01/06/2018 Standing Committee
The PACE Standing Committee, meeting today in Zagreb, has asked member States to adapt their legal frameworks in order to guarantee accessibility and reasonable accommodation to all prisoners with disabilities, whether these disabilities are physical, sensory, intellectual or psycho-social.
The resolution unanimously adopted today, on the basis of a report by Manuel Tornare (Switzerland, SOC), calls for the identification of all types of disability as soon as individuals come into contact with the criminal justice system, and to provide the care which they need without delay.
According to the parliamentarians, adjusted sentences or alternatives to prison sentences should be further developed, to prevent the imprisonment of persons whose condition is incompatible with detention.
Finally, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers undertake a study on legislation and practice in member States relating to provision for disability in the criminal justice and prison systems, in order to identify best practices and to adopt guidelines.