Activities of Rachida DATI related to 2015/2062(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Prison systems and conditions (debate) FR
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on prison systems and conditions PDF (503 KB) DOC (84 KB)
Amendments (29)
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas a questionnaire on prison systems and prison conditions was sent to all the governments of the EU Member States with a view to drafting this report; whereas 26 replies were received;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas prison conditions and prison management are responsibilities of the Member States but the Union also has a necessary role to play in protecting the fundamental rights of prisoners and in creating the European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice; whereas it falls within the remit of the European Union to encourage the exchange of good practices between Member States, in view of shared problems posing real security threats across Europe;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the situation in the prisons and the detention conditions, at times degrading and inhumane, of certain Member States isare cause for extreme concern, as demonstrated by reports such as those of the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas overcrowding in prisons is a recurrent problem in the Union and whereas the European Court of Human Rights has regarded it as a breach of Article 3 ECHR; whereas more than a third of Member States recognise that they are facing overcrowding issues; whereas the situation in some Member States is continuing to worsen, to the point of becoming untenable in a number of European prisons; whereas prison overcrowding is seriously detrimental to the quality of detention conditions, promotes radicalisation and complicates working conditions for prison staff;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas imprisonment is a particularly inappropriate situation in which to place certain vulnerable individuals, such as minors and people suffering from mental and psychiatric disturbances, who require an appropriate, tailored approach;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas continuous training of prison staff, particularly on the new challenges to be addressed, such as radicalisation in prison, and an increase in staffing levels among them are essential to ensure good detention conditions in prisons;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas violence in prisons is often associated with overcrowding and deplorable detention conditions; whereas in many prisons those tensions create particularly difficult working conditions for prison staff, which has led to several social movements within EU Member States;
Amendment 77 #
K. whereas the suicide rate in prisons in the European Union is particularly alarming; whereas the 2015 edition of the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE) reports that suicides account for 25% of deaths in prisons;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas radicalisation is occurring in many prisons in the European Union; whereas, in view of the security threat in Europe, each Member State should, as a matter of urgency, take measures to prevent radicalisation in the prison environment; considers an exchange of good practices at European level to be crucial;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the end purpose of prison is not only to punish but also to rehabilitate; whereas, with a view to preventing recidivism, the Member States should strengthen measures to achieve reintegration through work and training;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L b (new)
Recital L b (new)
Lb. whereas, in view of the new types of crime and new prisoner profiles, prison systems in Europe must evolve and adapt to offer an appropriate environment for reintegration; whereas reintegration measures must be internalised and carried out during the period of detention;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses its concernIs alarmed about prison conditions in certain Member States and the state of a number of European prisons; calls on Member States to comply with the rules on detention derived from the instruments of international law and Council of Europe standards; notes that deprivation of freedom does not equate to deprivation of dignity;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Deplores the fact that overcrowding of prisons, which is very common in Europe’s prisons, particularly in Greece, France, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia and Romania, in many cases has a serious impact on the safety of prison staff and prisoners, but also with regard toon health conditions, the activities made available, medical care and monitoring of prisoners; is alarmed at the new record levels of overcrowding in some EU Member States;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that increasing prisons’ capacity is not the sole solution to overcrowding, as the prison population tends to rise at the same rate as prison capacityecessary in some Member States, but is not the sole solution to overcrowding; calls nonetheless on Member States to allocate appropriate resources to refurbishment and modernisation of prisons in order to protect the rights of prisoners, provide dignified detention conditions and to reduce numbers in overcrowded prisons where tensions are high; recalls that the Commission recently mentioned the possibility of drawing on the Structural Funds of the European Union;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Suggests that Member States should establish inspectorates for detention premises, as is the case in some Member States, to enable them to draw upon independent bodies to evaluate prison conditions;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Deplores the high number of suicides in prison; calls on each Member State to produce a national action plan to prevent suicides in places where people are detained; calls on the European Commission to promote the exchange of good practices in order to eliminate this phenomenon in European prisons;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Encourages Member States to introduce sentence adjustment measures, particularly for the shortest sentences, including the use of day release, allowing sentences to be served during holidays in order to avoid the prisoner losing his or her job, community service, and increased use of house arrest and electronic tagging; also considers that sentencing should be more individually tailored so that it can be delivered better;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Considers that prison regimes that vary in line with the prisoners and the level of risk that they pose is a good method for preventing recidivism and encouraging reintegration into society; points out, once again, that reintegration measures must be internalised and must start during the period of detention;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Encourages Member States to make it mandatory to work, study for a qualification or attend a training course during detention, in order to prepare detainees for release from prison; considers it vital for minors to have access to schooling and vocational training;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Calls on all Member States to introduce stronger measures for monitoring prisoners after their release from prison, when they have been convicted of serious crimes; suggests that follow-up measures, after release, be put in place, by convening a hearing chaired by a judge, and attended by probation and reintegration officers, to evaluate reintegration into society and the risk of re-offending;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Reiterates the importance of preserving family and personal links, for each prisoner; considers it vital for appropriate conditions to be provided in which those links may be maintained; considers relationships of that kind to be vital to reintegration into society;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on Member States to abide by the recommendations in force concerning the treatment of foreign prisoners, based on their right not to suffer discrimination; stresses that it would be advisable to develop specific areas for new arrivals, adapted to their needs;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on Member States to combat the growing phenomenon of radicalisation in prison, which, together with the internet, constitutes the main vector of radicalisation;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the European Commission to promote the exchange of good practices between Member States with the aim of preventing and combating radicalisation in prisons and in detention centres for minors; notes that young people are particularly vulnerable to propaganda circulated by terrorist organisations;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Calls on the European Commission to propose, on the basis of good practices, guidelines on measures to be applied in European prisons to prevent radicalisation, while also relying on the work of RAN, the Radicalisation Awareness Network; considers it vital for radicalised prisoners to be placed under a special detention regime, tailored to their risk level and their needs; points out the importance of keeping radicalised prisoners away from other prisoners to prevent the spread of radicalisation in prison;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Considers it vital for prison staff to receive adequate training so that they are equipped to deal with developments in new types of minor offences and crimes; considers that, given the radicalisation occurring in prisons, it is absolutely vital to develop specialised training courses for all prison staff, probation officers and partners working within the penal system, religious workers and NGO staff who interact with prisoners, to train them on early detection, prevention and the management of radical behaviours; stresses the importance of appropriately recruiting and training religious, philosophical and secular representatives so that they are able not only to adequately meet prisoners’ cultural and spiritual needs in prisons, but also to contribute to countering potential radical discourse;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11d. Urges Member States to exchange good practices and to set up full de- radicalisation programmes in detention, steered by multi-disciplinary committees open to all those involved in de- radicalisation, and in particular psychologists, social workers and prison chaplains;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recalls that consideration for and training of prison staff is essential in order to ensure good detention conditions in prison, and encourages Member States to share information and good practices; to this end, calls for a General Assembly of Prison Administrations to be convened; expresses its solidarity with prison staff faced with violence and possible attacks;