31/05/2013 Standing Committee
The Assembly has invited all Council of Europe member States, and in particular those with the highest rates of imprisonment, to vigorously promote the use of non-custodial sentences, notably for first-time and non-violent offenders, young offenders and women. Following the proposals by rapporteur Nataša Vučkovič (Serbia, SOC), the parliamentarians said imprisonment should be considered as a measure of last resort.
Many Council of Europe member States have serious problems of prison overcrowding. The cost of imprisonment to European taxpayers is considerable. The average among Council of Europe member States is the equivalent of nearly €100 per inmate per day.
In view of the high cost of building and maintaining new prisons, the Assembly recommended concentrating scarce budgetary funds on improving conditions of detention in existing prisons rather than on expanding prison capacity.