Europe

March 30, 2020

Luxembourg: Schrassig detention centre reduces visits to minimum

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Luxembourg

The prison has not yet recorded a case of coronavirus. The management hopes to keep it that way as many inmates suffer from health issues. Prison visits will be reduced to a minimum from 16 March onward. Prison officials explained in a statement that there will not be more than 25 visits a week. A maximum…

Source — RTL

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March 30, 2020

Bosnia-Herzegovina: convicts of Zenica prison sewed over 2,000 protective masks in only two days

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Activities Bosnia & Herzegovina

In just two days, the convicts of the Zenica Correctional Institution sewed close to 1,500 protective masks to make available to those in need. As Klix.ba news portal has learned, ten convicts have worked hard over the past two days to sew as many masks as they plan to donate to the Government of the…

Source — Sarajevo Times

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March 30, 2020

Albania: free 600 prisoners as pandemic precaution

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Albania

The government of Albania plans to temporarily release hundreds of prisoners convicted of lesser crimes and some who are elderly and suffering from chronic diseases that can make them vulnerable. Justice Minister Etilda Gjonaj said on Tuesday that about 600 prisoners are expected to be released from…

Source — Balkan Insight

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March 30, 2020

Germany: state to release some 1,000 prisoners due to coronavirus

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Germany

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s most populous state North-Rhine Westphalia plans to release as many as 1,000 prisoners in order to free up cells to be used as quarantine rooms out of concern that coronavirus could spread unchecked in jails, its justice minister said. The plan, first reported by Focus magazine,…

Source — Reuters

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March 30, 2020

Spain: first coronavirus death in Madrid prison in and 38 correctional officers test positive for coronavirus

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Spain

THE prisoner had underlying chronic illnesses and was serving time at the Estremera prison in Madrid. A Latin American woman of 78 years of age has been the first prisoner to die in Spain due to the coronavirus, after she was evacuated on March 20 to the Arganda del Rey Hospital in Madrid. Furthermore,…

Source — EuroWeekly

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March 30, 2020

Malta: PN suggests temporary prisons to ease overcrowding and virus risk at Corradino

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Overcrowding Malta

The government should consider setting up temporary prisons to ease overcrowding at Corradino prison and the related risk of the spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus, the shadow minister for home affairs said on Thursday. Beppe Fenech Adami said the prison authorities should segregate elderly prisoners and…

Source — Times Malta

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March 30, 2020

Portugal: prisoners ‘of all kinds’ to be released as courts fail to meet judicial deadlines

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Portugal

Prisoners of all kinds – held on remand awaiting trial – are set to be released in the coming weeks because the courts have gone into basic paralysis. The trend has already started. A couple of weeks ago, the trial of dozens of Hells Angels was ‘post-poned indefinitely’ as defendants – many of which…

Source — Portugal Resident

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March 30, 2020

Greece: plan for early release of inmates to curb virus risk

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Greece

The government has drafted a plan foreseeing the early release of up to 1,500 inmates in a bid to ease congestion in Greek prisons and lessen the chances of transmission of the coronavirus. The measure, which would be introduced by means of a legislative act that does not require parliamentary approval,…

Source — ekathimerini

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March 26, 2020

UK: concerns over level of self-harm at Durham Prison

News

Europe United Kingdom

CONCERNS have been raised about the level of self-harming in a “overcrowded’ North-East prison, to a new report looking at life behind bars. Durham’s Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) says while there had been significant decreases in the use of force at HMP Durham, from 612 in 2018 to 469 in 2019,…

Source — The Northern Echo

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March 26, 2020

UK: why rehabilitation – not harsher prison sentences – makes economic sense

News

Europe United Kingdom

How should we treat convicted criminals? This is a matter of continuing public debate, and varies enormously across countries. Even within the so-called developed world, there are wide variations. The US, for example, imprisons more people per capita (over 700 per 100,000) than any other country in the…

Source — The conversation

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March 26, 2020

UK: more fruit and veg for prisoners might just alleviate the crisis in our jails

News

Europe Health United Kingdom

With stories of tragic deaths, riots, audacious escapes, drug-fuelled violence and chronic staff shortages increasingly prevalent across the prison system, and the former head of the service claiming that the current crisis will take years to sort out, it might seem a strange time to call for more fruit…

Source — The Guardian

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March 26, 2020

UK: concern over segregated transgender women prisoners

News

Women Europe Violence United Kingdom

The segregation of a jail’s transgender women prisoners for “long periods” has been noted as a concern by a watchdog. The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) also had “serious concerns” about the lack of rehabilitation courses, and of women facing homelessness on release from HMP Eastwood Park. It praised…

Source — BBC

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March 26, 2020

France: confinement en prison, la contrôleure générale Adeline Hazan demande des libérations anticipées

News

Coronavirus Europe Justice Health France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

March 26, 2020

France: la justice confrontée à un afflux de demandes de libération de détenus en raison de la crise du coronavirus

News

Coronavirus Europe Justice Health France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

March 26, 2020

Spain: el síndrome de abstinencia agita las cárceles

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Drugs Spain

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

March 26, 2020

Sweden: cárceles saturadas

News

Foreign prisoners Europe Overcrowding Sweden

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

March 26, 2020

Spain: la situación en las cárceles de Sevilla sin vis a vis y menos drogas

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Drugs Spain

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

March 26, 2020

France: à la prison de Rennes, être détenu et boursier, c'est possible !

News

Europe Activities France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

March 25, 2020

France: a prison without bars?

Interview

Europe Long-term prisoners Facilities Work France

Casabianda is currently the only prison without bars on French soil. Guillaume Massart filmed a documentary La liberté (In the Open). Read more

March 19, 2020

France: pandémie et prisons, les instructions de l’administration pénitentiaire

News

Coronavirus Europe Health France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

March 19, 2020

France: les prisons coupées du monde, les détenus privés de parloirs

News

Coronavirus Europe Health France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

March 18, 2020

France: en prison, gérer le coronavirus à huis clos

News

Coronavirus Europe Health France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

March 18, 2020

Ireland: talks underway to reduce number of people in prison in a 'controlled manner'

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Ireland

THE RELEASE OF some prisoners is one option being considered by the Irish Prison Service to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading through prisons. In a statement this evening, a spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service said that it was in discussions with the Department of Justice and Equality on “contingency…

Source — The journal

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March 18, 2020

Belgium: les visites en prison suspendues jusqu’au 3 avril en raison du coronavirus

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Belgium

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French