RESIZE

The ecosystem of detention facilities

Interactive Map with Key Points

Read the full report for the core countries

Read the full report for the additional countries

The Netherlands

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Strong Network: Ecosystem strengthened by social enterprises and volunteer programmes, creating vital community links.
• Relational Security: Small-scale facilities focus on relational security with multi-functional staff.

Policy Support: Approach is encouraged by the Sentencing and Reintegration Act. 🚧 Challenges

• National housing crisis.
• Staff shortages hindering full reintegration potential.

🤝 Partner: RESCALED

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Denmark

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Policy-to-Practice Integration: Strong integration based on the Nordic correctional philosophy of normalisation and dignity.
• Shared Responsibility: Legally mandated cooperation between the prison service (Kriminalforsorgen) and municipalities.
• Robust Reintegration: Municipalities are legally required to provide housing and social support upon release, providing a robust foundation for reintegration.

🚧 Challenges

• Staffing: Ongoing attention to areas like staff shortages is essential to uphold the system's guiding principles consistently.

🤝 Partners: Brainlog, Danish Prison Union

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Czech Republic

🔑 Key Strengths & InitiativesRestorative Reform: 2025 legal changes decriminalise specific acts and formally integrate restorative justice. NGO Support: Active partners (Rubikon, APAS) provide essential reintegration and employment pathways. Innovation: Projects like "Open Prison Jiřice" and "Yellow Ribbon Run" promote social responsibility. Family Bonds: Digital tools (Webex) and national standards strengthen parent-child connections. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Systemic Pressures: High occupancy (97%) and chronic staff shortages strain operations. Infrastructure: Strategy 2026–2035 aims to replace large shared cells with humane units. Social Barriers: Success is hindered by housing shortages and persistent social stigma. 🤝 Partner: RUBIKON Centrum

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Moldova

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Family Connectivity: Active use of video visits (Skype) supplements physical visits. Justice Digitalisation: Large-scale remote court hearings reduce transport needs and risks. Harm Reduction: Global Fund investments support extensive HIV/TB testing and prevention. Population Management: Targeted amnesty and compensatory mechanisms aim to reduce overcrowding. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Infrastructure Gaps: Severe overcrowding and outdated conditions require urgent modernization. Dynamic Security: Lack of structured practices limits conflict prevention and supervision quality. Pre-trial Rise: Significant increase in pre-trial detainees strains resources and scheduling. 🤝 Partner: National Penitentiary Administration (ANP)

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Sweden

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Normalization Principle: Prison life mirrors society, ensuring equivalent rights to healthcare and education. Accredited Education: Partnership with Komvux ensures nationally recognized and transferable qualifications. Structured Transition: Mandatory "Utslussning" collaboration with Social Services starts 6 months pre-release. Individual Planning: Legally mandated execution plans (IEP) link internal progress to external outcomes. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Decentralization: Fragmented system requires negotiating service agreements with 290 separate municipalities. Digital Exclusion: Shift to online-only public services demands urgent digital literacy training for inmates. TCN Integration: High migration volumes require specialized support for validation and language learning. 🤝 Partners: Kriminalvården, Komvux, KRIS

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Albania

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• External Support: EU-funded projects and NGOs play a significant role in delivering essential reintegration services, compensating for state capacity limitations.
• Pillar of Support: Externally funded initiatives are currently the strongest pillar of support for the system.

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• Gap Analysis: Opportunity to bridge the gap between EU accession-driven reform discourse and the on-the-ground reality of understaffed facilities.
• Sustained Implementation: Key point for improvement is the sustained, system-wide implementation of landmark reforms, such as the Juvenile Justice Code (2017).

🤝 Partners: Universiteti Luarasi, Shërbimi i Kontrollit të Brendshëm në Sistemin e Burgjeve

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Croatia

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Reform Momentum: Clear momentum for change driven by EU accession (2013) and the development of a probation service.
• NGO Role: NGOs play a vital role in filling reintegration gaps, highlighting the potential for greater collaboration.

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• Legacy Influence: System navigates a transition influenced by a centralised, state-controlled legacy and a "tough on crime" political rhetoric.
• Infrastructure Gaps: Need for more transitional housing and better integration of prison healthcare with the national Ministry of Health.
• Under-Resourced: NGOs are currently under-resourced despite their vital role.

🤝 Partner: Adult Education Institution Dante

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Lithuania

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Halfway Houses: Expanded network (e.g., Šiauliai) supported by Norway Grants facilitates gradual community return. Dynamic Security: Mandatory staff training focuses on conflict management and direct interaction. NGO Support: Strong collaboration with Caritas and Red Cross provides vocational and social aid. Family Focus: Introduction of child-friendly spaces helps maintain vital parent-child bonds. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Healthcare Deficits: Limited access to mental health and specialized medical care. Staffing Strain: High workloads and low staff numbers impede rehabilitation efforts. Infrastructure: Aging facilities continue to struggle with sanitation and overcrowding. 🤝 Partners: Caritas Lithuania, Lithuanian Red Cross

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Germany (Bremen)

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Dense Collaboration: High-level network of collaboration between public and community actors (e.g., the CHANCE network).
• Legal Anchor: Approach anchored in the German legal concept of "Resozialisierung" (resocialisation).
• Trust Building: Powerful support through structured pre-release planning (EVB) and a "Contact Partner System" to build trust between staff and individuals.

🚧 Challenges

• External Factors: Essential to address external challenges like stigma in the housing market and the logistical complexities of being a small city-state.

🤝 Partner: Interchange Non-Profit gUG

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Portugal

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Progressive Context: Features progressive social policies, such as the decriminalisation of drug use, coexisting with a traditional sentencing culture.
• Reintegration Drivers: Social enterprises and volunteer programmes are key drivers of reintegration efforts on the ground.
• Dynamic System: This mix creates a unique and dynamic context for justice reform.

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• Operational Challenges: Significant area for development is addressing infrastructure and staffing challenges (as noted by the European Court of Human Rights).
• Alignment: Focusing on these points will help align practice with the country's forward-thinking policies.

🤝 Partners: Aproximar – Cooperativa de Solidariedade Social, CRL

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France

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Transitional Pathways: "Placement extérieur" and small-scale facilities (Emmaüs farms) bridge prison and community. Targeted Support: New SAS units focus on individualized release preparation and gradual transition. Vocational Focus: ATIGIP workshops (e.g., Les Beaux Mets) build essential employability skills. Civil Society: Strong NGOs (Wake up Café, FARAPEJ) provide vital legal aid and reintegration support. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Critical Overcrowding: Occupancy exceeding 120% compromises safety, hygiene, and dignity. Healthcare Crisis: Severe shortage of psychiatric staff disrupts care continuity. Reentry Barriers: Housing shortages and employment discrimination block successful reintegration. 🤝 Partners: L'îlot, Association Possible, Emmaüs France

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Estonia

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Digital Justice: The Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs merges legal policy with technological innovation. Rehabilitation Focus: Integration of Nordic "normalization" values and language cafes to bridge community gaps. Support Programs: Coordinated ESF funding provides 6–12 months of free housing and mentoring for ex-offenders. Youth Strategy: Prioritizes violence prevention and family-based alternatives over institutionalization. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Staffing Crisis: A deficit of 300 employees creates critical shortages and high workloads. Systemic Gaps: Coordination issues between prison and community systems hinder continuity of healthcare and housing. Regional Variation: Availability of therapeutic interventions and social support differs significantly by region. 🤝 Partner: Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs

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Austria

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Highly Structured System: Oversight by the Federal Ministry of Justice sets clear boundaries for facilities and providers.
• Key Legislation: Operations governed by the Penal System Act (StVG), establishing rules for incarceration, visitation, and communication.
• Integrated Services: The Justice Support Agency (public institution) manages and staffs key prison services (healthcare, psychological support, social work).
• Crucial Support: Provided by organisations like Neustart (leading probation service) for work, housing, and social services pre- and post-release.

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• External Barriers: Need to address discrimination in the housing market, which impacts post-release outcomes.
• Policy Gap: Need for a more comprehensive national policy to consistently support parent-child relationships.

🤝 Partner: Richtungswechsel - Verein zur Förderung der Resozialisierung von Straftäter:innen

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Finland

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Housing First: Policy treating permanent housing as a priority, significantly reducing homelessness and recidivism. Smart Prisons: Cells equipped with laptops and VR to boost digital skills and maintain outside contact. Community Focus: Strong emphasis on non-custodial sanctions and short sentences (avg. 5.7 months). Lived Experience: Vocational training certifies former inmates as "experts by experience" for professional roles. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Mental Health Gaps: Notable shortcomings in the availability and access to psychiatric care within facilities. Rising Punitivity: Stricter legislation on sexual offences is increasing the prison population. Healthcare Continuity: Critical need to better bridge prison healthcare with community services upon release. 🤝 Partners: Laurea University of Applied Sciences, RETS (Life Without Crime Foundation), Silta-Valmennusyhdistys ry

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Romania

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Reform Momentum: Significant momentum for reform driven by EU compliance and commitment to modernising the penitentiary system.
• Key Actor: The National Prison Administration (ANP) standardises psychosocial programmes and pilots new models.
• Vital Support: NGOs and international partners help bridge the gap between policy and practice.
• Family Focus: Initiatives (e.g., mother-and-child units, "A Day with Dad") underscore the strengthening of legally protected family bonds.

🚧 Challenges

• Investment: Continued investment in these areas is crucial for sustained progress.

🤝 Partners: Centrul pentru Promovarea Învăţării Permanente (CPIP), Timisoara Prison, Gherla Prison

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Slovenia

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• NGO Role: Civil society (NGOs) plays a crucial role in delivering essential reintegration services (e.g., counselling, education), often supported by EU funding.
• Grassroots Engagement: System shows strong adaptability and grassroots engagement.
• Staff Development: Gradual introduction of concepts like "dynamic security" for staff.

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• Strategic Gap: Need for a national, cross-ministerial strategy to establish structured connections between prisons and vital services (housing, healthcare, employment).
• Sustainability: A structured framework is needed to ensure reintegration efforts are more consistent and sustainable.

🤝 Partner: CIK TREBNJE SI

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Belgium

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Deep Community Integration: Detention Houses (DHs) and Transition Houses (THs) build strong partnerships with local services and organisations.
• Relational Security Focus: Emphasized by skilled professionals (detention counsellors) who foster trust through consistent person-to-person interaction.
• Policy Backing: The progressive model is embedded in national policy, with flexible rules tailored for small-scale facilities (separately regulated since 2024).

🚧 Challenges

• Systemic Risk: Must ensure DHs serve as a replacement for traditional incarceration, not an addition, to avoid the risk of "net-widening" (expanding total detention places).
• Context: Chronic prison overcrowding presents an opportunity but requires careful implementation.

🤝 Partner: RESCALED

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Spain

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Transitional Model: Unique network of Social Integration Centres (CIS) provides a structured, semi-release environment.
• Bridging Gap: The CIS model bridges prison and community life, putting the principle of reintegration into practice (anchored in the General Penitentiary Law).
• Firm Support: The transitional model offers firm support for individuals transitioning to the community.

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• Collaboration: Opportunity for enhancement by fostering more consistent collaboration between prisons and municipal social services.
• Disparities: Essential to address regional disparities in healthcare integration to ensure uniform access to care post-release.

🤝 Partners: Universidad of Valladolid, Qualificalia Analytics, S.L.

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North Macedonia

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Reform Momentum: Significant momentum guided by the National Strategy (2021–2025) and the EU accession process.
• Modernisation: Key actors are driving change through technological modernisation and policy updates.
• Essential Reforms: Introduction of electronic monitoring (2025) and implementation of formal schooling in prisons.

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• Systemic Alignment: Primary challenge is aligning progressive reforms with the need to address systemic issues.
• Core Issues: Necessary to overcome chronic overcrowding and a punitive public culture to ensure lasting change.

🤝 Partner: Stabilitas Skopje

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Greece

🔑 Key Strengths & InitiativesEducational Pillar: Second Chance Schools provide the most significant educational work within detention facilities. Support Ecosystem: Reintegration services are strengthened by the combined efforts of state bodies and civil society. OAED (Public Employment Service) plays a key role by offering vocational training programmes, alongside EPANODOS and active NGOs. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Implementation Gap: Opportunity to better align the progressive Penitentiary Code with practice. Systemic Issues: State needs to fully resolve long-standing challenges, including chronic overcrowding, underfunding, and infrastructure needs. 🤝 Partners: Osye, Athens Lifelong Learning Institute, Odyssea, University of the Aegean

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Bosnia & Herzegovina

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• International Influence: International actors (e.g., Council of Europe) play a significant role in driving reforms and providing training.

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• Fragmented System: System uniquely shaped by the Dayton Peace Agreement, resulting in separate legal frameworks at the state and entity levels.
• Inconsistencies: This division leads to inconsistencies in disciplinary measures and reintegration planning.
• Harmonisation: Key area for improvement is strengthening harmonisation between the different legal frameworks for more consistent and equitable outcomes.

🤝 Partner: Univerzitet u istocnom Sarajevu

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Switzerland

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Dynamic Security: Staff training emphasizes relationship-building and communication over physical control. Infrastructure Innovation: New facility designs (e.g., GVS) create "mini-societies" to foster autonomy. Electronic Monitoring: Expanded use of EM effectively substitutes specific custodial phases. Education Alignment: The "BiSt" programme ensures prison education matches external national standards. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Federal Fragmentation: Cantonal autonomy leads to significant regional disparities in detention conditions. High Turnover: Frequent use of short-term and pre-trial detention disrupts stability and rehabilitation. Migration Nexus: A large foreign population faces the dual stress of criminal and deportation proceedings. 🤝 Partners: Swiss Centre of Expertise in Prison and Probation (SKJV), AJURES, Pro Mente Sana

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Hungary

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Reintegration Reforms: Legal frameworks now allow for "reintegration custody" and electronic monitoring to support gradual release. Digital Connectivity: Skype calls, introduced during the pandemic, remain a key tool for maintaining family contact. Staffing Adjustments: Psychologists have been reclassified as medical staff with salary increases to address critical shortages. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Transitional Gap: There is a complete absence of state-run transition or halfway houses, leaving releasees without housing support. Systemic Pressure: Chronic overcrowding (averaging 107%) and a punitive penal culture limit access to rehabilitation. Restricted Engagement: Civil society access is highly restricted, preventing NGOs from providing consistent reintegration services. 🤝 Partner: Intedisciplinary Criminology and Prison Studies Research Group (Dr. László Huszár, PhD., Head)

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Türkiye

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Digital Integration: The ACEP project enables video calls and telemedicine, improving remote access. Vocational Training: Over 50 vocational centers provide nationally recognized apprenticeship certificates. Probation Expansion: A wide network of probation offices supports community service and electronic monitoring. Education Access: Partnerships with the Ministry of Education offer literacy and diploma programs. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Overcrowding: High incarceration rates and mass arrests severely strain facility capacity and resources. Political Influence: Judicial politicization and broad anti-terror laws impact fair trial and detention practices. Healthcare Gaps: Low medical staff ratios and restrictive transfer protocols hinder timely care. 🤝 Partners: CISST (Civil Society in the Penal System), İHD (Human Rights Association)

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Ireland

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives External Education: Teachers are employed by external boards (ETBs), ensuring qualifications are nationally recognized and transferable. Strong Coordination: The Probation Service leads Interagency Resettlement Teams and the Community Return Scheme. Key Worker Support: Individualized case management connects custody with external housing and welfare agencies. Civil Society Role: Funded NGOs (e.g., IASIO) bridge the gap with intensive post-release support. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Housing Crisis: A severe national shortage of accommodation acts as the primary barrier to successful resettlement. Service Fragmentation: Reliance on multiple external agencies requires constant coordination to prevent delivery gaps. TCN Integration: Growing diversity demands specialized support for language and non-EU qualification validation. 🤝 Partners: IASIO, Irish Penal Reform Trust, Depaul

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Norway

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Dynamic Security: Security is maintained through daily interaction and relationship-building rather than just force. Family Focus: Strong emphasis on maintaining ties through visiting apartments and children's rooms. Import Model: Inmates access the same community services (health, education) as the general public. Digital Integration: Extensive use of digital tools for education, rehabilitation, and maintaining family contact. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Mental Health: High prevalence of mental disorders requires constant collaboration with external health authorities. Housing Gaps: Municipal housing shortages can lead to release into homelessness despite planning. Political Shifts: Changes in government direction can alter funding and the balance between security and rehabilitation. 🤝 Partners: FFP (For Prisoners' Next of Kin), Norwegian Red Cross, WayBack

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Italy

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives

• Rehabilitative Legacy: System shaped by the landmark 1975 Penitentiary Reform, which constitutionally enshrined rehabilitation as the goal of detention.
• Progressive Models: Persistence of progressive models, such as ICAMs (Institutes for Custody of Mothers) and the recent Cartabia Justice Reform (promoting community-based sanctions).

🚧 Challenges & Opportunities

• Implementation Barriers: Primary opportunity lies in overcoming barriers to full implementation of the rehabilitative vision.
• Systemic Issues: Addressing political polarisation and significant regional disparities is key to consistent application of progressive principles across the system.

🤝 Partners: CEIPES: Centro Internazionale Per La Promozione Dell'Educazione e lo Sviluppo Associazione, Centro Studi - Opera don Calabria

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Malta

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives NGO Integration: Strong reliance on cooperation with NGOs like Caritas and RISe for rehabilitation and housing. Restorative Framework: The 2018 Restorative Justice Act institutionalised parole and mediation. Vocational Education: Partnerships with MCAST provide accredited technical training and literacy programmes. Family Contact: Facilities include family rooms and video calls to sustain vital relationships. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Social Stigma: Small population size creates visibility issues, making anonymity and reintegration difficult. Employment Barriers: Criminal records significantly restrict access to jobs despite a strong labour market. Resource Limits: Service capacity is naturally constrained by the island's size and available resources. 🤝 Partners: RISe Foundation, Caritas Malta

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Serbia

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Integrated Support: The "Through the Gate" program connects releasees with housing, jobs, and counseling. Alternative Sanctions: Expanded probation and community service help reduce prison overcrowding. Vocational Skills: Training in IT, carpentry, and culinary arts aligns with local labor market needs. Civil Society: NGOs (Neostart, Izlazak) provide vital monitoring and psychosocial support. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Public Stigma: Societal preference for punishment creates barriers to post-release employment. Resource Limits: Budget constraints lead to outdated infrastructure and healthcare gaps. Staffing Shortages: Lack of medical and specialized staff hinders effective treatment. 🤝 Partners: Neostart, Izlazak, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights

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Bulgaria

🔑 Key Strengths & Initiatives Support Network: Civil society (SAPI, Caritas) and social enterprises (Hope Bakery) provide vital psychosocial support and real jobs. Modernization: The 2021–2027 National Strategy shifts the focus from punishment to rehabilitation and dignity. Diverse Engagement: Volunteers and private companies help humanize prisons and build pro-social identities for incarcerated individuals. 🚧 Challenges & Opportunities Resource Gaps: Staffing shortages and limited funding hinder rehabilitative work and cause institutional fatigue. Post-Release Coordination: Better synergy between prisons and municipalities is needed for stable housing and social support. Family Bonds: Distance and facility conditions often obstruct the family contact necessary for successful reintegration. 🤝 Partner: America for Bulgaria Foundation

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