The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the prison population in Europe

Recommendation 2242 (2022)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 25 November 2022 (see Doc. 15652, report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, rapporteur: Mr Givi Mikanadze).

1. Referring to its Resolution 2472 (2022) “The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the prison population in Europe”, the Parliamentary Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

1.1 establish guidelines setting out human rights-compliant and effective practices to enable places of detention to respond effectively to disease outbreaks, building on the various practices and experiences of States in different detention facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as on the advice and expertise of the World Health Organization, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) and other bodies with appropriate expertise;

1.2 undertake further work to consider how best to promote alternatives to detention as a useful tool to combat prison overcrowding, building on the recent experience of States in deploying different alternatives to detention during the Covid-19 pandemic.