reintegration : Members stated that, in addition to the punitive aspect of imprisonment, attention should also be devoted to the development of practical skills and the rehabilitation of prisoners, as well as to reduce recidivism. They encouraged Member States to introduce sentence adjustment measures, particularly for the shortest sentences, including the use of day release, increased use of home detention and electronic tagging. The report also suggested that reinforced measures should be put in place to monitor prisoners after their release from prison where they have been convicted of serious crimes.

Members recommended, inter alia :

taking better account of the vulnerability of elderly and disabled prisoners and persons with mental illness; acting against all forms of discrimination in the treatment of prisoners on grounds of sexual orientation; paying particular attention to the needs of women in prison; developing a national action plan to prevent suicide of persons in detention; ensuring that children in prison are treated in a manner that takes into account their best interests, including being held separately from adults at all times, also during prison transfers, and having the right to maintain contact with their families unless a court rules otherwise; ensuring the provision of health care services and infrastructure in prisons.

Radicalisation in prison : Members suggested tackling radicalisation by improving the detection of early signs of the phenomenon (e.g. by training staff and improving prison intelligence), developing educational measures and by strengthening communication and inter-faith dialogue. The report stressed that differentiated detention regimes for detainees who are considered to be radicalised should only be imposed on a case-by-case basis, be based on a judicial decision and be subject to review by the competent judicial authorities.

Member States are encouraged to share best practices regarding education, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, with the particular aim of improving reintegration after leaving prison and to help prevent recidivism and further radicalisation.

Documents
2017/06/21
   EP - Vote in committee
2017/05/12
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2017/05/10
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2017/03/16
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2017/02/27
   EP - MATERA Barbara (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in FEMM
2016/04/25
   EP - BERGERON Joëlle (EFDD) appointed as rapporteur in LIBE
2015/03/12
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament

Documents

Activities

Votes

A8-0251/2017 - Joëlle Bergeron - Am 1 05/10/2017 12:12:41.000 #

2017/10/05 Outcome: -: 524, +: 81, 0: 32
CY LV LU DK EE MT LT SI FI SK HR AT IE PL BE EL BG CZ SE NL HU PT GB RO FR ES IT DE
Total
6
7
5
10
6
6
7
7
12
13
11
15
9
46
17
18
15
17
18
23
19
17
53
26
67
45
59
81
icon: ECR ECR
52

Cyprus ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

Against (1)

3

Finland ECR

For (1)

2

Slovakia ECR

Against (1)

3

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

2

Greece ECR

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

1

Czechia ECR

2

Romania ECR

Against (1)

1

Italy ECR

1
icon: ENF ENF
29

Belgium ENF

For (1)

1

United Kingdom ENF

For (1)

1

Romania ENF

1

Germany ENF

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
15

Hungary NI

2

United Kingdom NI

Abstain (1)

3

France NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Germany NI

For (1)

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
36

Poland EFDD

1

Sweden EFDD

2

France EFDD

Against (1)

4
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
42

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Finland GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

3

Czechia GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Italy GUE/NGL

3
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
41

Latvia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Croatia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

Against (2)

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Hungary Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4

Spain Verts/ALE

3
icon: ALDE ALDE
61

Latvia ALDE

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Denmark ALDE

2

Estonia ALDE

3

Slovenia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Finland ALDE

Abstain (1)

4

Croatia ALDE

2

Austria ALDE

Against (1)

1

Ireland ALDE

Against (1)

1

Portugal ALDE

1

United Kingdom ALDE

Against (1)

1

Romania ALDE

2

Germany ALDE

Against (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
172

Cyprus S&D

2

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1
3

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

Lithuania S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

Against (1)

1

Finland S&D

2

Croatia S&D

2

Ireland S&D

Against (1)

1

Czechia S&D

Against (2)

2

Netherlands S&D

Against (2)

2
icon: PPE PPE
187

Cyprus PPE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

3

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Lithuania PPE

2

Finland PPE

2
3

A8-0251/2017 - Joëlle Bergeron - Résolution de la commission LIBE 05/10/2017 12:13:54.000 #

2017/10/05 Outcome: +: 474, -: 109, 0: 34
DE IT FR RO HU PT SE BG CZ BE NL GB IE HR AT FI LT EE SI MT SK LV DK EL CY LU PL ES
Total
76
58
65
26
18
17
18
15
16
17
22
51
9
11
14
12
7
6
6
6
13
7
9
15
4
4
48
45
icon: S&D S&D
166

Czechia S&D

2

Netherlands S&D

For (2)

2

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Croatia S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

Latvia S&D

1

Cyprus S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1
icon: PPE PPE
180

Austria PPE

3

Finland PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Slovenia PPE

3

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

1

Luxembourg PPE

3
icon: ALDE ALDE
59

Germany ALDE

For (1)

1

Romania ALDE

2

Portugal ALDE

1

United Kingdom ALDE

1

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Croatia ALDE

2

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Lithuania ALDE

Abstain (1)

3

Estonia ALDE

3

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

1

Denmark ALDE

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
40

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Czechia GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

3

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
40

Hungary Verts/ALE

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

3
icon: EFDD EFDD
36

Sweden EFDD

2

Poland EFDD

1
icon: NI NI
15

Germany NI

For (1)

1

France NI

Against (1)

2

Hungary NI

2

United Kingdom NI

3

Poland NI

2
icon: ENF ENF
29

Germany ENF

Against (1)

1

Romania ENF

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium ENF

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ENF

4

United Kingdom ENF

Against (1)

1

Austria ENF

3

Poland ENF

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
50

Italy ECR

Against (1)

1

Romania ECR

For (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

Against (1)

1

Czechia ECR

2

Belgium ECR

2

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Finland ECR

2

Slovakia ECR

Abstain (1)

3

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Denmark ECR

2

Greece ECR

Against (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
320 2015/2062(INI)
2017/04/03 FEMM 37 amendments...
source: 602.842
2017/05/10 LIBE 283 amendments...
source: 604.680

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

committees/0/shadows/4
name
CHRYSOGONOS Kostas
group
European United Left - Nordic Green Left
abbr
GUE/NGL
docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE601.203
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/LIBE-PR-601203_EN.html
docs/1/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE604.680
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/LIBE-AM-604680_EN.html
docs/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE601.057&secondRef=03
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/FEMM-AD-601057_EN.html
events/0/type
Old
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
New
Committee referral announced in Parliament
events/1/type
Old
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
New
Vote in committee
events/2
date
2017-07-06T00:00:00
type
Committee report tabled for plenary
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-8-2017-0251_EN.html title: A8-0251/2017
summary
events/2
date
2017-07-06T00:00:00
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-8-2017-0251_EN.html title: A8-0251/2017
summary
events/4/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20171005&type=CRE
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2015-10-05-TOC_EN.html
events/5
date
2017-10-05T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-8-2017-0385_EN.html title: T8-0385/2017
summary
events/5
date
2017-10-05T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-8-2017-0385_EN.html title: T8-0385/2017
summary
procedure/Modified legal basis
Rules of Procedure EP 159
procedure/Other legal basis
Rules of Procedure EP 159
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
committee
LIBE
rapporteur
name: BERGERON Joëlle date: 2016-04-25T00:00:00 group: Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy abbr: EFDD
shadows
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
committee
LIBE
date
2016-04-25T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: BERGERON Joëlle group: Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy abbr: EFDD
shadows
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Womens Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
rapporteur
name: MATERA Barbara date: 2017-02-27T00:00:00 group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Womens Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
date
2017-02-27T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: MATERA Barbara group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
docs/3/body
EC
events/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0251&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-8-2017-0251_EN.html
events/5/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0385
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-8-2017-0385_EN.html
activities
  • date: 2015-03-12T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: FEMM date: 2017-02-27T00:00:00 committee_full: Women’s Rights and Gender Equality rapporteur: group: EPP name: MATERA Barbara body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: DATI Rachida group: S&D name: CHINNICI Caterina group: ECR name: DALTON Daniel group: ALDE name: JEŽEK Petr group: GUE/NGL name: CHRYSOGONOS Kostas group: Verts/ALE name: JOLY Eva responsible: True committee: LIBE date: 2016-04-25T00:00:00 committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs rapporteur: group: EFD name: BERGERON Joëlle
  • date: 2017-06-21T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: FEMM date: 2017-02-27T00:00:00 committee_full: Women’s Rights and Gender Equality rapporteur: group: EPP name: MATERA Barbara body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: DATI Rachida group: S&D name: CHINNICI Caterina group: ECR name: DALTON Daniel group: ALDE name: JEŽEK Petr group: GUE/NGL name: CHRYSOGONOS Kostas group: Verts/ALE name: JOLY Eva responsible: True committee: LIBE date: 2016-04-25T00:00:00 committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs rapporteur: group: EFD name: BERGERON Joëlle
  • date: 2017-07-06T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0251&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A8-0251/2017 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • date: 2017-10-05T00:00:00 body: EP type: Debate in Parliament docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0385 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0385/2017
commission
  • body: EC dg: Migration and Home Affairs commissioner: AVRAMOPOULOS Dimitris
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
committee
LIBE
date
2016-04-25T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: BERGERON Joëlle group: Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy abbr: EFDD
shadows
committees/0
body
EP
responsible
False
committee
FEMM
date
2017-02-27T00:00:00
committee_full
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
rapporteur
group: EPP name: MATERA Barbara
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Womens Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
date
2017-02-27T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: MATERA Barbara group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/1
body
EP
shadows
responsible
True
committee
LIBE
date
2016-04-25T00:00:00
committee_full
Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
rapporteur
group: EFD name: BERGERON Joëlle
docs
  • date: 2017-03-16T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE601.203 title: PE601.203 type: Committee draft report body: EP
  • date: 2017-05-10T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE604.680 title: PE604.680 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2017-05-12T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE601.057&secondRef=03 title: PE601.057 committee: FEMM type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2018-01-22T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=30059&j=0&l=en title: SP(2017)778 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2015-03-12T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2017-06-21T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2017-07-06T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0251&language=EN title: A8-0251/2017 summary: The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted an own-initiative report by Joëlle BERGERON (EFDD, FR) on prison systems and conditions. Members recalled that in 2014 prisons across the EU were holding over half a million inmates , including both convicted persons serving their definitive sentence and persons accused of a crime who were on remand. Although prison conditions and prison management are responsibilities of the Member States, the EU also has a necessary role to play in protecting the fundamental rights of prisoners held in prisons in some Member States where conditions are degrading and inhumane. Improving conditions of detention : in view of the alarming conditions of detention in some Member States and the state of a number of several European prisons, the report called on the Member State to comply with the rules on detention arising from the instruments of international law and Council Europe standards. Members deplored the fact that prison overcrowding is widespread in Europe, with the number of prisoners exceeding the number of available places in a third of the European penitentiary institutions. Overcrowding in prisons often has serious impact on the safety of staff and prisoners. While stressing that increasing prison capacity is not the only solution to overcrowding, Members called on the Member States to: allocate adequate resources to the refurbishment and modernisation of prisons in order to prioritise small units with accommodation for a restricted number of prisoners; establish dignified conditions of detention and create collective spaces that meet the objectives of activities provision and socialisation; encourage rehabilitation and reintegration into society and develop educational facilities; ensure a safer living and working environment for both prisoners and staff. Detention rules : Members advocated that detention rules that vary in line with the prisoners and the level of risk they pose constitute a good method for preventing recidivism and preventing short-term inmates and those convicted of minor offences from coming into contact with long-term inmates. Prisoners should be offered a balanced programme of activities that allows them to spend as many hours a day outside their cells to benefit from human and social interactions. Solitary confinement should be used as a last resort. Member States should ensure that prisoners have regular contact with family and friends by allowing them to serve their sentences in establishments close to their homes, by encouraging visits, telephone calls and the use of electronic means of communication, subject to authorisation by the judge and monitoring by the prison administration. In addition, pre-trial detention should only be used as a last resort and used in the strictly necessary cases and for the shortest period of time, in compliance with the National Code of Criminal Procedure. The number of prisoners could be reduced by the frequent use of non-custodial punishments . Rehabilitation and reintegration : Members stated that, in addition to the punitive aspect of imprisonment, attention should also be devoted to the development of practical skills and the rehabilitation of prisoners, as well as to reduce recidivism. They encouraged Member States to introduce sentence adjustment measures, particularly for the shortest sentences, including the use of day release, increased use of home detention and electronic tagging. The report also suggested that reinforced measures should be put in place to monitor prisoners after their release from prison where they have been convicted of serious crimes. Members recommended, inter alia : taking better account of the vulnerability of elderly and disabled prisoners and persons with mental illness; acting against all forms of discrimination in the treatment of prisoners on grounds of sexual orientation; paying particular attention to the needs of women in prison; developing a national action plan to prevent suicide of persons in detention; ensuring that children in prison are treated in a manner that takes into account their best interests, including being held separately from adults at all times, also during prison transfers, and having the right to maintain contact with their families unless a court rules otherwise; ensuring the provision of health care services and infrastructure in prisons. Radicalisation in prison : Members suggested tackling radicalisation by improving the detection of early signs of the phenomenon (e.g. by training staff and improving prison intelligence), developing educational measures and by strengthening communication and inter-faith dialogue. The report stressed that differentiated detention regimes for detainees who are considered to be radicalised should only be imposed on a case-by-case basis, be based on a judicial decision and be subject to review by the competent judicial authorities. Member States are encouraged to share best practices regarding education, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, with the particular aim of improving reintegration after leaving prison and to help prevent recidivism and further radicalisation.
  • date: 2017-10-05T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=30059&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2017-10-05T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20171005&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2017-10-05T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0385 title: T8-0385/2017 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 474 votes, to 109, with 34 abstentions, a resolution on prison systems and conditions. Members recalled that in 2014 prisons across the EU were holding over half a million inmates . Although prison conditions and prison management are responsibilities of the Member States, the EU also has a necessary role to play in protecting the fundamental rights of prisoners held in prisons in some Member States where conditions are degrading and inhumane. Improving conditions of detention : in view of the alarming conditions of detention in some Member States and the state of a number of several European prisons, Parliament called on the Member State to comply with the rules on detention arising from the instruments of international law and Council Europe standards. Members deplored the fact that prison overcrowding is widespread in Europe, with the number of prisoners exceeding the number of available places in a third of the European penitentiary institutions. Overcrowding in prisons often has serious impact on the safety of staff and prisoners. While stressing that increasing prison capacity is not the only solution to overcrowding, Parliament called on the Member States to: allocate adequate resources to the refurbishment and modernisation of prisons in order to prioritise small units with accommodation for a restricted number of prisoners; establish dignified conditions of detention and create collective spaces that meet the objectives of activities provision and socialisation; encourage rehabilitation and reintegration into society and develop educational facilities; ensure a safer living and working environment for both prisoners and staff. Parliament also warned against the increasing privatisation of penal systems , which could aggravate detention conditions and undermine respect for fundamental rights. Detention rules : Members advocated that detention rules that vary in line with the prisoners and the level of risk they pose constitute a good method for preventing recidivism and preventing short-term inmates and those convicted of minor offences from coming into contact with long-term inmates. They recommended that: prisoners should be offered a balanced programme of activities that allows them to spend as many hours a day outside their cells to benefit from human and social interactions. Solitary confinement should be used as a last resort; Member States should ensure that prisoners have regular contact with family and friends by allowing them to serve their sentences in establishments close to their homes, by encouraging visits, telephone calls and the use of electronic means of communication, subject to authorisation by the judge and monitoring by the prison administration; juvenile offenders should in principle always be entitled to alternatives to detention, regardless of the offence they have committed. In addition, pre-trial detention should only be used as a last resort and used in the strictly necessary cases and for the shortest period of time, in compliance with the National Code of Criminal Procedure. In order to reduce the number of prisoners, Members suggested that non-custodial punishments may be used more often as collective punishments. They recalled in this connection that imprisonment, compared to alternative measures , leads to more reoffending for short sentences. Rehabilitation and reintegration : in addition to the punitive aspect of imprisonment, attention should also be devoted to the development of practical skills and the rehabilitation of prisoners, as well as to reduce recidivism. Parliament suggested: putting in place sentence adjustment measures , particularly for the shortest sentences, including the use of day release, increased use of home detention and electronic tagging; putting in place reinforced measures to monitor prisoners after their release from prison where they have been convicted of serious crimes. Members recommended, inter alia : taking better account of the vulnerability of elderly and disabled prisoners and persons with mental illness; acting against all forms of discrimination in the treatment of prisoners on grounds of sexual orientation; paying particular attention to the needs of women in prison, in particular during pregnancy and also after they have given birth; developing a national action plan to prevent suicide of persons in detention; ensuring that children in prison are treated in a manner that takes into account their best interests, including being held separately from adults at all times, also during prison transfers, and having the right to maintain contact with their families unless a court rules otherwise; ensuring the provision of health care services and infrastructure in prisons. Radicalisation in prison : Parliament suggested tackling radicalisation by improving the detection of early signs of the phenomenon (e.g. by training staff and improving prison intelligence), developing educational measures and by strengthening communication and inter-faith dialogue. Differentiated detention regimes for detainees who are considered to be radicalised should only be imposed on a case-by-case basis , be based on a judicial decision and be subject to review by the competent judicial authorities. Member States are encouraged to share best practices regarding education, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, with the particular aim of improving reintegration after leaving prison and to help prevent recidivism and further radicalisation.
  • date: 2017-10-05T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/migration-and-home-affairs_en title: Migration and Home Affairs commissioner: AVRAMOPOULOS Dimitris
procedure/Modified legal basis
Old
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
New
Rules of Procedure EP 159
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
Old
LIBE/8/02967
New
  • LIBE/8/02967
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 54
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
procedure/subject
Old
  • 1.10 Fundamental rights in the EU, Charter
New
1.10
Fundamental rights in the EU, Charter
procedure/title
Old
Prisons' systems and conditions
New
Prison systems and conditions
activities/3/docs
  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0385 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0385/2017
activities/3/type
Old
Debate in plenary scheduled
New
Debate in Parliament
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
New
Procedure completed
activities/3/date
Old
2017-10-04T00:00:00
New
2017-10-05T00:00:00
activities/4
date
2017-10-05T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Vote in plenary scheduled
activities/3/type
Old
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
New
Debate in plenary scheduled
activities/4
date
2017-10-05T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Vote in plenary scheduled
activities/2/docs/0/text
  • The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted an own-initiative report by Joëlle BERGERON (EFDD, FR) on prison systems and conditions.

    Members recalled that in 2014 prisons across the EU were holding over half a million inmates, including both convicted persons serving their definitive sentence and persons accused of a crime who were on remand. Although prison conditions and prison management are responsibilities of the Member States, the EU also has a necessary role to play in protecting the fundamental rights of prisoners held in prisons in some Member States where conditions are degrading and inhumane.

    Improving conditions of detention: in view of the alarming conditions of detention in some Member States and the state of a number of several European prisons, the report called on the Member State to comply with the rules on detention arising from the instruments of international law and Council Europe standards.

    Members deplored the fact that prison overcrowding is widespread in Europe, with the number of prisoners exceeding the number of available places in a third of the European penitentiary institutions. Overcrowding in prisons often has serious impact on the safety of staff and prisoners.

    While stressing that increasing prison capacity is not the only solution to overcrowding, Members called on the Member States to:

    • allocate adequate resources to the refurbishment and modernisation of prisons in order to prioritise small units with accommodation for a restricted number of prisoners;
    • establish dignified conditions of detention and create collective spaces that meet the objectives of activities provision and socialisation;
    • encourage rehabilitation and reintegration into society and develop educational facilities;
    • ensure a safer living and working environment for both prisoners and staff.

    Detention rules: Members advocated that detention rules that vary in line with the prisoners and the level of risk they pose constitute a good method for preventing recidivism and preventing short-term inmates and those convicted of minor offences from coming into contact with long-term inmates.

    Prisoners should be offered a balanced programme of activities that allows them to spend as many hours a day outside their cells to benefit from human and social interactions. Solitary confinement should be used as a last resort.

    Member States should ensure that prisoners have regular contact with family and friends by allowing them to serve their sentences in establishments close to their homes, by encouraging visits, telephone calls and the use of electronic means of communication, subject to authorisation by the judge and monitoring by the prison administration.

    In addition, pre-trial detention should only be used as a last resort and used in the strictly necessary cases and for the shortest period of time, in compliance with the National Code of Criminal Procedure.

    The number of prisoners could be reduced by the frequent use of non-custodial punishments.

    Rehabilitation and reintegration: Members stated that, in addition to the punitive aspect of imprisonment, attention should also be devoted to the development of practical skills and the rehabilitation of prisoners, as well as to reduce recidivism. They encouraged Member States to introduce sentence adjustment measures, particularly for the shortest sentences, including the use of day release, increased use of home detention and electronic tagging. The report also suggested that reinforced measures should be put in place to monitor prisoners after their release from prison where they have been convicted of serious crimes.

    Members recommended, inter alia:

    • taking better account of the vulnerability of elderly and disabled prisoners and persons with mental illness;
    • acting against all forms of discrimination in the treatment of prisoners on grounds of sexual orientation;
    • paying particular attention to the needs of women in prison;
    • developing a national action plan to prevent suicide of persons in detention;
    • ensuring that children in prison are treated in a manner that takes into account their best interests, including being held separately from adults at all times, also during prison transfers, and having the right to maintain contact with their families unless a court rules otherwise;
    • ensuring the provision of health care services and infrastructure in prisons.

    Radicalisation in prison: Members suggested tackling radicalisation by improving the detection of early signs of the phenomenon (e.g. by training staff and improving prison intelligence), developing educational measures and by strengthening communication and inter-faith dialogue. The report stressed that differentiated detention regimes for detainees who are considered to be radicalised should only be imposed on a case-by-case basis, be based on a judicial decision and be subject to review by the competent judicial authorities.

    Member States are encouraged to share best practices regarding education, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, with the particular aim of improving reintegration after leaving prison and to help prevent recidivism and further radicalisation.

activities/3
date
2017-09-11T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Debate in plenary scheduled
activities/3/date
Old
2017-09-12T00:00:00
New
2017-10-04T00:00:00
activities/3/type
Old
Vote in plenary scheduled
New
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
activities/2/docs
  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0251&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A8-0251/2017
activities/2
date
2017-07-06T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting committee decision
New
Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
activities/2/type
Old
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
New
Debate in plenary scheduled
activities/3
date
2017-09-12T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Vote in plenary scheduled
activities/1
date
2017-06-21T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
committees
procedure/Modified legal basis
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
activities/1/date
Old
2017-07-03T00:00:00
New
2017-09-11T00:00:00
activities/1/date
Old
2017-06-12T00:00:00
New
2017-07-03T00:00:00
other/0/dg/url
Old
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/
New
http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/migration-and-home-affairs_en
activities/0/committees/0/date
2017-02-27T00:00:00
activities/0/committees/0/rapporteur
  • group: EPP name: MATERA Barbara
committees/0/date
2017-02-27T00:00:00
committees/0/rapporteur
  • group: EPP name: MATERA Barbara
activities/0/committees/0
body
EP
responsible
False
committee_full
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
committees/0
body
EP
responsible
False
committee_full
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
activities/1/date
Old
2017-03-13T00:00:00
New
2017-06-12T00:00:00
activities/1/date
Old
2017-02-13T00:00:00
New
2017-03-13T00:00:00
activities/1
date
2017-02-13T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
activities/0/committees/0/shadows/0
group
EPP
name
DATI Rachida
committees/0/shadows/0
group
EPP
name
DATI Rachida
activities/0/committees/0/shadows/3
group
GUE/NGL
name
CHRYSOGONOS Kostas
committees/0/shadows/3
group
GUE/NGL
name
CHRYSOGONOS Kostas
activities/0/committees/0/date
2016-04-25T00:00:00
activities/0/committees/0/rapporteur
  • group: EFD name: BERGERON Joëlle
activities/0/committees/0/shadows
  • group: S&D name: CHINNICI Caterina
  • group: ECR name: DALTON Daniel
  • group: ALDE name: JEŽEK Petr
  • group: Verts/ALE name: JOLY Eva
committees/0/date
2016-04-25T00:00:00
committees/0/rapporteur
  • group: EFD name: BERGERON Joëlle
committees/0/shadows
  • group: S&D name: CHINNICI Caterina
  • group: ECR name: DALTON Daniel
  • group: ALDE name: JEŽEK Petr
  • group: Verts/ALE name: JOLY Eva
procedure/subject/0
Old
1.10 Fundamental rights in the Union, Charter
New
1.10 Fundamental rights in the EU, Charter
other/0
body
EC
dg
commissioner
AVRAMOPOULOS Dimitris
activities
  • date: 2015-03-12T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: True committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee: LIBE
committees
  • body: EP responsible: True committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee: LIBE
links
other
    procedure
    dossier_of_the_committee
    LIBE/8/02967
    reference
    2015/2062(INI)
    title
    Prisons' systems and conditions
    legal_basis
    Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
    stage_reached
    Awaiting committee decision
    subtype
    Initiative
    type
    INI - Own-initiative procedure
    subject
    1.10 Fundamental rights in the Union, Charter