European prison and probation services are under increasing pressure to manage persons safely in prisons or in the community. As the number of persons in detention or subject to a sanction in the community rises, the ability to offer them a rehabilitative pathway becomes more challenging. The consequences of prison overcrowding undermine the ability of prisons to function properly and to prepare persons for reintegration into the community. One third of European prison services are affected by overcrowding, according to the Council of Europe's 2024 Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations (SPACE I).
Directors of prison and probation services from the 46 Council of Europe member states, as well as partner organisations, researchers and practitioners, are meeting in Kraków (Poland) on 24 and 25 September to discuss the challenges faced by prison and probation administrations, focusing on the overuse of penal sanctions.
The 30th Council of Europe Annual Conference of directors of prison and probation services, hosted by the Polish Ministry of Justice and the Polish Prison Service, is addressing the theme "Can we move away from the overuse of penal sanctions?".
Is imprisonment the best solution?
Speaking at the opening, the Minister of Justice of Poland, Waldemar Żurek, emphasised that the debate about the overuse of penal sanctions "poses a fundamental question. Not only about how to punish, but above all about whether imprisonment is the best solution, both from the perspective of the offender, the victim, and society as a whole", and pointed out the need to apply evidence-based policy "based on data, research, and real social impact".
"Contemporary justice should move away from mass isolation and instead develop tools for individualising and personalising penalties based on a reliable assessment of the risk of reoffending. In particular, we must recognise the needs of people with mental disorders, addictions, or intellectual disabilities.", he said. "In this perspective, the probation systems and non-custodial measures become crucially important and should not be treated as gentle alternatives, but as fully-fledged, modern, and humane tools of criminal justice", he added.
Penal excess can lead to increased recidivism
Hugh Chetwynd, Head of the Department on Deprivation of liberty of the Council of Europe, reiterated that moving away from the overuse of penal sanctions "is in line with the Council of Europe´s role in improving human rights and the rule of law in criminal justice, including by providing more humane and socially effective penal sanctions". He underlined the consequences of penal excess, including "prison overcrowding and subsequent poor conditions of detention, the negative impact on staff working in prisons and high rates of recidivism".
He also highlighted the role the Council of Europe plays in developing standards in the field of prison and probation, including the ongoing work to update standards related to education in prison. In addition to the monitoring work carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), he emphasised the importance of Council of Europe cooperation projects in supporting national authorities in implementing prison and probation standards in practice.
A varied agenda
During the conference, several workshops will explore the use of data and risk assessment tools to reform penal policies, the promotion of positive mental health and trauma-informed care, and ways to support children with parents in prison, as well as the need for a strategic approach by prison and probation services to crisis management. Other items on the agenda include the net-widening of prison and probation- whereby more individuals are brought within the criminal justice system's reach than originally intended - and neurodiversity and neurodisability in offenders.
The President of the CPT, Alan Mitchell, and the Director General of the Polish Prison Service, Col. Renata Niziolek, will speak at the closure on 25 September.
Programme for the conference
