NCJ Number
141296
Date Published
1992
Length
44 pages
Annotation
Five papers on the use of prisons in member states of the Council of Europe focus on a program of team visits to prisons; prison rules; a modern treatment philosophy; the treatment of inmates; the preparation of inmates for release; and recruitment, training, and the use of staff.
Abstract
The first paper describes the Demosthenes Program, which encourages and develops links between the Council of Europe and the countries of Central and Southeast Europe through a series of prison visits by a Council of Europe team, with seminars for penal-system staff. A major theme to emerge from the seminar debates involved the philosophical concepts of imprisonment. The legal and social status of prisons, staff, and prisoners in a democracy was seen as a priority issue by many participants. The second paper focuses on the context, philosophy, and issues in European prison rules. The paper notes that it is unlikely that there will be a new international version of European prison rules in the foreseeable future; however, there should be a further extension of the influence and applicability of these rules. The cornerstones of a modern treatment philosophy are discussed in a third paper; these are normalization, openness, and responsibility. A paper on the organization of the prison for the treatment of prisoners and the preparation of prisoners for release considers prerelease treatment, long-term imprisonment, short-term imprisonment, work, social rehabilitation, and prison leave. Another paper discusses the recruitment, training, and use of staff, followed by a presentation of prison population statistics for member states of the Council of Europe (1990 surveys). Laws, bills, and regulations related to prison affairs for each member state are listed. A 250-item bibliography and "News in Brief" from each member state