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Europe: coronavirus, prison fever
Access to healthcare, sentence adjustments, acts of protest, contacts with the outside world: what are the consequences of the pandemic on the living conditions in European prisons? // Updated on 31 December 2020 at 16:50 CEST.
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Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 67
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
30 April. The Tirana prison hospital has been turned into a COVID-19-specific hospital exclusively for infected detainees.
4 April. The municipality of Patos focused on disinfecting its prison.
1 April. When entering prisons, staff must follow certain health protocols: temperature and health check, sanitizing and wear masks and gloves.
Sentence adjustments¶
24 March. The government planned for the temporary release of 600 prisoners. This measure concerned inmates charged with minor offenses, the elderly and those suffering from chronic illness. A police group had to be created to evaluate inmate requests for temporary release, and issue special 3-month permits.
Contact with the outside world¶
15 March. Prison authorities suspended visitation rights and announced the installation of 64 computers to be used for video calls.
Acts of protest¶
6 October. A hundred Rec prison inmates went on a hunger strike to protest the suspension of visits. Since the health crisis began, they have been communicating with their families only by telephone.
25 April. Inmates at 313 prison in Tirana attempted to set fire to a building after Covid-19 cases had been identified in the prison.
Identified cases¶
25 November. At Fushë-krujë prison, seven inmates tested positive. They were transferred to Shënkolli prison, where infected inmates are accepted. Some inmates said that detention conditions at that facility were not appropriate for their treatment.
9 September. Out of 67 inmates who tested positive, 49 were cured. Among the 60 guards who tested positive, 15 were still infected.
7 September. Eight prisoners at Drenova de Korca prison, tested positive. All were from the same maximum-security section. Those who had been in contact with them were placed in quarantine.
30 April. Nineteen detainees tested positive. They were placed in separate rooms and under medical observation.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 7
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
7 October. Places are intended to accommodate severely ill prisoners in the prison health units. Prisoners without significant symptoms are placed in quarantine. Masks are distributed to all staff. It is reported that some staff members were not complying with protective measures.
14 August. The region of Saxony suspended the sentence adjustment policy put in place during the pandemic. This measure concerns 235 suspended sentences and 3,000 conditional releases (Ersatzfreiheitsstrafen).
30 July. In some facilities, untried prisoners were systematically placed in solitary for 14 days after each hearing.
4 June. Masks were distributed to prisoners, and in some cases were produced by the prisoners. In some facilities the masks were only handed out to specific groups of staff and prisoners.
Sentence adjustments¶
25 March. The Ministry of Justice planned for the release of 1,000 prisoners in North Rhine Westphalia, the most populous Land in Germany, to free up cells to be used as quarantine rooms. This new measure only concerned inmates serving short sentences.
22 March. The Hamburg prison released 40 people. The Berlin prison released 18 others.
Appeals and recommendations¶
26 May. Federal associations involved in prisoner rehabilitation published a statement. They were concerned about the closure of workplaces and the loss of wages, which were believed to be essential parts of rehabilitation. Schleswig-Holstein was one of the few States to provide financial compensation.
Contact with the outside world¶
7 October. Visits resumed in mid-July. They have been limited to one person per month and for a period of one hour and half. A prisoner’s child may be accepted as an additional visitor. Several conditions have been placed for these visits: such as auditing visitors with a questionnaire, wearing masks and prohibiting physical contact. Phone and video calls remain the principal measure to maintain family ties. A prisoner reported that the access to such technologies depends on the number of available personnel.
4 June. At Hamburg prison, prepaid mobile phones were offered to prisoners for €20. SIM cards and phone credit had to be purchased by relatives externally. The phones had to be returned once the crisis was over. In a prison in North Rhine-Westphalia, tablets for Skype calls were made available to prisoners, who could use them for 30 minutes per week. The time allowed was extended from 35 minutes per week to 10 minutes per day.
19 March. Visits, walks, and activities have been restricted.
Identified cases¶
14 July. In Sachsen-Anhalt, a prisoner tested positive for coronavirus soon after arriving at the facility. The authorities said that the prisoner posed no danger to the other inmates or staff and he was placed in quarantine.
20 March. Three employees of Hohenasperg (Baden-Württemberg) Penitentiary Hospital tested positive and were quarantined.
England and Wales¶
4 October. The “Prison Reform Trust” published the second part of an assessment on the management of the pandemic in prisons through its project called “Capptive” (“COVID Action Prison Project: Tracking Innovation, Valuing Experience”). If containing the spread of the epidemic has been a “success” in prisons, the report describes the restrictive measures that have been implemented for: remaining in cells for 23 hours a day and suspending visits, as well as academic and professional activities.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
25 December. Inmates at Parc prison in Bridgend were locked down in their cells over Christmas day. Because of the public health restrictions, they were forced to stay in their cells for 23 hours a day.
16 December. Frankland prison officials reduced outdoor activity time and made mask wearing compulsory due to the increase in infections in the region. The official recommendation had been to go into “full lockdown”, but this was rejected by prison administration. The impact of a total lockdown on the prisoners’ mental health would heighten “tension” and “put staff at risk” who were already understaffed, according to the Prison Minister Lucy Frazer.
11 December. Inmates were confined to their cells 24 hours a day following a resurgence of COVID-19 at Bedford prison. Meals were delivered to inmates’ cell doors. A family member of one of the inmates said that medications had not been given for two weeks.
A section of Elmley prison on the Isle of Sheppey was once again quarantined following the detection of new cases. Some prisoners could not attend their trial in person. A week earlier, lawyer Neil Ross denounced the fact that masks were not being worn by everyone until only recently.
1 December. Lindholme prison inmates are subjected to ”disproportionate” restrictions compared to other prisons. The HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMPPS) pointed out the failure to ease restrictions during the summer as a result of stalled negotiations with staff representatives. Inmates are now subjected to a second wave of restrictions ”without having had much reprieve”. This has led to a rise in violence and mental health issues.
29 November. One of the inmates at Birmingham prison complained about the lack of hygiene: vending machines and showers are shared with inmates who have tested positive and are not sanitized properly.
23 November. Inmates at Belmarsh maximum security institution who tested positive continue to share cells with those who are not positive.
20 November. A study conducted by University of Oxford researchers suggests that inmates should be ”among the first groups to receive any COVID-19 vaccine”.
6 November. New measures were announced by the government in order to reduce the risk of transmission in prisons. The press release indicated that there would be regular testing of staff who are in contact with inmates and new arrivals. More personal protective equipment will be distributed.
4 November. Prison officers employed by SERCO in Thameside prison have been forced to clean cells without personal protective equipment. Their requests for such equipment have been ignored. They were doing this type of work because of the pandemic, but it was never meant to be part of their daily assigned duties. A company spokesperson denied the allegations saying that there is a team of professional cleaners that is carrying out these functions.
3 November. Inmates in Preston prison who tested positive or had symptoms were not permitted to leave their cell except for 15 minutes a week to shower. Some officials have deemed this restrictive measure “unacceptable” and “wholly avoidable”. According to the inspectorate of prisons (HMPPS), the prison is *“severely overcrowded” * and is virtually impossible to facilitate physical distancing.
20 October. Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke warned about the impact of prolonged isolation on the mental health of inmates. He denounced the ”dangerousness” of being locked up for 23 hours in a cell due to COVID rules: “That cannot be right. We as a nation surely cannot say that that is acceptable”. He called on the Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland, to work with prison leadership to find a workable solution, for as long as the pandemic lasts. The inspector also criticized the prisons for their unsanitary conditions.
19 October. In one wing of Wormwood Scrubs Prison all the prisoners were confined in their cells for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for a period of two weeks. This measure followed the discovery of a number of positive cases in the affected wing.
15 October. Symptomatic prisoners in Northumberland were forced to remain locked in their cells for eight consecutive days waiting to be tested. The prisoners concerned could not shower or leave their cells for fresh air. In addition to these restrictive measures, a disabled prisoner testified that he had not taken a shower for seven months and was unable to access a fitted bathroom.
8 October. The extensions on restrictions concern the prison staff. One of them mentioned the repercussions on being isolated 23 hours a day: “(…) my pets are treated better than these men. The stress of being locked up for so long shows. (…). We fear that the prisoners will not be able to endure another six months (…) they have had enough for now. They are in distress ”.
2 October. COVID-19 cases were on the rise in the health unit of Lowdham prison. The latest report from the prison’s Independent Monitoring Board described the health unit as “unfit for purpose” and too small for the prison.
29 September. The restrictive measures showed an increase of self-harm among the prisoners held at Whatton. A report from the Inspectorate of Penal Institutions (HMIP) indicated that these cases represented more than a quarter of all incidents. The prisoners concerned said they felt “very frustrated” by the extended restrictions from the regime.
22 September. The rate of COVID-19 infection is greater among inmates than the general population. The study conducted by the Nuffield Trust thinktank blamed the lack of a strategy on the part of the administration to deal with the aging inmate population, as well as the sharing of cells and overcrowding. The study emphasised that maintaining health restrictions for too long makes these high levels of infections particularly concerning, knowing the physical and mental impacts that they have already caused.
21 September. The Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) warned the Secretary of State for Justice about the alarming conditions in Erlestoke prison. The use of force by guards more than doubled since the beginning of the lockdown. There was a net increase in cases of self-harm and suicide attempts. Inspectors deemed the treatment of quarantined inmates to be “degrading and unacceptable”. They reported a case of at least three quarantined prisoners who, for two weeks, had no access to toilets, running water or a cell call bell system. Staff had given them buckets to relieve themselves.
15 September. The Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) pointed out the efforts made by Hewell prison in its management of the crisis. Measures were taken by the prison to ease the restrictions recently put in place. The HMIP report pointed out that the restrictions are having a negative impact on the inmates, 70% of whom have mental health concerns. Some quarantined inmates did not have regular access to showers, sometimes for 14 days. Inmates with mobility issues reported they could not leave their cell for weeks.
31 July. Prisons continued to have difficulty accessing new technologies and experienced inequities in obtaining healthcare. The Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) obtained approval to use 4G in prison to help implement telemedicine and gain digital access to health records in prison. “It was extremely rewarding to be able to contribute directly to the pandemic response (…)” said doctoral student Chantal Edge, who is spending part of her research time rolling out telemedecine in prisons, training centres and children’s homes.
8 September. The justice inspectorates (HMIP) noted, in a visit report, the great frustration of inmates in Whitemoor prison regarding the “poor quality and often cold” meals received since the beginning of the pandemic. Common areas such as the kitchen, that are usually well equipped and used on a regular basis, are closed due to health restrictions.
31 July. The health and prison authorities worked on a plan to implement telemedicine throughout England’s prison gardens, including in juvenile facilities. For the first time 4G tablets were authorised in detention for this purpose. The authorities planned to continue this policy once the health crisis would have passed.
28 June. The government announced the designation of 2,000 temporary available cells for 30,000 tests. These measures aimed to prevent the risks induced by the increased number of people entering detention. This could result from the resumption of transfers and hearings.
3 July. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMIP) published their conclusions after several visits to the category C prisons (moderate security measures) on 16 June. Prisoners were given one hour outside of their cells each day to shower, call relatives and exercise, when facilities permitted. The attempts to provide educational materials were not successful. The HMIP claimed that the applied conditions of detention severely affected the mental health of prisoners and regretted that systematic checks had not been implemented. The number of self-inflicted injuries was higher than the previous year from the same period.
15 June. Transgender and non-binary prisoners explained that lockdown measures were making it more difficult to obtain medical services. Appointments and treatment sessions needed for the transition of some of the detainees were put on hold. Access to medical appointments was limited.
2 June. Some probation services gradually resumed.
28 May. Five inmates died by suicide between the 16 and 21 May. A total of 16 prisoners took their own lives since the introduction of pandemic restrictions on 23 March. “These deaths are a testament to the frustration and despair of those who face inhumane living conditions and highly restrictive regimes”, warned Deborah Coles of the organisation Inquest. The opposition party is urging the government to relax some of the restrictive measures applied in prisons by means of testing campaigns and greater distribution of health protection equipment: “It is neither safe nor acceptable for the government to leave prisoners isolated in cells and throw away the key until the pandemic is over”.
26 May. Health measures inside prisons could be relaxed gradually over 12 to 18 months, a slower pace than outside of prisons. The prison administration informed the various unions and organisations working in prisons that no changes were planned in the immediate future. David Lammy, a member of the opposition, warned that keeping prisoners in cells for more than 23 hours a day for a whole year could have serious consequences on their mental and physical health, increase the risk of self-harm, and also increase tensions within prisons.
18 May. A report published after visits to three prisons (Wandsworth, Altcourse and Elmey) described the detention conditions of prisoners exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. They would be locked up in their cells and allowed out for only 30 minutes a day. Conditions were stricter in Wandsworth prison where some prisoners had not been allowed to shower and exercise for two weeks. The report also showed that the physical distancing measures taken were difficult to implement because of cramped conditions.
8 May. Newcomers on the prison of Isle of Man would be placed in isolation for two weeks before joining the general population. They would only be entitled to two showers per week. The administration would give them access to television and supplying kits (”activity packs”) to keep them busy in their cell. Advocate Ian Kermode raised concerns over the “disgracefully oppressive” nature of these isolation measures, which could represent “serious infringements” of prisoners’ rights.
29 April. The Ministry of Justice announced the reopening of Medway youth facility (Secure Training Centre), which closed in March 2020. Staff from neighbouring prisons were mobilised to accommodate up to 70 “category D” (minimum security) prisoners. More than 300 of the 500 additional temporary cells announced in early April were installed in nine facilities: Highpoint, Hollesley Bay, North Sea Camp, Askham Grange, Coldingley, Hatfield, Lindholme, Littlehey, Moorland and Wymott.
21 April. Prison inspector Peter Clarke estimated that more than 4,000 inmates over age 50 would be imprisoned in overcrowded cells. The Ministry of Justice had announced earlier in April the construction of 2,000 additional temporary cells in seven establishments and the release of 4,000 inmates. The administration’s director affirmed that between 10,000 and 15,000 inmates should be released to ensure solitary confinement in the country.
9 April. Nearly 500 containers would be installed in the prisons of Littlehey, Hollesley Bay, Highpoint, Moorland, Lindholme and Humber. The Ministry of Justice planned to convert them into additional “temporary cells” to reduce promiscuity in some facilities. This measure could be extended to other establishments, some of which accommodate incarcerated children. Associations alerted on the “inadequate” aspect of this mechanism.
7 April. Practitioners alerted on the actual isolation of the country’s prison population. “If you imagine yourself in enforced solitary confinement in a large toilet, with an unscreened lavatory and someone you’ve never met before, the mental health implications are huge,” said John Podmore, a former prison governor and now professor at the University of Durham.
1 April. A person held in the Leeds prison attested to applied restrictions. She confirmed that she and her fellow inmates could only leave their cell for 30 minutes per day to eat or take a shower. Some sheltered prisoners do not have access to showers. The establishment provides them with soap, but the hand disinfectant must be bought at the prison shop every week. Inmates can request emergency phone credit benefits to contact their loved ones. Inmates must pay for this credit, which they may not always receive.
27 March. Forty prisoners from the Wandsworth (London) prison who showed respiratory problems were relocated in the wing designed as a shelter-in-place, without them being tested beforehand. This wing also holds 12 prisoners tested positive for COVD-19. The 52 people are many per cell. Meals are brought to them in-cell to limit movement. Some claim not to have access to showers.
The director of the Prisoners Advice Service association denounced these practices that she considers out of order and dangerous for people not yet tested. According to a 2018 survey, 15% of the prison population may suffer from breathing difficulties.
13 March. The Ministry of Justice announced the activation of an emergency plan to ensure the safety of staff, prisoners and visitors, with minimal disruption to normal operations. This plan includes case identification, management of staff absences if they need to self-isolate, and the provision and supply of soap and cleaning materials.
Judicial system¶
27 November. The high court reversed a decision by the Southwark crown court which ruled that the delay in conducting trials during the pandemic was not a sufficient reason to prolong detention. The decision concerned a teenager who has been held in custody for almost a year. With regard to the excessively long delay, Judge Keith Raynor denounced the “inadequate” efforts on the part of the Ministry of Justice to keep the courts going. In his ruling, he criticized the lack of funding for the criminal justice system, and HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS’s ). *“‘systemic failure’ to provide for jury trials to continue.“ *.
18 November. Four teenagers were imprisoned for over three months in the Cookham Wood juvenile prison without being able to contact their lawyers because of health restrictions. For their scheduled hearing in August, the teens were not to attend court, nor a videoconference. The hearing had to be postponed. This case was described as a “horror show” by a judge, witness of the failings of the justice system throughout the pandemic. However, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice denied that version of events.
29 October. Statistics from the Ministry of Justice revealed that the number of untried prisoners during the pandemic has increased by a third. This is the biggest increase in six years, which shows the effect that COVID-19 is having on the judicial system. The backlog of trials these past few months is forcing prisoners on remand to plead guilty in the hope of a quick release. A former judge denounced these delays as a “fundamental” and “existential threat to the rule of law.”.
13 July. The prison population started rising again after courts were reopened. It had fallen by 5.4% between March and June, mainly due to courts being closed.
Sentence adjustments¶
30 December. The former Chief Inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick, called for a new release programme because of the increased risk of a massive outbreak from the new coronavirus strain in prison. He recommended a programme that is less ”bureaucratic” than the previous one which allowed 4,000 inmates to be released.
4 October. Pragmatic restrictions in prisons block the chances of obtaining sentence adjustments. The suspension of activities prevents prisoners from participating in reintegrative programs which are necessary to accommodate their sentences.
19 August. The government announced they would end its early release plan. Since mid-April, 275 of the 4,000 eligible prisoners have benefited from it. The prison inspector warned against the risks of favouring restrictive measures in detention which have serious consequences on the mental health of prisoners.
18 July. Almost 140 people released during the pandemic were housed in hotels and guesthouses. The government estimated in mid-June that more than 1,000 released prisoners were homeless.
3 July. 209 prisoners were granted early release, out of the figure of 4,000 declared by the government. These were mainly pregnant women, mothers with new-borns and those considered vulnerable.
29 June. Prison Reform Trust deplored the lack of government initiative to expedite the release of prisoners from open prisons who presented no danger to society.
15 June. More than 1,000 prisoners were released without a place to stay. Parliamentarians and organisations called on the authorities to address this situation and its public health danger. The Justice Ministry indicated that there was additional funding given to provide lodging. This funding was due to end at the end of the month. The organisations called on the government to make this a long term commitment.
4 June. The government considered re-nationalising the probation system, which had been operating privately since 2014. The government already brought part of it back to the National Probation Service in 2019. Stakeholders were pleased with this measure.
31 May. The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) described the early release scheme in England and Wales as “difficult to understand, difficult to explain and almost impossible to implement”. Among other things, it recommended that the program be streamlined and accelerated to facilitate protective measures within facilities. The group studied over 200 messages sent by inmates to the National Prison Radio station. Many inmates reported great frustration, partly due to missing or contradictory information received by the press, the administration and the guards. Fewer than 100 people had so far been released of the 4,000 announced in early April.
15 May. The Ministry of Justice acquired 2,000 new electronic bracelets. The opposition questioned the necessity of this investment and if it would affect the still-pending release of close to 4,000 prisoners.
10 May. The early release scheme, proposed by the government before the pandemic for a better transition into society, was dropped. It could have concerned nearly 500 prisoners. The government considered that epidemic slowdown and hearing suspensions already enabled a de facto reduction of pressure on the prison system and, therefore, deemed the measure unnecessary.
6 May. The Ministry of Justice confirmed the release plan which was announced on early April. Almost 200 prisoners were allegedly approved on 28 April to benefit from these sentencing adjustments, and another 300 were believed to be considered. No update were released by the authorities after the confirmation, as of April 27, of 33 out of the 4,000 foreseen release.
27 April. 16 women, either pregnant or held in mother and baby units, were released. The new measure brought the number of people released to 33, out of the 4,000 announced by the authorities at the beginning of April. The Howard League for Penal Reform voiced its concerns: “It is inexplicable that over three weeks later less than 1% of that figure has been achieved.”.
21 April. Among the 70 pregnant women incarcerated in the country’s prisons, 17 were released. To this date, they were the only ones to have benefited from this measure. The Ministry of Justice announced 4,000 releases at the beginning of April.
18 April. The release scheme was suspended after an administrative mistake. Six persons concerned by the scheme had allegedly been released too early. The opposition warned that ”these errors must not be used as an excuse for inaction” by the government.
4 April. Nearly 4 000 prisoners with sentences of two months or less were to be temporarily released and placed under electronic monitoring. People convicted of violent, sexual or recent pandemic-related offences were excluded from the measure. People with flu-like symptoms and those who cannot provide proof of housing or access to health care were also not eligible.
23 March. The Minister of Justice is contemplating the release of 50 pregnant women, the transfer of 9,000 defendants to reception centers, and a greater amount of temporary leaves (for further information “release on temporary license”).
Contact with the outside world¶
11 December. Inmates, confined 24 hours a day at Bedford prison, were not permitted to leave their cells to make phone calls.
19 November. Video calling should start up on 1 December at Forrest Bank prison. According to a prison spokesperson, this measure will offset the cancellation of visits announced in October.
6 November. Visits were suspended. Exceptions were to be made for official or legal visits, juvenile offenders or even for unusual family circumstances. The current additional phone credits and face-time calls remain in effect. Officials said that prison staff will be responsible for helping inmates access educational courses and physical activities. Juvenile offenders will continue to have classes.
2 November. Inmates are now only able to receive debit card payments and money transfers from family and friends. Families and friends can no longer send cash, cheques or postal orders. Bank transfers and prepaid credit cards are also not permitted. Only people who have been refused by banks to open an account will be exempted. The Minister of Justice informed prison staff through internal communication, citing it was for health security and cost -cutting reasons.
19 October. Inmates will be able to have virtual hospital consultations. This technological advance is a result of a national deal signed with tech supplier Visionable and National Health Service NHS. Inmates will be able to access their X-ray and scanner information with a secure access protocol. These hospital video consultations are to be deployed to 114 prisons, young offender institutions, fifteen Secure Children’s Homes and five immigration removal centres.
14 October. The Forrest Bank prison director announced the suspension of all visits due to the confirmation of several positive cases among its inmates and staff.
5 October. Visits were suspended at Isle of Man prison after an inmate tested positive for COVID-19.
2 October. Inmate transfers and family visits were suspended at Lowdham prison due to the rise in positive cases.
28 September. Seven prisons were still waiting for video-call technology. More than 3,500 inmates in the Hollesley Bay, Kirkham, Leyhill, Swaleside, The Mount, Warren Hill prisons and in the ’Oakhill young offenders facility have been affected by this shortage. The minister in charge of prisons, Lucy Frazer, had this to say on the subject: “These establishments have all taken receipt of the necessary equipment and staff have been trained. However, they have experienced networking and connectivity issues (…). They are currently undertaking test calls and expect to go live as soon as possible”. Meanwhile, visits have gradually resumed in these prisons on a limited basis and must respect physical distancing.
29 September. Prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm received special support in ** Whatton ** prison. This support was provided by members of the National Suicide and Self-Injury Prevention Program “Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork” (ACCT). Regular visits from the chaplaincy were also in place.
28 September. The Department of Justice indicated the possibility of extending long-term use of video calls alongside physical visits. This extension also covers legal visits, meetings with probation officers and job interviews. The use of video calls was available during the month of September in all prisons for women, minors and particularly in men’s prisons.
28 September. Families of inmates chose to stop prison visits because of the many restrictions imposed on them. Inmates themselves discouraged them from coming. The Children Heard and Seen organisation reported “emotionally difficult” visits for the children of inmates. One inmate’s partner said: “I have four children and I can’t just pick one child to go…what if they think the child that is picked is loved more? (…) no cuddle after not seeing them for half a year is just cruel… how will a three-year-old understand?”.
20 September. Leicester prison remained the only facility that still forbids family visits. There are no plans to resume them.
20 September. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that the national alert level passed from Phase 3 to Phase 2. Group sports, classes and cultural activities have resumed. Transfers between prisons can now proceed. Plans proposed by each facility must be approved at the regional level.
8 September. The justice inspectorates (HMIP) indicated that Whitemoor inmates could not access telephones, representing a “key barrier to family contact”. The announcement of a delivery of mobile phones by prison officials delayed, according to the report, the installation of additional telephones in the corridors. Mobile phones were finally banned in high security areas. The HMIP deplored the fact that after several months, no new telephones were available.
1 August. The Brixton prison’s restaurant The Clink Inmate Catering Training Projectbegun to prepare takeout food for prisoners to continue their training. A delivery service would be active within an 8km radius of the prison. The vegetables, salads and eggs used by the restaurant came from the garden of the women’s prison in Send, The Clink Gardens, where prisoners were trained in horticulture.
31 July. Lawyers launched legal proceedings against the Department of Justice. They claimed that the visitation suspension and the insufficient number of videoconferences constituted a violation of fundamental rights to the prisoners’ children. According to lawyers, the new visitation rules violated the Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the 2004 Child Protection Act (Children Act 2004). Young children and those with disabilities would be the most impacted.
The prison administration affirmed to have stablished a videoconferencing system in 56 establishments, providing more than 1,000 cell phones and granting additional phone credit to prisoners. The Ministry of Justice affirmed that their objective was to establish a videoconferencing system throughout the penitentiary park.
20 July. The report of the association Prison Reform Trust (PRT) denounced the slow and inefficient national system that was implemented for video visits in prisons by “Purple Visits”. They pointed the “growing sense of anger, frustration and despair” of the prisoners and their families. Only 30 of the nearly 120 prisons in the country would offer access to “Purple Visits” in mid-July.
8 July. Visits restarted, after 105 days of suspension, in the Risley and Humber prisons. Prisoners at Risley were entitled to a 45-minute visit by two close family members per month. These visits could only take place during the week. Families would have to take a temperature test, wear a mask while traveling, and stay 2 meters away from their loved ones at all times.
The Ministry of Justice stated that around 30 prisons had been authorised to descend to the third stage of the health protection plan, allowing them to reassume visits and a few other activities. Prison Inspectorates (HMIP) were concerned that the third authorised stage required to reassume visits in each prison might delay their recovery, which would cause great frustration for prisoners.
6 July. Minors detained at Parc Prison continued to have daily access (excluding weekends) to two hours of lessons in a classroom as well as in spaces dedicated to teaching joinery, cooking and physical education. Weston College, one of the four prison education providers, handed out 150 different learning packs every week across 19 facilities. For example, the prisoners at Coldingley were able to do their homework online via the virtual campus. Student feedback was positive, although the prison was concerned about the effects of remote teaching and the restrictions in place on students’ concentration and the continuity of their studies. The organisation Prisoners’ Education Trust noted a significant drop in applications in May and June of between 40 and 50 as opposed to the usual average of 220.
29 June. HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) published a report on its 9 June visit to three “open” prisons: Thorn Cross, Ford and Sudbury. It described how stressed the detainees were about their release. “Open” prisons that have minimum security are mainly used for people completing their sentences, who have regular contact with the outside, and have easier access to work, visits and “releases on temporary license” (ROTL). Prisoners at Thorn Cross were only allowed out for scheduled physical activity. Only people working in jobs that were deemed essential during the pandemic (key worker roles) were allowed to have temporary leave.
2 June. Visits from friends and family could resume in July. Activities and training programs might also be re-introduced. Physical distancing would continue. The Ministry of Justice indicated that start-up measures would vary from prison to prison. The Howard League for Penal Reform organisation welcomed the resumption of activities but remained sceptical about its feasibility.
15 May. The government announced the implementation of secure videoconferencing to maintain family ties. The device was tested with success at the prison of Berwyn, and was being installed in 10 other establishments for widespread use in the following weeks.
InsideTime drew a parallel between the measures implemented in Northern Ireland, Scotland and 14 other European countries.
8 May. Newcomers of the prison of Isle of Man, isolated for 14 days, would have access to a mobile phone to contact their families and legal representatives.
24 March. The Minister of Justice announced the suspension of all visits and activities (education, training, workshops) in all penitentiary establishments from 24 March. Detainees will only be able to get out of their cells to access the showers, to access phone if they do not have them in their cells, and to do some exercise using social distancing measures. Only the jobs considered necessary for the functioning of the prisons are maintained: cooking, laundry, cleaning.
Authorities announced through Twitter the distribution of 900 portable phones in 55 penitentiaries to allow prisoners to stay in touch with their loved ones. It added that these phones would not grant Internet access. Means of allocation were not specified.
Thameside, Ashfield, and Doncaster prisons announce the granting of 10 free minutes of additional calls daily.
Acts of protest¶
11 December. Prolonged lockdown at Bedford prison led to “mini riots” among inmates, even in their own cells. Residents living near the prison reported windows being broken, items being thrown out, and yelling.
Appeals and recommendations¶
21 December. Amanda Spielman, Chief Inspector of prisons, alerted the Secretary of State for Justice to the ”spartan” detention conditions at the Rainsbrook* ”Secure Training Centre” for minors. The report indicated that children were locked up in their rooms for 23 hours a day. The detention conditions were “so bad”, that the Chief Inspector of prisons invoked an “Urgent Notification” in order to obtain immediate action.
17 December. A letter from the Secretary of State for Justice indicated the deployment of temporary accommodation units, “improving the efficiency of compartimentalisation” in prisons as well as an extensive use of tests.The goal is to reduce overcrowding and stop the spread of the virus. The information responds to a demand from the Prison Reform Trust and Howard League for Penal Reform organizations for the expected increase in the prison population when the courts resume operations.
4 December. Forty organisations and lawyers called to the “immediate” release of foreign nationals held in prison by the immigration services since the start of the pandemic. These foreign nationals, facing deportation, were denied access to legal assistance due to the suspension of legal visits to prison. Faced with the health risk, the Ministry of Justice is preventing their transfer to an immigration removal centre, where legal assistance would had been more accessible to them.
14 November. Peter Dawson, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, recommended the use of early release to ease the management of the pandemic in prison. A government early release program had already been announced in April. It resulted in less than 300 releases. This program is currently suspended.
13 October. The Prison Reform Trust and the * Howard League for Penal Reform” recommended to the Ministry of Justice greater transparency towards the measures taken to fight the progression of the pandemic in prisons. Via a joint letter they demanded that “prisoners and their families understand the basis on which decisions are being take .” They also called for a simpler and “more generous” early release strategy”*.
27 October. Keeping Minors for up to 23 hours a day locked in their cell, is an *“extreme and inhuman” * governmental policy according to the UN Special Rapporteur on torture. With the support of children’s health experts, he declared that: “solitary confinement is so damaging to children that it should never have been seen as a reasonable response to the threat of COVID- 19 infections”. This practice could lead to *”lifelong mental health damages” * for these children. The measures put in place to prevent potential COVID-19 outbreaks, affect around 500 minors under the age of 18 and another 4,000 minors, from the ages of 18 to 21, held in adult prisons.
7 July. The organisation Prison Reform Trust was concerned about continued lockdown restrictions inside prisons when beaches, pubs and shops in the outside world were reopening. The organisation warned that there could be an increase in violence and self-harm as a result of the difference in treatment: “Two thirds of the prison population had basically been in lockdown because of the virus for three months“. The organisation insisted that video calls needed to be made available on a larger scale, as it claimed that only 40 prisoners had access.
6 July. The organisation Prisoners’ Education Trust called for each cell to have access to a computer and an intranet, to allow each prisoner to access interactive educational resources: “It would completely revolutionise the provision of education and this Covid crisis has truly shown the digital divide between the prisoners and the rest of society“.
3 July. The parliamentary commission in charge of human rights published a report on the effect of the restrictions on the lives of prisoners’ families. It noted that the measures currently in place in prisons prevented a bond from being formed between imprisoned mothers and their children. The disproportionality of these measures could violate the right prisoners have to a private life and family life as enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights. The commission recommended the immediate temporary release of all pregnant mothers and mothers still in prison. It requested the government to collect all the names of imprisoned mothers and the age of their children.
17 June. The Howard League for Penal Reform and Prison Reform Trust organisations warned of “inhumane and untenable” prison conditions in a letter sent to the Justice Secretary. They reported that prisoners were subjected to prolonged solitary confinement in overcrowded conditions despite additional resources given to prisons. They were critical of the lack of activity and called for the release of a good number of prisoners.
12 May. Two remand prisoners committed suicide at the prisons of Bristol and Durham. Bristol Cable warned of the devastating restraint effects on prisoners subjected to delay in proceedings, extension of remand duration, and isolation in sometimes deplorable conditions. Deborah Coles, Director of Inquest, an association that provides expertise on deaths involving the British state, explained: “These recent suicides [self-inflicted deaths] raise major concerns about the frustration and despair of those confronted with inhumane living conditions and restrictive systems. The government’s solution to fight coronavirus in prisons has been to subject prisoners to increased isolation (…) detrimental to mental and physical health.”
6 May. The Howard League for Penal Reform and Prison Reform Trust published a dozen briefing notes received by the government at the beginning of the pandemic. Amongst other things, these documents alerted the Minister of Justice about the possibility of having 3,500 deaths from the COVID-19 in prisons.
17 April. The Howard League for Penal Reform and the Prison Reform Trust were taking legal action against the British government for not doing enough to reduce the prison population. They said that current measures would not allow for the promised releases. Only 18 people had been released out of the 4,000 announced.
7 April. PRT called authorities to facilitate video calls between prisoners and their families. Video technology is regularly used in the majority of institutions for remote hearings. The application Skype has, since 2018, been used by youth incarcerated in Parc prison (Wales). Subject to authorisation from the administration, the establishment sought to extend this system to the nearly 1,000 adults currently incarcerated there. PRT pointed out that people maintaining a connection with their family while in detention were six times less likely to reoffend.
1 April. The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) and the Howard League for Penal Reform sent an open letter to the Minister of Justice calling for a rapid increase to the number of inmates released from prison. The request was based on a report by Professor Richard Coker of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine regarding the risk of exposure of prisoners and prison staff to COVID-19.
30 March. The Prisoners’ Advice Service association supplied a sample letter to file a compassionate early release. The association is calling for its use on behalf of vulnerable people and those considered as nonrepresentative of a danger to society.
18 March. The Howard League published a letter addressed to the Secretary of State for Justice, proposing “effective and rapid measures to put in place” to “reduce an influx of people in the most overpopulated prisons and facilitate the return to society of those who could be released safely”. The organization asked authorities, among others, to review provisional detention cases, to pardon or reduce the incarceration of people serving short sentences, to stop imposing supplementary detention as a disciplinary measure, to release those who pose no threat and are vulnerable due to their age or health condition, and to release youth serving sentences under four years.
Identified cases¶
30 December A Prison Officers Association reported that a ”large amount” of inmates had tested positive at Dartmoor prison, and that the spread of the virus had ”seriously” reduced the number of prison staff.
29 December. Routine testing detected a number of positive cases at The Mount prison. An increased number of positive cases was reported among inmates and staff members at Norwich prison. Several staff members had to self-quarantine. No numbers were available in spite of calls for more transparency about the number of positive cases.
28 December. The director of Lowdham prison reported that 177 inmates and 160 staff members had contracted the virus during the past four months.
5 December. Several positive cases were detected among inmates of ’a wing of Knox Road prison. No official information is given on the exact figures.
30 November. One inmate and three staff members tested positive in Lowdham prison. Prison officials said that the situation had “significantly improved since October” when about one-hundred cases were recorded. The only positive case reported among inmates was a recent transfer.
29 November. About one-hundred positive cases have been recorded, in one day, in a wing of Birmingham prison. Five staff members contracted the virus. A prison spokesperson said that “enhanced cleaning” was in place and “appropriate” protective equipment has been issued.
23 November. Belmarsh maximum security prison recorded 65 positive cases in the block where whistleblower Julian Assange is being held. According to his campaign, several positive inmates were hospitalised, and one inmate was on a respirator.
24 November. “Many inmates” tested positive in Bristol prison. A hundred prison officers were forced to self-isolate. Inmates transferred from Bristol prison to Portland prison were not quarantined on arrival there, and positive cases have appeared in Portland since then, as health protocols were not being followed.
A “small” number of positive cases was detected in a unit of the Durham prison. Prison officials confirmed this included a cleaning staff member. Inmates in the unit were placed in quarantine.
18 November. Prison administration confirmed the infection of 24 prisoners and four staff members in Dovegate prison.
Some one hundred staff members from Cardiff prison were forced to self-isolate after testing positive for the virus or for coming in contact with a positive person. Several people on remand also contracted the virus. Their hearings scheduled for November before the court in Cardiff had to be cancelled.
16 November. More than 90 inmates tested positive for the virus at Elmley prison on the Isle of Sheppey. A third of the inmates were placed under quarantine in one of the prison wards.
13 November. More prisoners were infected with the virus during the month of October than over the previous seven last months of pandemic combined. Official figures from the Minister of Justice showed that by 31 October, 1,529 prisoners had tested positive, 883 of which were in October alone.
11 November. Eleven staff members were declared infected with the virus at Dartmoor prison. At least 20 officers were asked to self-quarantine.
10 November. Some fifty inmates tested positive for COVID-19 at Featherstone prison, according to one of the officers. The inmates concerned were placed in quarantine but were permitted to take part in limited physical exercise. The first COVID-19 cases were detected among staff members two weeks before.
3 November. The number of positive cases for COVID-19 was estimated ”to be in the dozens ”* in Preston prison. Staff members were also asked to self-isolate.
2 November. Thirteen staff members at Parc prison in Bridgend were quarantined after testing positive for the virus. The only inmate to be currently infected was kept away from the others.
1 November. Thirty-two staff members at Leeds prison and five inmates tested positive for coronavirus. The virus had started to spread throughout the prison the previous week. A total of 87 staff and 39 inmates had to go into quarantine to slow the spread of the virus.
*30 October. Several female inmates at Styal prison tested positive for the virus. The facility went into lockdown and infected inmates were confined to their cells for 14 days. The Justice Ministry did not disclose the number of positive cases.
29 October. Some positive cases were reported at Hull prison. At least two sections of the prison had to be quarantined.
26 October. Several positive cases were discovered among the prisoners and staff of Northumberland prison. The two wings in question were placed in quarantine.
22 October. At least 32 positive cases were identified in Swaleside prison. These current numbers were added to the five positive cases recorded ten days ago among the prison staff.
19 October. More than “30 positive cases” have been reportedly discovered in a wing of Wormwood Scrubs prison. The Ministry of Justice refused to reveal the number of identified cases.
18 October. A staff member tested positive at Dovegate prison following a report from the partner of an inmate. Prison officials reported a “certain number” of positive cases among staff but refused to confirm the exact number. No inmates were infected, according to the prison director.
11 October. A ”small number” of inmates and staff at Forrest Bank prison have tested positive for the virus. Two sections of the prison were placed under quarantine.
9 October. Lowdham Prison counted 172 prisoners and 43 staff members infected from COVID-19 after multiple tests were executed in recent weeks.
3 October. A new prisoner tested positive for COVID-19 in Isle of Manprison. He was placed in solitary shelter for 14 days. More tests are underway for his contacts.
2 October. Lowdham prison reported 63 inmates and 21 staff who tested positive. Additional testing was to be done. More positive cases were expected in the coming weeks.
25 August. As part of a study in prisons, 770 inmates tested for coronavirus at Holme House in Stockton-on-Tees. Three of them tested positive. A block of the facility, with nearly 170 people, was placed on lockdown.
28 April. About 1,800 prisoners could be infected in addition to 304 confirmed cases, in the prisons of England and Wales, according to Public Health England. Public Health England warned about the risks of slackening measures in the upcoming months and said some restrictions needed to be maintained in prisons until April 2021. It estimated that, with the maintenance of the appropriate measures, there would be a total of 2,800 infections and about a hundred deaths in prisons.
21 April. Nearly 300 prisoners and 200 staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in 64 of the country’s facilities.
17 April. At least 232 prisoners distributed across 60 prisons out of 117 in the country tested positive for COVID-19
14 April. The Minister of Justice announced that 207 prisoners within 57 establishments tested positive for coronavirus.
Authorities reported many cases of COVID-19 in the prison of Wymott (Leyland), mainly in a wing occupied by elderly prisoners. A staff member died on 8 April. There were reports of twelve sick prisoners, but the Minister of Justice denied this information. Hundreds of “vulnerable” prisoners were transferred to other institutions to reduce overpopulation.
7 April. Ten prisoners died from the COVID-19 since the epidemic first begun. Three were incarcerated in theLittlehey prison. The rest were held at Altcourse, Belmarsh, Birmingham, Manchester, Sudbury, Whatton and at the Low Newton Women’s Prison. One hundred and twenty-nine prisoners from 47 institutions had tested positive for the COVID-19 at this point. More than 1,200 were sheltered-in-place.
27 March. Twelve prisoners from the Wandsworth (London) prison tested positive. They were placed in a wing of the establishment serving as shelter-in-place.
26 March. Two prisoners detained in the Littlehey and Manchester prisons have died as a result of Covid-19.
23 March. The correctional administration confirmed that 13 prisoners from nine prisons have so far tested positive for coronavirus. Around 3,500 warders, namely 10% of the prison staff, would be sick or quarantined. Prison staff was given 50,000 masks, and restrictions were lifted on hand sanitizer.
19 March. Seventy-five guards of the largest prison in the United Kingdom HMP Berwyn in Wales were on sick leave or quarantine due to coronavirus. Twenty-two prisoners showing symptoms characteristic of the virus prisoners were placed in isolation as a precaution. No restrictive measures were announced at the facility level.
18 March. The authorities announced the contamination of the first person detained in the United Kingdom. The patient, who was incarcerated at Strangeways Prison HMP Manchester, was transferred to the hospital. Thirteen prisoners were placed in isolation as a precautionary measure. Staff who had been in contact with the patient are quarantined. All prisons’ activities, including visits, continue to be unrestricted.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners: 1
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
9 June. The Council of Europe sent personal protection equipment and medical devices to prison officials to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in prisons: gowns, gloves, protective glasses, masks, infrared thermometers, respirators, portable saturometers, bactericide lamps. These donations were part of the “Enhancing Health Care and Human Rights Protection in Prisons” project funded by the Council of Europe.
Identified cases¶
2 April. Five prison guards tested positive to COVID-19 at the Vardashen prison (Yerevan). The Ministry of Justice reported that the guards were only involved in external security and hence did not have any contact with the inmates.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 5
Sentence adjustments¶
15 June. 2 275 prisoners were released between March and May.
28 April. Following the postponement of enforced sentences, the prison population was reduced by about 500 prisoners.
22 March. A new law came into force. The execution of prison sentences can, from now on, be postponed for the duration of the health measures unless the prisoner is not considered particularly dangerous, and the prison sentence does not exceed three years.
Contact with the outside world¶
29 September. Court hearings will be held in person or by videoconference.
15 June. Visits resumed since mid-May. Visitors would be separated from their loved ones by a glass barrier and masks were mandatory. At the Josefstadt prison, lawyers were critical of the maximum number of 22 people allowed in the room where lawyers visit their clients.
27 April. The Minister of Justice planned to gradually relax the rules from 11 May. She announced new measures including 176 new positions to increase the number of prison staff, the installation of separate prison quarters for prisoners who are nearing the end of their sentence and preparing for release and prevent any infections of COVID-19. Visits would also be allowed again.
15 March. The Minister of Justice announced several restrictive measures to fight against the virus spread. Family visits were suspended. Visits from lawyers and legal representatives were kept. They are carried out through a glass window. Phone calls and videoconferencing were granted. For prisoners without means to call their family, charges must be covered by the State. Work permits outside the prison were also suspended. Each new inmate must undergo a COVID-19 test and would be placed in isolation for 14 days. Hearings and trials must take place by videoconferencing.
Identified cases¶
29 September. Officials indicated that three inmates and eight staff members had contracted the virus. The media reported that around 130 inmates were quarantined because of possible cases.
15 June. The Minister of Justice believed that prisons have been relatively spared. Only two inmates of the Innbruck prison tested positive and seven cases among the guards were resolved. One inmate remarked that it was still impossible to say that prisons were spared since there was no testing.
30 April. Two inmates have tested positive. They were professionally cared for in isolated access departments until their recovery.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 33
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
17 September. The Minister of Justice said that prisons had enough personal protective equipment.
29 August. According to the families of prisoners, many guards don’t wear masks.
9 July. New measures were put in place at Louvain-Central prison, after a new positive case was discovered. The prison service spokesperson announced that the central medical service was visiting the prison “to work out the testing strategy”.
29 May. Since the beginning of the lockdown, prisoners made 122 000 masks. Prison facilities provided masks to every inmate, staff member and visitor. Protective screens, numbering 1 633, were distributed. Of these, 633 were used to secure visits.
25 May. Some prisons did not guarantee the standards needed to host visitors while correctly observing sanitary measures. In Wallonia, the prisons of Lantin and Andenne were singled out by a prison union. The latter considered that the safety of the officers, families and prisoners was not ensured. The union was concerned about the lack of equipment (no Plexiglas plates were installed at Marche en Famenne prison) and the fact that visitors’ temperatures were not taken.
30 April. Nicolas Cohen, lawyer and member of the Belgian Section of the International Prison Observatory, said that ”behind these seemingly happily low contamination numbers hides the reality that the prison institution could simply not handle an epidemic owing to the advanced state of ruin of our prisons.“
27 April. The prison administration reported that 42 000 face masks had been produced by inmates. Belgian authorities said that demand was higher than production capacities.
23 April. Lantin prison has been chosen to potentially open a unit dedicated to prisoners with COVID-19 in case of a peak in contamination. “The idea would be to have a Walloon equivalent to the Bruges prison”, said the representative of the prison administration.
22 April. A deputy reported “the shabby, outdated infrastructure’s poor state“ after a visit of the Huy prison. Renovation work was being considered.
13 April. Detainees suffering from COVID-19 that do not require hospitalisation were sheltered-in-place in the health unit of the prison of Bruges. Out of 25 available beds, 11 were occupied. The use of empty old buildings of different hospitals was being considered, especially in Vilvoorde and Liège.
8 April. The Minister of Justice reported that 27 350 masks were produced by detainees since the beginning of the crisis. This production was divided between prisons (17 500 masks) and various services (Foreign Office, including the judiciary). The European Parliament placed an order for prisons. Working prisoners receive an “agreed remuneration”. Some workshops operate on weekends.
3 April. Approximately 17 000 face masks sewn by prisoners have been distributed for use by guards and detainees handling food in prisons. The masks were made in the sewing workshops for detainees.
29 March. In certain facilities, the concern of staff led to “the prescription of high-dose anxiety drugs”. The OIP-SB noted that the number of contaminated prisoners is increasing and “the risk to the health of prisoners is starting to manifest”.
21 March. The managers are understaffed. The tension falls on the staff: “We do not have masks or gloves to search detainees. We are told to keep our distance or to use a metal detector. We should at least have a mask and we don’t have one ”, denounces a prison union representative. A supervisor of the Mons prison who was contaminated and placed in intensive care.
Sentence adjustments¶
3 December. A member of the Concentration of associations active in prison (CAAP) reacted to a possible suspension of prison leaves until March: ”It was really astonishing, whereas during the first confinement, the message was totally different, with a policy that aimed at reducing the prison population by using these prison leaves. A policy which made it possible to avoid a health crisis in the establishments and which had no negative effects on society. We returned, in the middle of the second wave, to a fairly high rate of overpopulation.”
19 November. Leave permissions (prison leaves) have been suspended until March 2021 as per a law that is in the process of being adopted. Only a few exceptions will be considered.
30 July. In the province of Antwerp, the authorities examined the possibility of postponing the temporary absences usually granted to certain inmates. A curfew was imposed in this province shortly before that.
16 June. The “extended leave” given to some prisoners came to an end. Several hundreds of prisoners were expected to return to prison to serve the rest of their sentences. The prison population increased again and should quickly be over 10 000. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice said: “the goal was not to reduce the prison population as such, but to avoid having a health crisis in prison”
5 May. Prisons have released 1 610 inmates since March. This overall decline is notably uneven, however, as certain prisons are still highly overpopulated.
6 April. The number of people detained decreased by 10%. “Prison growth is not inevitable “, according to three researchers in Le Soir.
01 April. Lawyers mobilised to release prisoners known as “non-dangerous” until the end of the epidemic. Summary citations had been brought before the courts of Liège, Brussels, Namur, Nivelles and Tournai.
26 March Dozens of lawyers, experts and professors ask that urgent measures be taken to relieve congestion in prisons. The petitioners fear an “extensive increase in contagions”, which would worsen the situation in hospitals. They call for the release of the most vulnerable prisoners, because of their age or general state of health: provisional or conditional releases. They also demand the “massive reinforcement of sanitary equipment”, while the testimonies of supervisors show that they are inadequately equipped.
25 March Measures are taken by the Minister of Justice to reduce the number of people incarcerated. Prison leave is extended to avoid going back and forth. Prisoners on a 36-hour leave were extended their leave until April 5.
Contact with the outside world¶
6 December. Visits resumed in all prisons, from 7 December, in “a limited form”. Unsupervised visits and those of children remain suspended.
3 December. Maintaining ties with the outside world is strained. A member of the Concertation of associations active in prison (CAAP) explained: “Between May and October, there was never really any end of lockdown… Everything was padlocked for prisoners and their relatives. Visits took a long time to resume, and when they started again it was under very strict conditions and not always easy to live with.“
20 November. Someone who was released recently from prison had this to say about being quarantined in prison: “When we lose our freedom, we already feel cut off from the rest of society, but this was a brutal rupture of all social contacts. I had started to socially engage with six people, but overnight, this all disappeared. After all, this is what keeps us going.”
19 November. Families of inmates reported : “ various things have been implemented in the prisons to make it easier for inmates to contact their loved ones. However, twenty minutes of online calling per week and telephone calls that are limited because of insufficient calling credit are no substitutes for in-person contact. These are very important for the mental health of people“. These families have formed a group and have been calling on the authorities. The Minister of Justice is planning to make visiting easier over Christmas.
14 November. Visits were suspended for 74 days at Hasselt prison. The head of the prison explained that “this has major negative consequences, not only on their life there, but also on their chances to reintegrate afterwards. But we had no other choice!” Virtual visits were held with success and should continue after the health crisis.
2 November. Visits were suspended again. Permission to go out and prison leaves were cancelled. Prison officials said: “Everyone is feeling the pressure and there is increased frustration.“
10 September. Physical contact during visits was resumed as of 14 September. Visits were limited to three persons, including two adults maximum, and plexiglass barriers were removed. Each inmate will be able to be in contact with only five different people.
30 July. The spokesperson for the prison administration explained the visiting schedule: “Visits have been authorised once a week, always behind a plexiglass wall, without physical contact and with a mask. Unattended visits and with children have not been authorised.” .
22 July. Several prisoner’s families, who were in connection with the Communal anti-prison struggle (Collectif de lutes anti-carcérales, CLAC), decided to take action against the State for violating the human rights of prisoners and their relatives. They protested against the modalities of the visits which they considered to be “discriminatory in comparison to the rest of the society in response to respecting the right to private and family life”. These families expected a “compensation for all the inhumanity [they had to] endure in previous weeks”.
17 July. Prisoners’ relatives, prisoners and the Belgian section of Prison Observatory petitioned for a relaxation of visit restrictions, which were considered excessive. Visits without supervision (VHS) did not resume. Watch the report.
28 May. A prison chaplain reported that some prisoners had only “45 seconds of human contact twice each day”, during the distribution of medication and the midday meal. He warned of the suffering that would result from this lack of contact. The chaplaincy of Leuze-en-Hainaut offered to have volunteers correspond with prisoners by mail. By mid-May, nearly 300 letters were exchanged on both sides.
26 May. Visitors were required to wear a mask provided by the prison administration and sign a sworn declaration that they did not show symptoms of the disease. Each visiting room was assessed according to its capacity and protective screens were installed.
24 May. Visits resumed. Each detainee will be allowed a visit from one person per week.
17 May. The Minister of Justice announced the reopening of visiting rooms as of 25 May, limited to one visit per prisoner, preferably always with the same person. Minors would not be authorised and sufficient distancing would be required.
11 May. Government measures on movement restriction lifting did not include resumption of prison visits. The president of the Federation of Support Services to Litigants of Wallonia-Brussels lamented the fact that prisoners’ visiting rights were being trampled over. She added that inmates were “out of direct contact with their partners, with their parents, with their children.” She mentioned “psychological damage.”
24 April. The distribution of laptop computers has started in prisons. One laptop for every 100 inmates is to be distributed. This measure aims to give inmates access to 20-minute visits via videoconference.
17 March. The prison administration announced that prisons equipped with sewing facilities would provide hundreds of protective masks for health care workers, to “contribute to the fight against coronavirus”. The initiative was launched by volunteer inmates, confirmed administration spokeswoman Kathleen De Vijver. “We’ve already cut enough fabric for 2 000 face masks”, she stated to AFP.
12 March. A prisoner tested positive for Covid-19 at the Mons prison. The Minister of Justice Koen Geens decided to suspend all visits in prisons until 3 April. Lawyers, police, and health care personnel are temporarily admitted. A credit of 20 euros for phone calls is granted to prisoners to maintain links with their relatives.
Acts of protest¶
19 November. A group of people demonstrated in front of Huy prison during the King’s visit and presented a list of six demands: make dialogue with inmates and their families obligatory when making decisions; recognize the right to have unconditional visits; provide dignified living conditions for inmates; ensure there is consistency between interior and exterior decisions; allow for possible sentence adjustments. The group also wrote a letter to the King.
7 October. Guards protested the resumption of unsupervised visits. A new strike, which lasted 48 hours, was held on 5 October. This movement was the result of the lack of agreement with the government following the first united call formulated at the end of September. Union leaders demanded the re-introduction of a quarantine period for inmates who have these types of visits, as well as the performance of two tests. Some unions have presented new strike notices.
24 September. The prison guards, after striking, stated the prison administration’s proposal as insufficient. They demanded “seven days of isolation and two tests for prisoners who have had unsupervised visits.”. Unions are waiting for the administration’s response before deciding on any further action.
23 September. The strike announced by the three major prison unions is getting a lot of support in Brussels and Flanders prisons. Between 60% and 75% of the guards are getting organised. Minimum service has not been assured in some facilities. Staff members protested the easing of the health crisis restrictions imposed during visits.
29 August. Some fifty inmate family members demonstrated in front of Saint-Gilles prison. They demanded permission for physical contact during visits and for authorities to consult them when making decisions. They planned to file a complaint against the Belgium government.
25 May. A prison union raised concerns over the conditions in which visits were being resumed. It stated its intention of going on strike from 2 June unless every prison was upholding recommended standards.
30 March. Riots, fights, fires, assaults by prison guards: the tension rose in prisons. A very violent escape occurred at Lantin and a fire started in Jamioulx. The prisons were presented as ”pressure cookers, ready to explode.” The prisoners ”confined in their cells or in their covered courtyard at certain times (…) feel like lions in cages”.
28 March. Around 20 prisoners refused to return to their cells in the Jamioulx prison, setting a number of objects on fire.
27 March. Three penitentiary agents were wounded at Leuze-en-Hainaut, after intervening in the cell of an inmate who didn’t accept disciplinary measures taken against him. The same day, six inmates retreated to the roof of a building at Lantin prison. Three guards were hospitalized, and their colleagues launched a 24-hour strike.
23 March. About 40 inmates at Marche prison refused to return to their cells.
20 March Prisoners from Leuze-en-Hainaut are only entitled to one meal per day. The supermarket in charge of supplying their meals is out of stock. Forty prisoners from Leuze-en-Hainaut refuse to return to their cell. “We eat the midday meal, and in the evening we don’t eat anything anymore, in fact. The visits are already suspended, which is understandable since there is the coronavirus. But now we do not have anything more to eat“, complained an inmate, questioned by telephone.
19 March. Inmates refused to return to their cells at Saint-Gilles prison. An unfounded rumor suggested that a prisoner was infected with the coronavirus.
17 March. About 30 people detained at the Nivelles prison refused to return to their cells. They protested the suspension of visits.
Appeals and recommendations¶
16 December. The Concertation des associations actives en prison (CAAP) filed a complaint to the Minister of Justice. The group of associations denounced the provisions of the so-called Corona law and deplored the lack of coordination. The CAAP witnessed their “feelings of hopelessness and even dismay” and reported that “inmates appear resilient amid extremely poor prison conditions. They have had to put up with a sometimes appalling lack of information, stripping of the few rights they already have, and a brutal rupture of their contact with family and friends.” The CAAP demanded to be part of prison policy discussions.
14 November The suspension of visits prevented 17,000 children from seeing their incarcerated parents. The leagues for human rights and families wrote to the authorities requesting the release of certain inmates, in particular those who were at the end of their sentence, in for short sentences and who had already received a favourable judgement after their temporary release.
11 September. Prison unions called for a general strike to protest the resumption of physical contact during visits. They are concerned about the number of COVID-19 infections and deem it “regrettable” that the number of infections is increasing due to the “too quick” relaxing of measures. They pointed out that the “bubble” of five visitors (maximum number of visitors per inmate) is really around 45 people, since each inmate lives with all the co-inmates in a cell.
27 May. The Belgian section of the Observatoire international des prisons (OIP – International Prisons Observatory) published a press release in which it berated the leeway left to prison directors regarding the reinstatement of visits. For OIP, the vagueness of the central administration’s directions would not only deepen the inequalities between prisoners, but would also put local prison authorities in a complex position. Moreover, the association considered that the visits that had resumed were “insufficient”.
At Saint-Gilles, prisoners wore masks of different colours depending on their status (isolated for medical reasons, newcomer, etc.). The Belgian section of OIP deemed that that stigmatisation went as far as undermining professional secrecy. It was completely unacceptable and should be publicly denounced.
26 May. A trade union front called for stricter sanitary measures to be put in place before visits to prisons resume. Negotiations with authorities were successful and the front’s demands were heard. In one delegate’s view, “common sense was shown around the table”. The strike notice was expected to be lifted.
30 April. Nicolas Cohen, lawyer and member of the Belgian Section of the International Prison Observatory, considered that people had been handled in ways that had caused “anxiety, helplessness and suffering” during the sanitary crisis. He criticised the lack of information given to detainees and how their treatment differed greatly from establishment to establishment.
2 April. Ecolo, the green party, called for the decongestion of prisons through the release of some prisoners. In a statement, it said that the party will support any decision by the government along that line, including releasing certain categories of detainees and temporarily delaying the execution of sentences. It called for the provision of some free access to telephone calls and recreational activities for detainees, and for implementing videoconference hearings.
30 March. The Central Prison Supervisory Council called on the government to urgently step up health and humanitarian measures. Recommendations were transmitted.
29 March.. The Belgian section of the International Prison Observatory (OIP-SB) addressed an open letter to the magistrates to demand their “increased vigilance regarding the respect of fundamental rights“. They noted that the precautionary and hygienic measures are “inapplicable” and detailed the living conditions of the detained persons. For them, “There is no point in trying to eradicate the virus outside if you grow it indoors.”
18 March. Luk Vervaet, former prison teacher and activist, wrote on his blog: “The measures taken against coronavirus at society level bring us all closer to the experience of people detained in closed places: prisons, refugee detention centres or psychiatric hospitals. At the same time, this crisis teaches us that we have created forms and conditions of detention for those excluded from our society, which are already unacceptable in normal times, but which, in a crisis such as we are experiencing today, do not make it possible to ensure the health of those detained”. He called for several measures, including the release of prisoners with less than one year remaining in their sentences and those awaiting trial. The latter account for 36% of the country’s prison population.
Identified cases¶
30 December. 44 inmates in Merksplas prison, near Anvers tested positive.
10 November. The number of positive cases was higher than in the first wave, for inmates as well as for staff. Officials expressed concern. A total of 174 inmates have tested positive since March.
18 October. The lockdown at Nivelles prison has been lifted. No more cases were detected in a week following the eight cases found among the inmates. All inmates and staff were tested. Activities and visits were to resume starting 19 October.
8 October. Eight COVID-19 cases were detected at Nivelles prison. The prison was placed in ”lockdown”: all movements, transfers and activities were suspended. Tests were performed. Inmates who were ill, or without symptoms were quarantined.
17 September. A report indicated that 33 inmates and 77 staff members were infected with COVID-19.
7 September. Two guards at Forest prison tested positive. The prison administration placed 10 inmates and 22 guards in quarantine.
30 July. Thirty-three prisoners were infected by COVID-19 since the beginning of the crisis. In the province of Antwerp, the authorities planned to postpone the exit permits granted to certain detainees.
9 July. A new case was detected among the staff at Louvain-Central prison. The facility was placed under quarantine.
16 June. The dreaded prison epidemic was avoided. There was a total of 24 cases, five of which remained active cases. The contraction of COVID-19 in the prison population was not as elevated as on the outside. The president of the Belgium section of the IPO thought that: “it is a small miracle that we did not have a situation such as in rest homes, because there are many prisoners who [were] not in good health.”
27 April. Thirteen inmates have tested positive in the country. Eleven are in the Bruges prison. The representative of the prison administration said that 61 staff members were contaminated.
6 April. Four inmates tested positive for the coronavirus. Two of the inmates were treated within the institution, and two were hospitalised. Fifty-three others were quarantined after showing “mild symptoms”. Thirty-two staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.
31 March. The penal administration reported that sixteen staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 19
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
4 July. The management of the prison facility n ° 15 in Mogilev banned relatives from providing drugs to prisoners. They mentioned to have enough medication. The prisoners were treated with paracetamol and aspirin.
Judicial system¶
5 May. The Minister of the Interior Yuri Karayev declared, before parliament, that the COVID-19 pandemic had not penetrated the prison system. He stated that measures to combat the pandemic had been adopted : visits were banned early, premises were cleaned and ventilated regularly, packages containing vegetables were largely permitted and inmates were able to telephone their close ones more often.
Only two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a semi-open prison, he said.
Sentence adjustments¶
5 May. An amnesty law was passed to release 2,500 prisoners under a closed system and 6,000 under an open one, as well as a one-year remission for 4,500. This law follows an amnesty tradition usually delivered at Victory Day (9 May).
14 April. The Minister of the Interior announced the possible release of 1,800 prisoners under the amnesty law expected for the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Second World War victory (9 May). Only prisoners held by virtue of article 328 for drug trafficking and the like would be able to benefit from it. Cases would be examined individually according to sentence duration, prison behaviour, and the “prisoner’s relation to the offence.” This measure responded to the recent open letter of prisoner associations.
Acts of protest¶
2 November. Riots broke out at Bělušice prison. Inmates were upset about health restrictions imposed on them after someone tested positive. There was a rumour that inmates were being released from Moravia prison. Police broke up the riots.
Appeals and recommendations¶
13 April. The United Civic Party, a Belarusian opposition party, called for the signing of a petition for a quick and large amnesty granted to many prisoners. They believed this measure was necessary to ”prevent prisons from becoming common graves.”
13 April. Many associations of detainee relatives addressed an open letter to President Loukachenko. Signatories requested for the amnesty bill to include the release on parole or sentencing reduction of vulnerable people and those sentenced for nonviolent crimes or illegal acts (drugs, corruption, economic crimes).
10 April. The “Mothers Movement – 328” asked for authorities to release their loved ones held for crimes linked to “drug trafficking and the like”, particularly those convicted before reaching adulthood. The association also requested the cease of prisoner transfer, except for medical reasons.
Contact with the outside world¶
3 August. “Short and long term” visits once again resumed in detention. Sanitary measures must be taken during the visits. Wearing a mask would be mandatory and the temperature had to be taken at the entrance. People with obvious symptoms of respiratory illnesses were prohibited from entering the premises.
11 June. All “short and long term” visits were suspended, for the third consecutive month. In some prisons, they were replaced by video calls. This initiative mainly concerned prisons for minors, women and those who were subjected to their first incarceration.
16 March. Visits were suspended in all penal establishments. Prisoners are allowed to receive a 10kg food package every 30 days, which can only contain citrus fruits, garlic, onions and apples.
Identified cases¶
2 November. An inmate tested positive at Bělušice prison and was placed in quarantine. Officials reported only 19 cases among the total inmate population (19,000).
9 July. A large number of prisoners who had been in contact with the deceased prisoner in the penitentiary n ° 15 in Mogilev presented symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 (cold, loss of smell, etc.). Sick prisoners refused to go to the medical unit for fear of contracting a more severe form of the disease. Severely ill patients had been hospitalised there.
4 July. A relative of a prisoner explained that most prisoners in the penitentiary establishment no. 15 in Mogilev were ill. The authorities had been talking about cases of pneumonia. The prisoners and their relatives were convinced that it was COVID-19. A 21-year-old prisoner died.
25 June. At least 15 cases of COVID-19 were registered in a penal facility at Babrouïsk. Some patients were hospitalised. The others were treated on the spot. The Department for the Execution of Sentences specified that “the epidemiological situation was under control” and that the quarantine measures were in place.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
3 September. The new Sarajevo Estprison, whose construction was delayed because of the coronavirus crisis, was opened on 22 July. The transfer of inmates should be completed between now and the end of the year.
24 March. Inmates at Zenica prison produced nearly 1 500 protective masks in two days, to be distributed in health facilities and to citizens. The prison planned to produce 2 000 masks per week.
Contact with the outside world¶
30 March. Visits were suspended.
Identified cases¶
30 April. A supervisor at the semi-open prison in Mostar reportedly contracted the COVID-19. Twelve supervisors working with him were isolated as a precaution. There were no infected prisoners.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
6 April According to the Chairman of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, the situation in the prisons was alarming. Neither the required distance nor the level of hygiene could protect the health of inmates and prison staff.
Sentence adjustments¶
10 November. According to a Council of Europe study on the impact of COVID-19 in prisons, the prison population decreased between June and September 2020, due mainly to the release of inmates to prevent the spread of the virus.
Contact with the outside world¶
21 June. Video calls of about 20 minutes were organised between the detainees and their relatives, more than 4,000 calls in three months according to the Ministry of Justice.
March. Visits, temporary leaves and activities were suspended. Prison staff were given access to protective equipment (masks, gloves, goggles) and disinfectants. Prison staff would be responsible for ensuring that the premises were cleaned and disinfected daily. New inmates would be subject to medical examinations upon arrival. Spaces were made available in prisons and prison hospitals for inmates who would need to be under observation or quarantine.
Appeals and recommendations¶
6 April. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Chairman Krassimir Kanev and the Bulgarian Lawyers for Human Rights Foundation requested, in a letter to the National Assembly, to temporarily release people at risk, such as pregnant women and sick people. They also proposed to postpone the execution of prison sentences for persons who had not been imprisoned before the state of emergency.
Identified cases¶
6 July. Two cases of coronavirus were registered amongst the employees of Plovdiv prison.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: [4]((https://www.prison-insider.com/articles/cartographie-du-coronavirus-en-prison)
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
5 December. Officials reported having conducted 1,463 tests on inmates and prison staff.
4 December. As a result of the recent positive cases, officials stated that daily tests would be conducted on inmates, prison staff and other personnel, and that all health protocols were being respected.
Sentence adjustments¶
26 June. The Ombudswoman stated that the required measures had helped to reduce the prison population. A report produced by the European Union indicated that Cyprus was among the countries that released the highest proportion of prisoners in the early stages of the virus.
11 May. Authorities released around 130 prisoners without reducing prison overpopulation. Measures taken at 31 March were deemed inadequate and short-lasting. A committee was created to propose new solutions.
29 April. Four prisoners who were released requested that they be reincarcerated because they had nowhere to live. Cooperation with businesses and municipalities was planned to meet the need of former prisoners for employment and accommodation.
31 March. Government announced a series of measures to reduce overcrowding in Nicosia prison. These include the early release of detainees, the transfer of some prisoners to an open prison, the expansion of electronic surveillance and the use of presidential pardons for new categories of prisoners.
27 March. Fifty prisoners from Nicosia prion were to be be released. This facility has 820 prisoners in a place with a capacity of 540. The measures of anticipated or partial release concern those with minor crimes and the prisoners at the end of their sentences.
Contact with the outside world¶
2 June. Visits were re-authorised. Preventive measures were applied: plexiglass windows were installed, physical contact was prohibited, and wearing mask and gloves was compulsory. Detainees could receive a maximum of two 45-minute visits per month. Prisoners still had extensive access to the telephone and Skype video calls.
Prisoners with an exit permit must follow, under penalty of having the authorisation withdrawn, not to approach persons showing symptoms, having traveled in the previous 15 days or having been in contact with an infected person in the previous 15 days.
15 March. Visits were suspended. Calling schedules were extended and calls were authorized until 20:30. Inmates whose families were abroad were given access to Skype. The sports halls were temporarily closed. Physical activity was only permitted outside. Interventions and activities were suspended.
Loved ones who sent clothes must wash them at 40° beforehand and sign a declaration.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
14 July. A decree from the Health Ministry stipulated that each new prisoner would be tested for the virus.
1 June. A number of rooms in the reintegration centre of Tersephanou were singled out to isolate and treat prisoners infected with COVID-19.
9 April. A doctor and a nurse were trained to detect the coronavirus. A thermal camera was installed in the entrance to take the temperature of anyone entering the prison. Hydro-alcoholic gel dispensers were also installed.
15 March. Inmates showing symptoms of COVID-19 were put in isolation.
Appeals and recommendations¶
8 April. The Association for the Protection of Prisoners’ Rights estimated that the measures adopted by the government were inadequate. It asked the president for the immediate release of vulnerable prisoners, such as those aged over 60 and ill.
Identified cases¶
4 December. Three staff members and two prisoners tested positive. Both prisoners were being treated at Athalassa Hospital. The cases among staff were not, according to the authorities, related to work in prison. Since the start of the epidemic, 1,463 tests have been carried out among staff and prisoners.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 2
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
4 September. According to the authorities, the health situation in prison is good. Two inmates tested positive.
12 March. The penal administration adopted measures recommended by the National Institute of Civil Defence and Public Health to protect prisoners and prison staff from the spread of the coronavirus.
Judicial system¶
22 April. The use of video links to attend distance court sessions was intensified.
Sentence adjustments¶
25 March. The Secretary of State, Juro Martinović, introduced a new private bill to the Parliament on the execution of prison sentences, access to healthcare, and use of new technologies in prison.
Contact with the outside world¶
8 July. Visits are restricted in all prisons. However, to allow inmates to maintain family contact, video visits have been implemented; until recently, these visits were only possible for contacts with children. A proposal was presented to the Ministry of Justice to make this permanent after the pandemic.
22 April. Only visits authorised by prison directors and those needed to guarantee the rights of prisoners in court proceedings were possible. The frequency and length of phone calls were increased. Video calls were extended and would be made available gradually to all prisoners. Prison administration suspended activities and leave permits.
25 May. Visits were re-authorised. The number of visitors would be limited to two adults per prisoner. Prisoners with children may receive up to four people (two adults and two children). Preventive measures must be followed: taking the temperature, wearing a mask and gloves and prohibiting physical contact. The visiting rooms would be disinfected between each visit.
Acts of protest¶
26 March. prisoners at Split prison begun a hunger strike to protest about the protective measures and indicated their fear of the spread of the coronavirus. Lawyer Doris Košta mentioned that the conditions of detention did not protect detainees from the epidemic. She requested to the Minister of Justice to temporarily release prisoners on remand. The Minister of Justice replied that all health and safety measures had been taken and called on the prisoners to end their hunger strike.
Appeals and recommendations¶
7 December. The government announced it would give bonuses to public health and social workers equivalent to 10% of their salaries. Prison staff responsible for COVID-19 positive inmates will also be receiving the bonus.
Identified cases¶
15 July. An inmate at Požega prison tested positive for Covid-19. Five other inmates and 12 wardens were placed in quarantine to prevent the spread of the virus. Those who had been in contact with the infected prisoner will be tested.
26 June. One prisoner at the Zagreb prison tested positive for the coronavirus.
28 March. The Minister of Justice, Dražen Bošnjaković, announced that no case of COVID-19 had been detected in prison thanks to “measures taken on time and the process system.”
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 1
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
12 June. Prison administration lifted most of the restrictions. Prisoners could then obtain leave permits. New arrivals no longer had to quarantine. Visits and activities resumed.
Contact with the outside world¶
18 May. Some visits were allowed again. Prisoners with young children might receive visits from two children accompanied by one adult every 14 days. Young prisoners, aged 15 to 17 might receive one visit from two family members every 14 days.
25 March. Visits and departure authorizations were put on hold. Some visits by chaplains or close relatives were made by telephone. Gatherings inside the prisons should not exceed 10 people. Most activities, including indoor sports, were suspended. Video consoles were lent to prisoners.
12 March. New entries for remand and condemned prisoners under electronic surveillance were put on hold.
Scotland¶
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
16 November. The GEOAmey employees in charge of escorting prisoners feared contracting the virus due to their working conditions. Their union described excessive overtime without the proper protective equipment. These employees may have been required to escort prisoners to COVID healthcare facilities. For this, they were only equipped
with surgical masks, plastic aprons and gloves. With nowhere to change at the end of their workday, they were forced to return home with the clothes they wore at the hospital. The company claimed that the protective equipment provided was of “medical grade”.
13 November. Prisoners with drug dependencies were at high risk of infection at ** Barlinnie ** prison. In order to obtain treatment for their addiction, prisoners were grouped seven by seven into a portable building serving as a waiting room. One source mentioned how these conditions have created “a reservoir of infection where the virus is able to run wild”. The prison administration confirmed the establishment of such a building serving as a waiting room but affirmed that the health directives were being respected.
10 October. At ** Barlinnie ** prison, 256 inmates were forced to self-isolate in their cells due to an increase of positive cases in an area of the prison.
23 August. Prisoners are obligated to wear a mask when it is impossible for them to apply physical distancing measures. This requirement has applied to supervisors since the beginning of the month. Protocol are defined by each facility.
18 August. The Minister of Justice express concern over the rise in the prison population with the resumption of judicial activities. He announced that he wanted to prevent a health risk by increasing the possibilities of prisoners to benefit from a home detention curfew and reduce the number of defendants.
5 May. A former inmate of the Barlinnie prison in Glasgow warned that tensions were rising and it could blow up at any moment. He indicated that the suspension of access to the gym or work made everyday life very difficult. He worried about the deterioration of the mental health of many prisoners, exacerbated by the fear of the spread of the coronavirus in shared cells.
21 April. About 90 inmates would be placed in quarantine across the country, of which more than 40 at the Addiewell prison.
14 April. More restrictive measures were proposed by the government. Prisoners could be isolated in their cells for one month. Showers would be reduced to two per week (contrary to the usual one per day). Prison governors and directors could suspend any type of activity, including book and newspaper distribution. The Howard League Scotland association alerted to the fact that these new measures would offer considerable leeway to plant superintendents. It pointed out the need for security monitors.
Judicial system¶
13 July. The number of prisoners rose again after courts were reopened. The number had fallen by 15% between March and May, due to the suspension of judicial activities.
Sentence adjustments¶
26 June. A total of 348 prisoners, serving sentences of less than or equal to 18 months and with remaining sentences of 90 days or less, were granted early release since the beginning of May.
19 May. Over 150 people with a remaining sentence of less than 12 weeks or whose sentence does not exceed 18 months benefited from early release. Others might be released in the following weeks.
4 May. The Justice Secretary announced that 450 prisoners would be released early over the following 28 days. He added that individuals who had been convicted of sexual or terrorism offences, or any linked to COVID-19, would not be eligible. Each prison governor would also have a veto over the release of any individual on a case by case basis.
21 April. The Ministry of Justice announced the early release of a “limited number” of prisoners as of late April. Those serving sentences of no more than 18 months with less than three months remaining would be eligible. This would apply to nearly 450 people.
27 March. The Justice Secretary was planning for the release of prisoners nearing the end of their sentences. He stressed that the situation was “increasingly alarming” and that this measure would improve security in prisons.
Contact with the outside world¶
26 December. Government figures showed that 17,701 virtual visits were held between June and the end of November to replace the suspension of visits. More than 5,000 telephone calls were also made by prisoners to “Samaritans” volunteers who offered to listen and support.
10 October. Visits have been suspended until 20 October in an area of ** Barlinnie ** prison which was affected by COVID-19.
18 August. The government considered to give prisoners permanent access to internet, phone, and video calls for educational purposes.
17 April. Prisoners would be given access to mobile phones and allowed to make calls to some numbers. They would not be able to text, access the Internet or receive calls.
24 March. Administration suspended visits in all facilities as from 24 March.
Acts of protest¶
23 March. Many prisoners protest against overcrowding and the conditions of detention applied to them in the establishment of Addiewell despite the threat of the spread of the coronavirus. Two supervisors are injured.
Appeals and recommendations¶
2 April. The number of prison staff has declined by 25 % due to self-isolation. Officers note that these absences compound the lack of PPE equipment and make the implementation of prevention measures more difficult. The Justice Secretary has announced he is contemplating the release of certain prisoners to reduce the burden on staff.
Identified cases¶
13 November. One hundred and sixteen people held in Barlinnie Prison tested positive for the virus after an extensive voluntary screening campaign. The “vast majority” of prisoners who tested positive were asymptomatic, according to a spokesperson from the prison administration. Sixty-five prison staff members had already tested positive for the virus since the beginning of October.
12 October. A prison officer at Polmont juvenile detention centre tested positive. Sixteen other staff members, identified as contact persons, must self-isolate at home.
12 August. A second warden tested positive at Low Moss prison.
15 May. Two inmates at the Perth prison died of COVID-19.
24 April. Two inmates in the Dumfries and Low Moss prisons died from COVID-19.
22 April. The first prison staff member died from COVID-19.
20 April. Eleven inmates tested positive for COVID-19.
15 April. One detainee tested positive for coronavirus in the prison of Perth. The penal administration confirmed that about thirty prisoners were suspected of having contracted the coronavirus and were quarantined.
14 April. One person held in the prison of Low Moss died after being transferred to the hospital for symptoms of COVID-19.
10 April. A prisoner died, the first from COVID-19, in the prison of Edinburgh.
19 March. The prison administration confirmed two cases of Covid-19 at HMP Kilmarnock. It added that 28 other detainees show symptoms characteristic of the virus. The latter are required to remain isolated in their cells for seven days. Scottish prisons’ activities are under no restriction.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
21 July. Twenty people incarcerated in the Alicante prison were placed in self-isolation after one person exhibited symptoms of COVID-19.
16 June. Brians 1 prison administration in Barcelona removed alcohol gel dispensers installed around the prison. Some of the prisoners had used the gel to make alcoholic drinks.
11 April. The Justice Minister announced the construction of a field hospital inside the Quatre Camins prison to handle sick prisoners.
24 March. Prison authorities receive 40,000 surgical masks.
21 March. Many prisoners show withdrawal symptoms, intensifying tensions in the various establishments. The confinement of prisons makes it more difficult for prisoners to have access to drugs.
11 March. Twelve prisons are placed in containment with the aim of strengthening preventive measures. Some 300 of their 8,000 prisoners have reportedly escaped.
Contact with the outside world¶
7 November. Visits and outings were suspended to prevent the spread of the virus. Calls were also cut back to two calls a week per inmate and phone cubicles must be sanitized after each call.
21 July. Visits without means of separation were suspended once more in Catalan prisons. The visits woud happen through a glass pane. No visits were permitted in the Ponent prison in Lleida. Packages sent to prisoners would be kept for 72 hours in quarantine before being delivered. A video call service was planned so that prisoners could contact their families.
27 May. Work activities resumed in 11 prisons where it was possible to maintain sanitary precautions. Leave permits were then possible in some of the country’s prisons.
14 May. Visits were once again authorised.
12 April. The Teixeiro, Bonxe and Monterroso prisons organised 10 minutes video calls between inmates and their close ones. The initial beneficiaries were sick prisoners, young parents and those in a precarious financial situation. The Lama and Pereiro prisons were waiting for the provision of mobile telephones to introduce the same measures.
March 20. The number of authorized calls increases from ten to fifteen a week. A telephone is available, free of charge for prisoners experiencing financial difficulties. Telephone calls are the only way for prisoners to keep contact with their loved ones and to get legal assistance since the suspension of visits.
15 March. All visits and temporary leaves were suspended. The Minister of the Interior declared a state of alert.
Sentence adjustments¶
18 June. A total of 4,356 prisoners were released since the beginning of the pandemic.
12 May. 18 women incarcerated with their children, aged under three, were released under electronic surveillance.
18 March. The Minister of the Interior announced that prisoners on a day parole system would be able to sleep at home.
Acts of protest¶
4 June. Authorities indicated that there were 14 riots between 14 March and 1 May. Prisoners were protesting because of the death of a fellow prisoner, the lack of protective equipment and information on the health crisis.
26 May. A riot broke out at Córdoba prison. The inmates flooded the cells with soapy water and barricaded the doors with their mattresses. Some prisoners targeted the wardens by throwing a bucket of water mixed with bleach at them and threatening them with shards of glass.
30 March. Several riots broke out in the prisons of Valence including Villena, Fontcalent and Picassent. Detainees protested against the suspension of visits as these are the only form of introduction of narcotic products from the outside and many prisoners suffer from withdrawal.
Appeals and recommendations¶
23 July. The prison union ACAIP expressed its disagreement with the positive analysis of the health service in prisons. The organisation criticised the lack of initiative of the prison administration when it came to preventive measures. The union denounced the lack of protective equipment for health workers and prisoners. They mentioned that security measures were eased too quickly and feared that the virus could be reintroduced into prisons.
21 July. A professional association of prison staff at the Alicante prison feared that the lifting of preventative measures risked a rapid spread of the virus in prison and endangering prison staff as well as prisoners. The association notably criticised the decision to transfer female prisoners and their children to the ‘Mothers’ Unit. This unit is located near where people showing symptoms are self-isolating. The association said measures should be taken to protect prisoners, minors and prison staff.
20 April. Many lawyers asked authorities of the Palma de Mallorca penitentiary for specific treatments for the most vulnerable prisoners, the early release of certain inmates, a stop on the imprisonment of migrants for illegal stays, and an increase in the number of COVID-19 tests.
26 March. Many organizations, including Rights International Spain, ask the Ministry of Home Affairs and the General Secretariat of Prison Institutions “to adopt urgent measures” and “to guarantee the fundamental rights of persons deprived of their freedom “ as “the immediate release of seriously ill prisoners and those over 70 ”.
17 March. Prison staff from several institutions, including the Navalcarnero prison (Madrid), tested positive for coronavirus. The professional association of prison officers (APFP) denounced, on the same day, the lack of prevention and coordination of the fight against the epidemic in all the facilities.
Identified cases¶
17 September. An instructor at Villena prison tested positive for COVID-19. As a precaution, 400 inmates who were in contact with the instructor were placed in quarantine.
11 August. One prisoner and two staff members tested positive at Palma prison. Two blocks of the prison (those for female and minors) have been placed on lockdown.
22 July. The number of contaminated prisoners rose to 85. A total of 278 prison staff members also contracted the COVID-19. The deputy director of the prison health service was pleased with the rapid implementation of preventive measures from the beginning of the pandemic. These measures made it possible to limit the spread of the virus and ensure that the number of infections and deaths in prison was much lower than the national average.
17 July. A person held in the prison of Asturias presented symptoms of COVID-19. A section of the prison remained in isolation. About a hundred people were detained there.
9 July. One inmate at Ponet prison tested positive. The prisoner had been transferred from Zuera prison (Zaragoza) on 1 July. As a preventative measure, the prison service placed 83 prisoners at Zuera prison in quarantine.
7 July. Two wardens at Badajoz prison tested positive.
4 June. Authorities said 81 prisoners tested positive to coronavirus.
30 April. The Ministry of Justice reported that “COVID-19 contaminated the prison population four times less than non-incarcerated people”.
11 April. Twenty-two new prisoners tested positive for COVID-19.
3 April. Authorities reported that 13 prisoners and 134 prison staff members tested positive for COVID-19. The most affected institutions were Picassent, Brieva, Soria and Segovia.
25 March. Estremera prison, based in Madrid, announced the first death of an inmate and the contamination of 38 prison officers. Two other inmates were also contaminated, and hospitalized in Madrid. A total of 125 inmates and 225 staff members were under medical observation or in quarantine.
20 March. Eleven warders and three detained individuals have tested positive since the start of the epidemic. About 60 prisoners showing symptoms or having been in contact with sick people were quarantined.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners : 204
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
29 April. The Ministry of Justice launched the strategy for exiting the emergency state of sanitary crisis. The five-day shifts organization for staff ended. Prisoners’ access to daily walks was restored, except for those in solitary confinement. The next steps to return to normal work and activities will depend on the evolution of the situation in the country and the orders of the government. No detainees had tested positive to COVID-19 at the time of the publication.
4 April. New working conditions were applied to prison staff to reduce the number of people entering and leaving prisons. Prison guards would work five days in a row and spend their free time on the prison grounds. Only doctors were permitted to enter and leave the prisons. Visits, activities and walks are suspended. Prisoners must remain in their detention unit. Additional telephone calls were allowed. The administration extended the list of food allowed in parcels brought by families. Books, crossword puzzles and additional television channels were made available to prisoners to compensate for the restrictions.
Contact with the outside world¶
15 July. Visits were once again authorised from 18 May.
Identified cases¶
16 November. At Viru prison, 197 cases were identified. One hundred and twenty-seven inmates had recovered while 67 were still active; two of the cases required hospitalization. Seven cases were identified at Talinn prison.
1 September. Two Viru prison guards tested positive for COVID-19.
An employee at Tallinn prison tested positive for COVID-19. The administration tested all the prisoners and staff members who came in contact with him.
30 August. An employee at Viru prison tested positive for COVID-19. The prison tested all inmates and staff members who came in contact with him.
18 June. A doctor tested positive for the coronavirus in the Tallinn prison. A total of five Estonian prison staff tested positive since the spring.
5 June. A staff member from theViru penal institution tested positive for the coronavirus. The tests that were carried out on 172 prisoners and 37 staff members were all negative.
Contact with the outside world¶
24 June. Prison administration begun to lift restrictions gradually. Prisoners might receive visits from immediate family and young children. These visits were still subject to health safety measures and social distancing. No physical contact was allowed.
1 June. Libraries and gyms were re-opened for up to 10 people at a time. Sports resumed. Sanitizing and airing out must be done after each use of the area concerned. Work routines were re-established gradually as of 1 June.
25 March. Each prison was required to consider the possibility of holding visits which are already granted, organise new visits and grant permissions to leave. Video and phone calls were recommended as alternatives to visits. Meetings with police officers and attorneys were still permitted.
Activity allowances and the salary paid to detainees in open prisons will continue even if activity is suspended due to coronavirus.
Sentence adjustments¶
7 April. Parliament enacted a decree to extend the one announced by the Justice Ministry at the end of March. All prison sentences handed down between 10 April and 31 July were postponed. This did not apply to remand prisoners who received a sentence of imprisonment. The measure affected between 300 and 400 people.
17 March. The Justice Ministry issued a decree postponing the enforcement of prison sentences of under six months or corresponding to unpaid fines handed down between 19 March and 19 June.
Twenty-five orders were taken requesting the emergency law n ° 2020-290 of March 23, 2020 to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic and were presented to the Council of Ministers.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
2 December. The inter-regional director of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region reported that each inmate is given two masks a day and these must be worn when leaving the cell.
28 November. The CGLPL called the prison situation “dangerous”. It reported that about fifteen prisons are filled to a capacity of 150 %.
17 November. The CGLPL indicated that the occupancy rate of jails had exceeded 150%. They worried: “How can three prisoners in a 9 m² cell respect physical distancing? And how do you manage to isolate a person when there is a lack of space? The prison staff face the same risks that prisoners do.”
13 November. A prison union official from La Talaudière (Loire) establishment declared that: “We do not feel any changes. All of the movements inside the prison, the visiting rooms and family visitations have continued.” He was concerned about the sources of contamination, which came mostly from outside of the prison
5 November. Sanitizing measures at Gradignan prison remain inadequate. Inmates receive two masks a day, and they have to wear them each time they left their cell.
2 November. The average prison occupation rate in the Occitan region was beginning to rise again. The rate has risen from 119.1% in July to 122.3%. The Foix prison was occupied at 198.5%, Carcassonne at 195.3%, and Albi at 164.8%. Many inmates share cells. The number of floor mattresses in Seysses prison is increasing again. The regional representative for the Syndicat des avocats de France explained: “A mattress on the floor, means that an inmate has to sleep near the toilets. He must be the last one to go to sleep and the first to rise, knowing that in prison, cell confinement lasts 23 out of 24 hours”.
28 October. Mask wearing is inconsistent and varies from one facility to another. It is mandatory in the red alert areas. The Prisons’ strategy is to suspend all activities when there is a cluster (of at least three cases).
19 October. In prisons located in maximum alert zones and which have more than three cases, it will be mandatory to wear a mask when leaving a cell. Activities may be suspended but visits will continue. Inmates returning from permitted outings as well as newly arrived prisoners must wear a mask for 14 days.
13 October. The prison of Toulouse-Seysses established wearing masks in detention. The staff canteen is closed and transformed into a screening center. Workshops, classes and indoor weight training has been suspended. Outdoor gauges of a maximum of 15 prisoners have been implemented. These decisions were installed after the detection of five positive cases. These measures were “a total setback from the health policy”: the administrative court had ordered the prison administration, on 4 October, to stablish wearing masks in detention and mass screen. The administration appealed against this decision.
29 September. In Lyon-Corbas, a prisoner testified : “No masks were ever distributed to us, no tests were performed. We could all have coronavirus, nobody knows. Only half of the guards are masked”. Physical distancing measures seem impossible to respect, and some inmates reportedly receive bottles of hydro-alcoholic gel that are tossed over prison walls from the outside. Authorities pointed out that there has only been one case of COVID-19 in the prison, and that “everything that could reasonably be done has been done, in accordance with the recommendations in effect”.
At Limoges prison, religious and socio-cultural activities have been suspended in the women’s ward after four cases were detected. The gym is closed, and only outdoor activities (walking, individual outdoor sports) are maintained.
26 September. Wearing masks is widespread in Nuutania prison, according to a statement from the authorities. Prisoners have been provided with masks free of charge and the premises are regularly disinfected.
25 September. According to a prison union official, the personnel have been “more prepared to face a possible second wave.” The official noted the absence, in March, of any form of protective equipment, mainly “masks, gloves, hydro-alcoholic gels and even regular soap next to the water points”. Facilities are now said to have built up sufficient stocks of masks and gels, with strict protocols in place. 9 September. Prison administration did not plan to provide masks for inmates, even when they are in groups or taking part in activities. Four Toulouse lawyers filed an interim order on 31 August to resolve the situation. One of them denounced the overcrowding at the Toulouse-Seysses prison: “there are as many as three inmates in a 9 square meter cell [and] less space than you would give a dog”.
6 September. An instructor with the Protection judiciaire de la jeunesse (PJJ) reported anonymously on the lack of masks in prison. She shared her fear and admitted feeling “alone and distraught”. She wrote: “Who will take care […] of the health of these men, women and children who are not protected by masks, which are mandatory in all enclosed spaces, even outside? But not in prisons, which are exceptionally enclosed…”
7 May. The Council of State, seised by the Bar Association of Martinique, ordered to the prison administration to provide protective masks for the inmates of the Ducos prison specially when meeting their lawyers, prison advisers or the disciplinary committee. However, they considered that the preventive measures taken by the local administration (such as the limitation of visits, reduction of movements, cleaning of the premises, etc.) had been enough to justify the fact that masks had not been distributed to all prisoners. Auxiliaries (detainees employed by the prison administration) must receive, from May 11, a mask and gloves for the performance of their work in detention.
26 June. The situation of prisons in the Hauts-de-France region was described, at the beginning of the health crisis, as “explosive”. A union official believed that “the damage [had] been limited”. The Béthune and Valenciennes facilities were more than 150% occupied.
2 June. At Majicavo prison, the positive detainees were grouped together. Some shared the same cell with four or five others. The activities continued for the rest of the detainees. The staff feared that the suspension of leisure would increase tension.
The agents who tested positive could return to work after the quarantine without succumbing new test. A supervisor and union official mentioned that the staff came to work “really concerned”.
26 May. The President of the Association des professionnels de santé exerçant en prison (APSEP - Association of Health Professionals Practising in Prison) criticised the prison authorities’ decision not to plan for masks for prisoners in its scheme for raising the shelterinplace measures. Inmates were not able to purchase any in prison commissaries either.
25 May. A member of the French Section of the International Prison Observatory (OIP) said that certain prisoners, “have not set foot outside for a walk out of fear since the beginning of confinement, and have been staying 24/7 inside their cells, without visits”. He found the lack of consideration for detainees from the prison administration regrettable. Access to medical care for conditions outside of COVID-19 was reported to have sharply diminished, except in major prisons.
10 May. At the Rennes-Vezin prison, cultural, sports and socio-cultural activities will not start again until 2 June.
8 May. Detainees who have been granted permission to travel or stay outside prison premises must be quarantined from the main quarters upon returning. The president of the national organisation of sentence enforcement judges explained that ”the quarantine will depend on individual establishment capacities to shelter inmates in place”.
7 May. Respect for personal hygiene and protection measures precipitated a decline in the number of cell as well as body searches.
1 May. One floor was entirely dedicated to prisoners suffering from COVID-19 at the Fleury-Mérogis prison. It is equipped to receive up to 29 patients.
29 April. The authorities, who feared “an explosion in the number of cases “ believed that the situation was “under control” in prisons in the Ile-de-France region. However, the prison administration warned that one “must remain cautious”.
28 April. A prisoner exposed their conditions of detention in a blog post. For instance, they said that their prison’s detention system has changed: its doors ”are now open in shifts from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. then from 10 a.m. to 12; this repeats during the afternoon”. Detention centres are usually open throughout daytime hours.
23 April. Prisoners from the Val-de-Reuil prison are making a thousand masks every day.
8 April. Attorney Etienne Noël, known for his commitment to prisoners, wondered, with supporting findings: “How can distances be respected when there are three or four prisoners in one cell?”
The prison administration stated the health safety measures that it intends to implement, following the court referral from Prison Workers’ Trade Union Force OUvrière. The Ministry would be committed to providing enough disposable gloves for staff in direct contact with prisoners. It announced the delivery of 2 500 liters of hydroalcoholic gel per week. A stock of 260 000 surgical masks was allocated to the penal administration. The minister committed to ensure a nonstop supply to fulfill any daily need (two masks per officer for each in-person day, i.e., 17,600 masks).
A doctor at the Santé prison explained the lack of resources to care for potential patients: “in cases of acute respiratory distress, there is nothing we can do. A prisoner in hospital requires a cumbersome procedure, the “static guard”, that is to say two cops in front of his room. Hospitals are already congested, it would be unmanageable.”
3 April. Detainees’ access to water at the La Santé prison was cut for several hours, preventing them from washing their hands. The incident was caused by a pipe leak.
2 April. ”Don’t talk to me about masks or hydroalcoholic gel, a prisoner complained. We barely have soap.” An article laid out the “over confinement” of those deprived of freedom.
13 March. Coronavirus referents must be designated by the prison director. They are in charge of implementing the system for limiting the risks of propagation, renewing hygiene kits for prisoners (in particular soap and cleaning products) and informing visitors.
Flyers with hygiene instructions must be displayed on the premises.
All newly arrived prisoners undergo a medical examination and answer a questionnaire to find out whether they come from a risk area, have been in contact with people who may have been infected or are in quarantine.
Cells are set up within the incoming wards to isolate at-risk prisoners. Precautionary measures will be taken on a case-by-case basis, facility by facility, depending on the areas where the virus circulates. The judicial authorities are invited to encourage the use of videoconferencing rather than extracting detainees who have to appear in court.
Judicial system¶
3 December. Prison population of the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes rose. A prison official declared: “From March to May, we went from 6,800 prisoners to 5,400. (…) In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, (…) as I speak to you, we have 5,900 inmates, this is a slight upturn, but we are still far from March figures, before the sudden appearance of COVID-19.”
2 November. The number of incarcerations has increased. The Syndicat des avocats de France regional representative in Occitan explained that,”Since 11 May, the incarceration machine has been working overtime, and today, trials are conducted as quickly as they were before 12 March. This historical decrease [in the number of inmates -Ed.] is due first of all, to sentence reductions, which don’t prevent prison admissions, but provide for earlier releases. It is also due to sentence reductions which were simply sped up, and by a reduction in incarcerations due to a slowdown in the justice system. But, we haven’t really changed our practices.”
28 October. The Minister of Justice sent a memo to prosecutors and prison services asking them to maintain “a prison population that is appropriate for the health situation”. The number of inmates rose from 59,000 in March, to the current 62,000.
25 October. The Minister of Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti requested magistrates to avoid incarceration. The letter aims to prevent the consequences that the second wave of COVID-19 could present. It encourages the implementation of the approach within the “Block penalty” from the law of 23 March 2019.
23 September Untried prisoners were released before their court hearings because of the shortage of escort personnel. Court appearances, pushed back because the coronavirus pandemic, have been accumulating. Escort and custody officers said they were overwhelmed with work.
7 July. The Court of cassation authorised the people in pre-trial detention in the Béziers, Mende and Nîmes prisons (where the occupancy rate rose, in April 2020, to 198.5%) to request their release for the “deplorable housing conditions”. Several hundred prisoners were affected.
11 May. Barrister Éric Dupont-Moretti informed of his concerns on the functioning of justice because of measures taken during the coronavirus crisis. He said that the extension of a remand’s maximum duration and the absence of open debates before the judge were a first step towards future excesses. He condemned an “unbearable judicial arrogance” and added: “We’d never done that in our country since the Law of Suspects of 1793.”
7 May. Prison guards were delighted by a reduction in the number of prisoners. They believed they would be able to perform better. The reduction in prisoner numbers included a 35 % drop in the D4 section of the Fleury-Mérogis prison. Each prisoner then benefitted from a single cell. At Fleury, a second daily walk has also been implemented.
4 May. The Justice Minister noted that “the prison population would necessarily increase with the resumption of court activities”. She wished nevertheless “to manage the pressure in prisons in the intervening period to avoid a rebound of the epidemic in detention centres”.
29 April. The average occupancy rate fell below 100%. The Ministry of Justice reported 11 500 fewer prisoners since the beginning of the epidemic. However, some facilities remained over 140% occupied, including the Meaux and Villepinte prisons.
Sentence adjustments¶
22 July. More than 80 requests asking for permission to leave were rejected after identifying two cases of coronavirus at the prison of Meaux-Chauconin.
26 June. The Hauts-de-France region recorded a 17% drop in its prison population. This drop was 22.5% in remand facilities (maisons d’arrêt) alone, which receive those with short sentences and defendants.
27 May. The Ministry of Justice sent judges a circular letter on “prison regulation”. The document was cosigned by the Directorate for Criminal Matters and Pardons and the Directorate for Prison Administration. It urged prosecutors to reconsider sentences that had not yet been served and that were inferior to a month and abolish those in which the conviction was not linked to a detention warrant.
Sentences inferior or equal to six months of imprisonment would be reconsidered. Judges could also choose to shorten some sentences when the remainders of sentences were both old and of minimal length. Community service was lightened and could possibly be reduced by 35 hours (an average sentence was 105 hours). A judge quoted by newspaper Le Figaro considered the circular letter to be the laxest ever published by the chancellery.
8 May. The prison administration encouraged insertion and probation prison services to turn down requests to travel outside of prisons, with the exception of “majorly important” events.
4 May. The number of people who have benefited from early release rose to 5 300.
26 April. The Ministry of Justice reported that the total number of prisoners had decreased by 6 500 people since 29 February.
24 April. The occupancy rate of the Nuutania prison, in Polynesia, wentfrom 190% to 163% in just over a month. Around 30 prisoners were transferred to the Papeari prison, while the judicial authorities granted 13 sentence modifications in order to reduce prison overcrowding. Several prisoners were isolated as a preventive basis.
15 April. Stéphane Bredin, the director of the prison administration, put forward a decrease of 9 923 prisoners by 13 April. During his examination by the National Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, he pointed out that the number of prisoners rose to 62 659. The occupancy rate went from 119% to 103%.
3 April. The Council of State rejected the appeal presented by the Association of Criminal Lawyers, French section of the International Prison Observatory (OIP-SF), French Lawyers Union, Young Lawyers Union, and Magistrates’ Trade Union against some aspects of the 25 March order. “The order’s sole purpose is to allow to keep prisoners for longer behind bars,” stressed OIP-SF. “France is suffering from its remand,” emphasized Attorney Sylvain Cormier.
8 April. The French prison population counted approximately 8 000 less prisoners than when the crisis begun. Half of the releases were the result of the measures taken from the health crisis.
3 April. The number of detainees decreased by 6 266 between 16 March and 1 April, according to the Ministry of Justice.
2 April. In a press article, Sébastien Schapira shared his hope that the Supreme Court would censor the 25 March ruling which anticipated “the rightful extension of the remand period from an additional two to six months and extend by 30 days the review period for appeals against these.”
31 March. A drop in prison population continues with a decrease of 3 956 inmates as of 16 March. This number, in turn, results from early release measures and entry decrease. It accounts for 5% of the prison population (around 70 500 before the health crisis).
28 March. The Ministry of Justice reported that, since the beginning of coronavirus confinement, “3 500 inmates have been released”.
24 March. The Ministry of Justice announced that they will proceed with the release of 5 000 prisoners at the end of their sentence.
22 March. The Minister instructs not to carry out the short terms of imprisonment to not bring new people into prison. The Directorate of Prison Administration (DAP), reports “a sharp slowdown in the number of releases” in the previous three days, “less than 100” new daily entries compared to “250 to 300”.“But it is truly not enough”, comments François Bès, coordinator of the investigation pole at the French section of the International Prison Observatory (OIP-SF). And to add: “If one desires to make calculations, if one is thinking logically, then it is necessary to take the number of cells in France: approximately 58,000. Then the number of prisoners: 70,000. minus 12,000 to have an individual cell. This would be the minimum”.
The calls for amnesties have been rejected until now by the Seal Keeper “because it is necessary to preserve security in the society”.
19 March. The Ministry of Justice issued a press release on “prison support” measures. A set of decisions is due to take effect on 23 March:
• allocation of a credit of 40 euros to each prisoner’s telephone account. This sum can be used from telephone booths (in all prisons) or from the telephones placed inside cells (64 prisons are equipped).
• television is accessible free of charge
• the most destitute detainees have their aid increased by 40 euros per month
The Ministry of Justice asked the courts to defer the enforcement of short prison sentences. About 30 entries in prison are recorded, “against more than 200 usually”, according to the press release.
13 March. The Minister of Justice announced a continuance plan (plan de continuation d’activité, PCA). This leads to “a reduction in the number of visits and a limitation of the activities”.
Contact with the outside world¶
**2 December.**In the Allier, visits are still going and conducted ”behind plexiglas through hygiaphones”. A prison official said that all 19 facilities in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes are equipped with cell phones, and videophones are being looked into. Christmas parcels are accepted but must not be handled for 24 hours. Perishable food is not permitted.
13 November. In the Loire, La Talaudière (Saint-Étienne) and Roanne prisons maintained visits. The prison union believed that this was “a serious mistake” and that these measures were aimed at “buying social peace”. And to add: “We do not have the right to see our relatives during the quarantine, but the inmates do, which is a bit paradoxical.”
8 November. Family visits are still permitted, despite the second lockdown. Health restriction measures are being enforced: plexiglass barriers between inmates and visitors. It is no longer possible to make reservations several weeks in advance, which makes it difficult for families who live far from a prison. Inmates are issued a credit call of 30 euros each and are now able use a free messaging system which collects voice messages intended for the inmates.
3 November. The Contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté announced the actions being taken during the pandemic, and that “prisons are being adapted to this particular health situation”.
30 October. Visits and activities were being maintained despite the resurging pandemic and lockdowns throughout the country. Visitors may cite “pressing family issues” to visit their loved ones in prison.
25 October. The Chancellery fears that the lack of visits and activities could lead to riots. It intends to broadcast a telephone credit of 30 euros for prisoners in the “red” zones, where the virus has circulated the most.
19 October. The French section of the IOP called for all prisons to mandate the wearing of masks. Prisons are the only confined places where masks are not mandatory. The IOP-SF criticized: ”People on the outside can stay home and work online…But inmates can’t work off their sentences online!”
22 September. Beauvais prison does not allow children to visit. Officials justify the measure, which is unusual in this region, by the presence of vulnerable people within the facility. It has some sixty women and a nursery. A family member of one of the inmates called on the Defender of Rights (Marg- I prefer “Human Rights Defender”) to have the restriction lifted. She said, “this is upsetting, I feel that my children will never see their father.”.
15 September. Activities were suspended in juvenile detention centre in Meyzieu. Visiting rooms are limited to one visitor per inmate.
22 July. Individual interviews and communal celebrations resumed at Meaux-Chauconin prison, in favor to the returning ministers in detention. One-on-one meetings, that were usually held in cells, took place in the activity room. A detainee testified: ”We have the impression of being in front of a judge. It’s freezing.”
13 July. At la Talaudière prison, visits were limited to twice a week. The visitors complained about the conditions they had to face. Some mentioned absurd measures: ”it’s clear that there are wardens monitoring prisoners without even wearing a mask. Why are we considered the only ones at risk of bringing Covid into the prison?”
2 July. In her report entitled ”The fundamental rights of people deprived of liberty in the context of the health crisis”, the CGLPL criticised the fact that facilities such as video conference systems or smartphones had not been used like in other European countries. She stated that in one prison there was a telephone booth the barely functioned and was shared between 80 prisoners. The length of calls was limited. The CGLPL also deplored the ”significant delay in mail delivery times, which was already subject to many risks”, sometimes with delays of 10 days.
10 June. In Caen, families deplored the set-up of visiting boxes. Some of them said they would not return. Lawyer Benoît David said the conditions were “disproportionate” and that families had the impression “of visiting their loved ones in a zoo”.
7 June. At Béthune prison, ongoing visitors were authorized again to wash the dirty linens given by their relatives and bring them back. A member of La France Insoumise gave his view about the pace of resuming activities. He mentioned that they appeared to be keeping pace with the rest of society.
31 May. A caterer from Épernay delivered, a meal to more than 140 inmates at Reims prison to thank them for a fund they created to support nursing staff. Two inmates stated: “We salivated a little, we’re not used to smelling food like this anymore”.
29 May. At Fleury-Mérogis prison, visitating rooms and workshops reopened. Following their visit, the relative of an inmate confided: “Having to wear a mask, be separated behind a Plexiglas window and having to stand one metre away from it, I think it’s too much”.
25 May. Following the resumption of visits, the director of the Sarreguemines prison establishment said that ”families are following the rules perfectly”. Plexiglas windows were ordered and 1.30-metre-wide tables separate visitors from prisoners. No incidents have been reported. The prison management hopes to be able to relax restrictions starting from 2 June.
18 May. The reopening of visiting rooms was carried out while respecting the recommended health measures: mandatory masks, hand disinfection, signature of a charter and lack of contact. Visitors expressed deep frustration. The masks, the distancing and sometimes the glass partitions would create ambient noise that hindered their interactions. Some said they preferred not to return.
11 May. The Sequedin prison staff lamented the fact that the prison administration had not put up plexiglass panes in the visiting room cubicles. Visits were to be reinstated at Wednesday, 13 May, with the following conditions: Only one visitor, aged 18-70, mask on, and no physical contact or clothing exchange. Staff considered these measures hard to comply with in practice.
10 May. At the Rennes-Vezinprison, visiting hours have been extended by 15 minutes to allow time for the sanitary protocol. Conjugal visits are still postponed until further notice.
8 May. The prison administration announced that visiting hours would be restored from 11 May. Only one visit per week lasting up to one hour will be allowed during the first phase of deconfinement. Visitors will need to sign a rules document. They will not be authorized to bring in laundry. All physical contact will be prohibited. Legal and employment advice sessions with workers from outside will not be restored yet.
27 April. The inmates of Amiens prison collected 1,000 euros to support medical staff. One of the participants recalled that a 20 euros donation represents up to 20 percent of a monthly prison salary.
16 April. The ‘La France insoumise’ MP Ugo Bernalicis’s request to visit a prison near Lille was refused due to the COVID-19 epidemic. He contested the decision in court, on account of the “free exercise of the parliamentary mandate”. “Given the Controller-General for Places of Deprivation of Liberty has suspended her on-site visits, parliamentary visits are one of the final means through which to ensure the respect of prisoners’ fundamental rights and the proper operation of detention centres”, he underlined. He filed an appeal, on 14 April, to the administrative court of Lille.
1 April. Eight prisons implemented measures to allow detainees to make masks for use by medical professionals and the various departments of Justice services.
15 March. The prison administration communicated a list of instructions. It increases the isolation of detainees. Activities and movements are restricted or suspended. Visits are limited to one adult per visit and per prisoner. The following are excluded: persons over 70 years of age, minors and persons suffering from chronic or respiratory diseases.c
Acts of protest¶
1 August. About twenty prisoners refused to return to the cell at the end of their walk in the Metz-Queuleu prison. They denounced the maintenance of sanitary measures in the visitation rooms, where Plexiglas walls made any physical contact impossible. The intervention teams (ÉRIS) were mobilised to put an end to the movement. Six prisoners were placed in disciplinary isolation.
The next day, another detainee who was armed with a knife also refused to return to his cell. The ÉRIS intervened again. They used a electroshock weapon to overpower the man.
17 July. An inmate slightly injured a prison supervisor after the latter entered his cell inNîmes prison.
16 July. Several dozen inmates in the Nîmes prison refused to return to their cells. They explained the cells were too dirty. Supervisors feared an upsurge of incidents in detention in the following days.
13 July. At Epinal prison, 12 male prisoners refused to return to their cells from the visitation room. They protested against the visiting conditions and distancing measures. The regional response and safety teams were called for backup. One prisoner refused to cooperate, climbed the railings and cut his hand open on the barbed wire.
16 June. Staff at the Majicavo (Mayotte) prison criticized the management’s handling of the crisis. The CGT union criticized officials for “waking up late”.
17 April. A mutiny broke out at the Toul prison, close to Nancy. The inmates burned mattresses. The roof of a building caught fire. The suspension of visits and the resulting drug shortage is considered a possible explanation.
10 April. Prisoners, current or former, strongly attacked the “minister of courts and prisons” in an open letter. Their accusation: “leaving prisoners to die.”
1 April. Prisoners from the Rémire-Montjolyprison, in Guyana, protested in the early morning. One prison officer was locked in a room and his keys stolen from him. The prisoners started a fire. Order was restored after a significant security presence was mobilised.
30 March. The ban on visiting rooms and parcels in the Nuutania prison in Polynesia has caused disturbances and tensions.
27 March. Mediacités records protest movements. Those prisons that have seen the most protests are those most affected by overcrowding and lack of privacy.
One prisoner from the Nice prison is sentenced to four months after inciting the 22nd March protest against the suspension of visiting rooms and sanitary conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.
March 25. strong tensions are noted at the Longuenesse penitentiary center after the measures were taken to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Several incidents occurred, including two fires, which broke out in the afternoon. Seven wardens and an inmate inhales smoke and were examined by the medical team of the Emergency and Resuscitation Service (SMUR). A 49-year-old supervisor was transported to the hospital. A 22-year-old prisoner, poisoned by smoke, was rushed to the hospital.
24 March. Around thirty prisoners refuse to return to their cells in the Tarascon prison (Bouches-du-Rhône). The prisoners demand masks, hand sanitiser and their release. Their request for release is based upon recent announcements by the Justice Minister, Nicole Belloubet.
23 March. Some 100 inmates at the Rennes-Vezin prison addressed a tribune of prison and government authorities. They claimed being put in “mortal danger” and called for the “decongestion of all prisons”. They claimed “strict” hygiene rules were impossible due to overcrowding.
22 March. Prisoners of Uzerche Prison refused to return to their cells. Some went up on the roof and burned mattresses. They protested against the suspension of visiting rooms. A union representative explains: ”The visiting room is often what opens the door to the outside. (.) It is human contact that counts for these prisoners. (.) It is seeing their families, their wives and their children over the weekend that keeps them going. About 200 cells were degraded after the incident.“
Appeals and recommendations¶
17 November. The Controller-General for Places of Deprivation of Liberty (CGLPL) joined the Minister of Justice to implement immediate measures to reduce the number of prisoners. She recalled that, “so far, no government action has been taken to correct the risks of contamination incurred by prisoners and guards. Despite the seriousness of the crisis, nothing demonstrates any type of provision for reducing this in prisons, while in spring, the early releases of convicts close to the end of their sentence that were carefully examined by magistrates made it possible to avoid a health disaster.”
10 November. In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, representatives of the Force ouvrière (FO) prison union demanded mass testing for employees at Riom prison following the recent discovery of seven cases among its members. At Lyon-Corbas prison, staff complained about meetings that were being held during a health crisis. They questioned : ”How is it that on 27 October 2020, 13 SPIP staff members tested positive and our facility was not classified as a cluster, which would have allowed all personnel to be tested?”
5 November. The organisation Robin des lois filed a submission to the Conseil d’État requesting an exemption certificate to allow families of inmates to visit them. It found it “dismaying that the Ministry of Justice - with its considerable administrative and human resources available to them - is once again ’forgetting’ inmates and their families.” The petition also asked for a fine remittance of 3,000€.
9 September. The administrative court of Toulouse ordered Seysses prison to “perform testing (…) and provide masks to inmates in enclosed and shared quarters”. This decision was made following an appeal by four lawyers. According to one of them: “if this order is contravened [outside, editor’s note] three times in 30 days, one can be tried immediately and sent to a prison where there is no access to masks“. Prison staff were happy about the decision but indicated they wanted “the same decision to be applied to all prison personnel“.
4 September. Following the discovery of positive cases at Gradignan prison, the prison union Unsa Justice demanded the cleaning and sanitizing of the facilities (particularly door handles and peep-holes), the wearing of masks in prison, and access to hand sanitizers. “It deemed unfortunate that prison administration puts staff at risk when coming in contact with hundreds of inmates who don’t wear masks.”
20 July. Four members of the Global Commission on Drugs implored France to ”take note of the failure of repressive policies” and reform its policies related to drug criminalisation which resulted in a bloated prison population. The reduction in the number of prisoners due to the pandemic marks “a historic opportunity”. They wrote: ”In the post-COVID world, let’s stop shutting everybody up”.
7 July. Prisoners’ families presented a petition to the president of the Republic and to the new Minister of Justice demanding that visits be resumed and that physical distancing measures be relaxed by 10 July. They believed that such precautions (visiting behind glass barriers, the wearing of masks, lack of contact) were “disproportionate and inhumane”.
2 July. The Controller-General for Places of Deprivation of Liberty (Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté, CGLPL) published a report entitled ”The fundamental rights of people deprived of liberty in the context of the health crisis”. In it she made reference to the measures taken in places where people were deprived of their liberty. She welcomed the “efficient” prevention and the low number of infections. She recalled that: ”the major risk of an epidemic developing in closed crowded spaces and within a population whose state of health often made them particularly vulnerable had been avoided”. She stated that the “spectacular fall” in the number of prisoners showed that it was “possible for the overall occupancy rate of French prisons to return to their actual capacity, or even below”. The CGLPL has “insistently recommended since 2014” to include the necessary measures for regulating prisons as part of the law.
6 June. At le Pontet prison, the fears expressed by a union official were swept away. He later indicated his fear for the appearance of a new cluster after discovering four positive cases. The results from the screening of 375 people were all negative. The union declared they were reassured.### Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare
7 June. At Béthune prison, deconfinement meant the resumption of certain activities. The premises were managed accordingly: spacing the offices, applying plexiglass on the tables of the communal visiting rooms, social distancing, protecting the surveillance personnel (with masks, gloves, hydroalcoholic gel). A depute of La France Insoumise stated, after his visit, that the organization was now well-honed but that its implementation had been laborious.
3 June. An open letter signed by forty organisations and nearly 1,000 personalities was addressed to Emmanuel Macron. The signatories called on the head of state to initiate a policy for “prison deflation”. The French section of the International Prison Observatory was behind this content. This indicated that “For the first time in almost twenty years, there were less prisoners than prison spaces in France”.
1 June. The prison union Force Ouvrière requested that all inmates and staff be screened after three positive cases were identified in a few days. The union claimed that the prison had become “a cluster”.
4 May. Observers predicted that the resumption of legal activities would lead to a renewed increase in the number of prisoners. Probation judges proposed pardon measures in cases of shorter sentences.
Five spouses of detainees asked the Ministry of Justice to hear their denunciation of detention conditions since the beginning of the pandemic. They said that all prisoners were living in excessively punitive conditions. They called for increased resources to allow for the preservation of family connections and better access to sanitary products.
30 April. Two criminal lawyers wrote an article in which they called for an amnesty law. In the article, they pointed out that prison overpopulation has not disappeared and arguee that the decline in the prison population was “far more attributable to the very low activity of the courts … than to the releases that the government prides itself on”. They criticised the lengthening of pre-trial detentions and some investigating chambers’ refusal to release “even the most fragile” prisoners.
A collective of 150 relatives and friends of detainees contacted the Ministry of Justice. They criticized sanitary crisis management in prison and called for the adoption of further sanitary measures.
28 April. The secretary of the Syndicat de la Magistrature (the second largest national magistrates’ trade union) said that the decrease in the number of prisoners was insufficient. She added that establishments were still reporting occupation rates significantly over 100 percent: “there are still structures in which inmates are sleeping on the floor, with two to three prisoners per cell”.
20 April. The national union of prison directors (SNFP-CFDT) addressed an open letter to the president of the Republic. They maintained that the management of the epidemic proved that “solitary confinement [was] an attainable objective” and that last month’s example “dismissed all impossibilities and any timorousness”. They indicated that they intended to make solitary confinement “a priority and an emergency” and that refusal was no longer an option: “We demand it by all means, as we now know that it is possible”.
6 April. Modus Bibendi, a group of stakeholders for alcohol risk reduction, published a call for a real coronavirus risk reduction policy respectful of human rights and shaped by professionals. They said that the first measures that should be taken in the current situation is to lift the ban on alcohol-based gels. This ban is exposing detainees, who are confined in most cases under catastrophic sanitary conditions, at a higher degree to the virus and the risk of it spreading.
5 April. Representatives of magistrates and prison directors signed a publication demanding that staff be systematically tested. They were also concerned about mass release of detainees without prior testing and found it regrettable that the Ministry of Justice was not calling on more constructive proposals from stakeholders in the field rather than ideological ones.
4 April. Several lawyers and prisoners urgently appealed to the Administrative Court of Martinique. They urged the prison administration to “reduce the number of prisoners held in Ducos to a figure allowing individual confinement, take action to help maintain family ties, take sanitary and hygiene measures, and carry out screening tests “. The Court recognized the vulnerability of the prisoners and the “worrying situation of overcrowding”. However, it stated that the prison administration has no power to change living conditions or make sentence adjustments. It ordered the provision of masks and gloves and requested that screening tests be carried out.
1 April. Adeline Hazan, Controller-General for Places of Deprivation of Liberty (Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté, CGLPL), estimated that the measures adopted by the government were insufficient. She demanded that the number of detainees does not exceed the number of prison places.
1 April. Nicole Belloubet defended, in a press article, the actions undertaken by her government department and stated that : “The rule of law [had] not been placed in quarantine”.
31 March. Inmates from the Nanterre short-stay prison lodged a complaint against the prime minister and the Minister of Justice for “endangering the lives of others.” Their lawyer, Mr. Fabien Arakelian, addressed their complaint to the Law Court of the Republic on Monday evening.
The Lyon Bar denounced derogatory measures equal to the “confinement of rights of defense” to the minister of Justice. The president of the Criminal Lawyers Association, Christian Saint-Palais, approached by the AFP, denounced: “closed-door, judge-sitting-alone videoconferencing hearings of presumed innocent detainees who could be held longer”. From their part, the magistrates’ union alerted to “the fact that these provisions in force for many months are likely to have a contamination effect on common law.” Katia Dubreuil, the national secretary of this union, fears the “blowup of psychological bolts”. “We should’ve limited the duration of precautions to shelters-in-place” and not to a state of health emergency. Since, stressed by Katia Dubreuil, as for the state of health emergency, “we don’t know how long it will last.”
30 March. For Muriel Giacopelli, “the measures announced by government already seem absurd”.
29 March. A référé-liberté was brought before the Council of State by the Spinosi and Sureau law firm on behalf of the French section of the International Observatory of Prisons, the Association of Lawyers for the Defense of the Rights of Prisoners (A3D), the magistrates’ trade union Syndicat de la magistrature and the Union of French Lawyers. The 39-pages-document contains an extensive summary of how COVID-19 is spread in France, gives a precise list of judgements rendered by the highest jurisdictions against France concerning prison conditions, points out the risks faced by staff and inmates, and the risk of an epidemic with drastic consequences on the population and the health system. It urges the department head of the Council of State’s litigation section (juge des référés) to re-inforce all measures it deems useful to put a stop to the serious and clearly illegal infringements on the basic rights of detainees.
March 27. The CGT Pénitentiaire trade union filed a complaint before the French Law Court of the Republic, against the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice. The union asked that they recognize the threat of “endangerment” posed to the lives of penitentiary personnel in the exercise of their duties.
26 March. Modus Bibendi, a group of actors committed to alcohol risk reduction, made a public plea for a real risk reduction policy, led by professionals and respectful of human rights. ”The first measure to take in the current context is to lift the ban on hydro-alcoholic gel. For inmates confined in sanitary conditions that are widely catastrophic, this ban puts them at increased risk of contracting the virus, and favors its spread.”.
19 March. An opinion piece called for a reduction in “prison pressure”. More than 1,000 people (researchers, public figures, magistrates, lawyers and associations) are signatories.
17 March. The head of the French national preventive mechanism (CGLPL) called upon the Minister of Justice. She believes that the safety of detainees is not guaranteed. She describes a “situation of serious health risk” and calls for “immediate and concrete” measures. She recommends limiting entry and encouraging exit from prison.
The association for the defence of prisoners’ rights (A3D) requested the release of prisoners who are at the end of their sentences and those in pre-trial detention.
The French section of the International Prison Observatory (OIP-fr) questioned the prison administration’s ability to free up cells.
The Defender of Rights calls on the government to take measures to reduce prison overcrowding. He calls on the Minister of Justice to instruct the courts to make use of judicially supervised releases.
Identified cases¶
30 December. Two inmates tested positive at Dunkerque prison. One of them was a carrier of the UK-variant of the virus.
3 December. Prisons of the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes undergo, since August, “17 massive cross-screenings” (inmates and staff). Three facilities were classified as “clusters”, with at least three positive cases.
16 November. At Les Croisettes prison (Coulaines, Sarthe), four prisoners and five officers tested positive. An extensive screening is underway. The health unit will join forces with the Regional Health Agency to contain the epidemic.
13 November. At Roanne prison, one inmate and 11 officers tested positive. This was also the case for two prisoners and three officers at La Talaudière.
10 November. Several prisons in the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region were declared as clusters, including Unité hospitalière sécurisée interrégionale (UHSI) and Unité hospitalière spécialement aménagée (UHSA). Thirteen staff members from the Service pénitentiaire d’insertion et de probation and two officers at Lyon-Corbas prison tested positive. Mass testing was conducted in the Saint-Quentin-Fallavier prison following the detection of several cases among officers and inmates. Testing was carried out on 500 inmates and 200 personnel.
8 November. The director of Santé prison claimed that the management of a pandemic in a confined environment was “very efficient”. He expressed concern about cases that may arise with the number of new inmates, which are greater than during the lockdown.
7 November. Five inmates of Perpignan prison,tested positive and were quarantined. All inmates and staff were tested, totaling almost one-thousand people.
28 October. Officials indicated that 117 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 and 1,043 were placed in quarantine.
25 October. At Longuenesse prison, five guards and ten prisoners tested positive. A “COVID” sector has been implemented and the prison is in quarantine. A screening is in progress.
19 October. New cases have been identified in prisons: 88 inmates and 188 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. One inmate was hospitalised.
Mulhouse prison reported 13 officers and 2 inmates who tested positive. Officials believed that the situation was not alarming and indicated that it was linked to “the fact that we are doing more testing on the inside.”
15 October. Fresnes prison has counted several positive cases of COVID-19. Santé prison has had seven. A prisoner was hospitalized. Since last week, all prisoners in Paris and the inner suburbs have been required to wear masks. This decision could be extended to the entire prison county.
14 October. Several cases have been detected at Bayonne prison. Concerned staff stated that isolation precautions were impossible to implement, due to the limited amount of training. The Regional Health Agency wants to reassure and indicated that a protocol was currently put in place.
29 September. Four women prisoners test positive at Limoges prison. The screening of the 18 contact cases showed negative results.
27 September. Tahiti prison detected 14 positive inmates, who were quarantined.
26 September. At Nuutania prison (in French Polynesia), 17 officers and three inmates tested positive for COVID-19. The prisoners were placed in a separate wing, and staff members were placed in home isolation.
18 September. Testing at Bourg-en-Bresse prison revealed that 49 staff members were carriers of COVID-19. They were asked to self-isolate for one week. None of the inmates have been affected.
15 September. Ten guards from the juvenile detention centre in Meyzieu tested positive. As a result, meals have been served in the cells and are not eaten collectively. Activities have been suspended, except for walks and outside sports.
4 September. Gradignan prison now has six positive cases, five of whom are medical staff.
28 August. Eleven prisoners and nine staff members tested positive at Baie-Mahault prison (Guadeloupe). The number of cases “is expected to increase” in the coming days.
6 August. A student from the National School of Prison Administration in Agen tested positive Forty other candidates were confined in their quarters within the school.
26 June. Prisons in the Hauts-de-France region reported five positive cases: two prisoners and three staff members. All recovered.
16 June. At the Majicavo (Mayotte) prison, 183 inmates tested positive, along with 34 staff members.
15 June. The Villenauxe-la-Grande prison proceeded to segregate 15 inmates with symptoms. The Aube region had a total of 19 suspected cases with those identified in the Clairvaux and Troyes prisons.
6 June. All the tests that were carried out at Avignon-Le Pontet prison were negative.
2 June. Four hundred tests were carried out at the Majicavo prison (Mayotte). Among them, 122 were positive. These figures could increase once all the results would be communicated.
1 June. In Mayotte, 45 people in Majicavo prison were carriers of COVID-19. They accounted for a large part of the increase in the number of new cases on the island. Massive screening efforts made the prison a new focal point of the pandemic. Mayotte is one of the French departments most affected by COVID-19.
26 May. Two guards tested positive for COVID-19 at Pontet prison.
16 May. A minor and two agents at the Porcheville prison tested positive. The regional health agency planned a mass screening.
28 April. The French section of the International Observatory on Prisons said that the lack of tests was creating doubts as to the real number of identified cases in prisons.
8 April. The prison administration put forward 63 positive cases among detainees and 1 003 sheltered-in-place. Staff who tested positive is among 145, and 862 were quarantined. AFP reported two deaths among detainees and one from staff since the start of the pandemic.
4 April. The number of confined detainees in shelter-in-place or quarantine is 735 owing to having recently entered a prison or because they presented symptoms. The number of detainees who have tested positive is 48. Twelve are being hospitalized, including four in Fresnes. Furthermore, 114 guards and 35 other prison workers have tested positive.
2 April. An official report signals that 47 detainees and 107 guards have tested positive. A detainee died in the Douai prison. An autopsy will be carried out to investigate the causes of death. One officer said that he showed all the symptoms of COVID-19.
30 March. Prison administration reported that 75 prison staff and 31 inmates tested positive for COVID-19. Some (882 staff) were quarantined and 138 completed their quarantine period. A number of inmates were placed in confinement (683 inmates) and 176 completed their quarantine period.
27 March Prison administration reported that 50 prison staff members and 21 inmates tested positive and 471 had symptoms. Several hundreds with symptoms were placed in confinement, separated from the other inmates in individual cells.
26 March. The first prison guard, working in the Orleans detention centre, has died from Covid-19.
25 March. The first cases of contamination are confirmed in the Baumettes (prison). The contaminated prisoners have been admitted to the secured interregional unit (UHSI) of the north hospital. Fifty-one individuals detained in the 16 prisons of the PACA-Corsica region are in isolation with suspected symptoms of Covid-19.
18 March. A first prisoner died as a result of COVID-19 in the Fresnes prison.
14 March. The fight against the spread of the coronavirus is organised behind closed doors. The authorities reported one inmate and two nurses tested positive for COVID-19. About 30 detainees were placed in quarantine.
To learn more, consult the news thread of the International Prison Observatory – French Section dedicated to COVID-19. It is updated regularly.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
5 October. Staff and doctors at N3 prison all tested negative for COVID-19.
They were supposed to be relieved by other staff members but had to remain where they were to prevent the spread of COVId-19 in the prison. This measure was taken because of the worsening pandemic situation in the Adjarie region.
9 June. The Council of Europe donated protective equipment to the Georgian prison administration: masks, visors, hydro-alcoholic gel, overshoes and plastic caps. This donation, requested by the Department of Justice, provided emergency support to prisoners and prison staff.
27 March. The penal administration took some measures:
- The 15 establishments were disinfected regularly since 7 March, especially public welcoming as well as communal areas. Each establishment was equipped, on average, with disinfectants and hygiene products available for staff and prisoners.
- Prisoners were informed of the benefits of the restrictive measures implemented. Notices on walls reminded of the barrier gestures to follow. New prisoners would be quarantined for 21 days following their arrival in detention. Elderly convicts or those with health problems would be given special attention from medical teams.
- The prison staff would be monitored every day. People with symptoms would not be allowed to enter. Health services would be available 24/7 in all institutions.
Contact with the outside world¶
27 March. Visits and temporary leaves were restricted. Since 15 March, detainees were entitled to 15 free phone call minutes to compensate for the suspension of visits. In case of emergency, visits must take place behind glass, wearing safety equipment. The penal administration implemented a system to facilitate remote hearings.
Identified cases ¶
11 November. A study conducted by the University of Lausanne for the Council of Europe confirmed that no cases were detected among inmates and staff, since the pandemic was declared, to 15 September.
31 August. An organisation reported COVID cases in N15 and N17 penal institutions. The prison administration denied this information.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare ¶
14 August. A space with the capacity of 120 beds has been set up at Korydallos prison. Since March, it has aimed to receive coronavirus cases.
13 August. New restrictions, similar to those enforced at the outbreak of the pandemic, were put in place on 13 August. Newly admitted inmates must have their temperature taken and wear a mask. Staff members said that these measures are contradictory as inmates are always being transferred to courts which risks spreading the virus.
Sentence adjustments¶
14 May. The government withdrew its early release scheme for some categories of prisoners as announced on 26 March.
26 March. The government drew up a plan for the early release of 1 500 inmates. The plan concerned prisoners judged for minor offenses and those serving sentences of less than one year, and reinforced the measures already taken: the creation of isolation zones for suspected cases, and the suspension of furloughs and prison transfers.
Contact with the outside world¶
14 August. Transfers of prisoners to hospitals have been limited, except for serious cases. Family and lawyer visitations cannot include any type of donations (food, clothing, etc.).
13 August. Family visits were suspended again due to new measures effective 13 August. Prison directors have been requested to facilitate virtual contact with loved ones.
Cultural and religious activities were suspended.
18 May. The authorities announced that restrictive measures pertaining to social ties and prisoner transfers would gradually be eased.
14 May. Videoconference visits were extended from six to 11 of the country’s prisons.
19 March. Prison visits were suspended.
Acts of protest¶
14 April. Prisoners in Korydallos prison protested against the ban on physical interaction with the outside world and the measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus.
9 April. A riot broke out in the Eleonas women’s prison, in the centre of Greece. The prisoners were alarmed at the death of another prisoner. They suspected that this was linked to COVID-19. The inmates called for immediate measures to protect their health and reduce overcrowding.
Appeals and recommendations¶
10 November. The Prison Workers Union called for more measures to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus. The union explained that the exact number of positive cases was unknown, and that there was no regular testing.
14 August. Authorities requested that personnel wear a mask, and to respect health measures as much as possible.
3 June. A prisoner sent a letter to several media channels to describe the conditions of detention at the prison of Chania in Crete. She expressed her fear and explained that there was no available doctor at the prison, that the cells were overcrowded and that four prisoners had died in a month. The Ministry of Citizen Protection did not comment on this letter.
16 April. Greek ombudsman Pottakis, sent a letter to several ministers and leaders criticising the country’s prison situation.
Identified cases¶
2 December. At Larissa prison, 46 of the 400 inmates present tested positive, following a request made by the Hellenic Prison Workers’ Federation (OSYE) organisation. It called for regular monitoring of prisoners and staff.
13 November. At Diavata prison, 100 prisoners and eight staff members tested positive. They were quarantined and were asymptomatic. A 69-year-old inmate died of COVID-19 in hospital.
10 November. Health authorities confirmed that there were positive cases in 16 of the country’s 34 prisons among both inmates and staff.
1 October. Two positive cases were confirmed among prison staff.
20 August. An Albanian national tested positive. He was initially incarcerated in an area of Exarcheia prison but was transported to Omonoia police station due to the lack of space. The six police officers and prisoners who were in contact with him were placed in quarantine for two weeks. The premises were disinfected and all of the agents were tested.
22 July. Two people held at Korydallos prison presented symptoms of COVID-19. They were transferred to the hospital for testing and monitoring.
24 June. One positive case was reported at Korydallos prison. The prisoner, aged 33, was transferred to the hospital for treatment.
14 May. 30 to 40 people (prisoners and staff) were tested. The results were negative, but did not lead to any official announcements.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 48
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
7 September. Prison officials (BvOP) stated they had taken precautions to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus in prison. The measures announced include the sanitizing of surfaces and equipment, installing hand-washing stations and the distribution of personal protective equipment for inmates. On admission, inmates must undergo a medical check-up, a background questionnaire and are placed in self-isolation for 14 days.
5 April. A governmental decree introduced stricter measures. New inmates would be placed in isolation for 14 days. Those showing symptoms would be taken to hospital. All temporary leaves were suspended, including if a close relative would be dying or pass away
2 April. The prison hospital was declared ready to admit inmates suffering from COVID-19.
5 March. The action plan of the prison administration anticipated the isolation and monitoring of new prisoners for 14 days. Facilities would be disinfected twice a day. Prison staff were equipped with 28 358 masks, 3 600 gloves, 488 items of protective clothing and 224 thermometers. Inmates received 10 000 masks.
Judicial system¶
1 June A decree issued by the government provided the postponement of hearings, interrogations and encounters to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic. If postponements were not possible, the decree provided the possibility of conducting hearings by video.
8 May. A government decree modified the penal procedure. Inspecting case files, sending summons, and consulting official documents will now be primarily done electronically. This decree details the changes made to the public nature of trials, the composition of courts and the types of decisions that can be issued. The time-limit for certain procedures and investigations can now be extended. Certain demands or procedures were suspended or delayed until the end of the state of emergency (“state of danger” in Hungarian).
Contact with the outside world¶
7 September. The BvOP announced that all inmates could have video calls and they could talk longer on telephones than before. Inmates without telephones will be able to make five-minute calls three times a month.
16 July. Visits to the country’s prisons and temporary leaves were still forbidden. Video call facilities and calling centres were put in place.
15 April. All activities were suspended. The one-hour walk outside could also be modified. To make up for these restrictions, free access to the sports halls and televisions in cells were planned.
27 March. Some prisons completely suspended visits due to the movement restrictions and curfew imposed by the government.
19 March. The penal administration limited family visits, forbade all physical contact and is planning to grant additional phone calls and videoconferencing.
5 March. Visits were curtailed. The length of telephone calls was increased by 15 minutes. The State would absorb the charges for inmates who do not possess a mobile phone, following an assessment of their records. Activities continued but without the presence of external participants. Jobs also continued depending on their necessity. Permissions to leave were suspended. Prisoner transfers were limited.
Visits were still authorised to family and lawyers. They would take place behind a plexiglass window and were been reduced to two visitors per visit. Visits from young people or the elderly would not be not advised. Upon entering, lawyers must get their temperature checked and answer questions evaluating their potential exposure to COVID-19. Their access might be denied based on these criteria. Lawyers were advised to opt for phone or Skype consultations instead and not to hand over documents to inmates in person. Rooms would be disinfected regularly.
Appeals and recommendations¶
22 September. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee renewed its call on the government to reduce the number of inmates in prisons. It recommended for alternative means of communication to be implemented when visits are prohibited.
14 May. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee called upon the government to release vulnerable prisoners and suspend short prison sentences. Faced with a lack of information, it also requested access to test results. The Committee suggested testing prison staff regularly and providing the necessary protective equipment.
15 April. The NGO Hungarian Helsinki Committee asked the government for the early release of elderly and ill inmates and the suspension of short prison sentences.
Identified cases¶
30 September. Prison officials (BVOP) announced that 48 inmates and 50 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Infected inmates were transferred to the prison infirmary.
22 September. About 40 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 at Szged prison. They were transferred to the hospital for observation. Isolation rooms were set up, all new arrivals are subject to an epidemiological enquiry and inmates are given masks.
6 May. Five defendants who showed symptoms were moved to hospital before arriving in prison.
Contact with the outside world¶
2 December. The lockdown “never really ended” in Guernsey. Most of the inmates have not seen their loved ones since March. Anyone arriving on the island must self-isolate for 14 days. Unlike other English prisons, video and free phone calls are not available. The partner of an inmate said that there is an ongoing lack of communication between the prison and the outside. Some of the poorest families are forced to spend up to 10 pounds to “catch a glimpse“ of an inmate family member.
8 July. Visits restarted at La Moye prison on the island of Jersey. Each prisoner could be visited by three relatives at the same time. They must belong to the same household. Children under 12 were not admitted. Nick Watkins, the head of the institution, claimed to have facilitated for prisoners to maintain contact with their loved ones through a free video conferencing. The prisoners were also able to continue using telephones inside their cells.
Identifed cases¶
20 November. A prison staff member tested positive for the virus. Twenty-eight other staff members from La Moye prison, on Jersey Island, were asked to self-isolate.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners: 40
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare.¶
8 December. Prison administration requested priority vaccination of the 3,800 people imprisoned in the country. An official decision was expected that week in this regard. Prison staff, identified as “frontline” workers, already had priority access.
29 July. The Prisons Inspector presented to the government abstracts from the diaries of endangered detainees who were quarantined (cocooning). These texts demonstrated the harshness of isolation. He made recommendations to adopt more flexible and compassionate quarantine measures. The diaries were part of a project led by the Prisons Inspector and the University of Maynooth. In April, they distributed 86 notebooks to people quarantined in seven prisons. Between April and the end of June, people over the age of 70 and those with chronic illnesses were automatically isolated. Many of them were held in cells for periods of up to 30 hours. The Inspector alerted the authorities about the deteriorating mental health of prisoners in cocooning. Detainees expressed suicidal and depressive feelings in their diaries.
9 July. The authorities estimated the additional cost of the measures taken since the start of the pandemic to be 5 million euros. These measures included replacing wardens placed under quarantine, providing sanitary protection and setting up video conferencing for holding certain hearings. The strategy, commended around the world, would help prevent the virus from being introduced into the country’s prisons.
23 June. The Irish Penal Reform Trust suggested maintaining videoconferencing visits on a permanent basis. They mentioned that cell phone access would further facilitate contact with families. They particularly welcomed the successful instalment of videoconferencing in prisons across the country from the beginning of the pandemic: “there were children who, for some, had the opportunity to show their parents their room for the first time, asked them for help with their homework, or see their parent’s face when they were at the dinner table”.
7 April. Cloverhill (Dublin) Remand Centre adapted meal distribution. Meals would be to prisoners in small groups, respecting distancing measures. Cups and plates were replaced by single-use cardboard containers. Guards were required to wear protective equipment (gown, mask, goggles) during every interaction with prisoners. Cloverhill houses the majority of the country’s remand prisoners and records an average of 100 entries and exits per day.
31 March. Temperature screening would be systematically carried out at the entrance to prisons.
Sentence adjustments¶
23 December. Only 1 % of the total prison population was granted a temporary release for the holidays at the end of the year to limit the risk of contracting the virus while outside of the prison. This is the lowest rate in the last three years. The inmates in question had to go into quarantine when they returned to prison until they tested negative or after a maximum 14 days.
18 June. A total of 476 people were released since the beginning of the pandemic, that is one in eight prisoners.
24 March. More than 200 prisoners with a remaining sentence of three months or less were released. The administration considered extending the measure to those serving six months or less.
Contact with the outside world¶
4 December. One visit per prisoner was granted between 16 December and 6 January, 2021. This exemption only concerned two visitors: either two adults or one adult and one child. Prisoners with several children could derogate from the rule. Each visit lasts 15 minutes, without physical contact. As a health precaution, relatives of prisoners were invited to send their parcels and greeting cards to the facilities before 19 December. One additional phone call per day should be given to each inmate during the next three weeks.
2 November. Midlands prison officials notified families after discovering positive cases in the prison. The notice specified that, among other things, visits and calls will continue according to a schedule set by the administration. Psychologists and addiction counselors will still be available for those who need them. As for education teams, they will develop learning supports that can be televised in prison.
29 October. A partnership between Mountjoy prison and Maynooth University is allowing inmates to access online university courses during the pandemic. A long-term project is being looked at by both establishments.
28 September. A inmate of Portlaoise prison seized the High Court. He stated the restrictions on visits, which appear to be inconsistent with prison regulations. A weekly visit from a loved one, lasting at least 30 minutes, is usually scheduled. The resumption of visits only allows one visit every 15 days, lasting a maximum of 15 minutes. The complainants seek damage compensation. The complaint was declared admissible by the court and postponed for November.
17 August. Visiting restrictions have been lifted in most facilities, except at Portlaoise and Midlands prisons. The adults that had been authorized to visit every two weeks can now be accompanied by a younger person under the age of 18.
14 July. Visits started again as of 20 July. The prison service published a guide for prisoners’ relatives, telling them the sanitary rules to follow. They must have their temperature checked, fill in a health questionnaire, follow social distancing rules, wash their hands and wear a mask provided by the prison inside the facility. The prison service warned relatives about having to potentially wait for a long time when arriving at the prisons and recommended they bring an umbrella. The prison service stated it had strengthened its monitoring systems for preventing drugs circulating in prison, with canine units and chemical residue detection tests in place for each visitor.
20 June. Every prisoner was able to receive a 15-minutes personal visit from a person over 18 every two weeks. A videoconference might also be organized during these two weeks. Prisoners were able to replace the visit with a second videoconference. Authorities mentioned that the first lift of restrictions was scheduled for 17 August. Two people would then be able to visit their relatives in prison.
27 March. All family visits were suspended. The administration announced the gradual introduction of video calls to allow prisoners to keep in touch with their families.
13 March. There are 4 200 prisoners in Irish prisons. Faced with the risk of the epidemic spreading within its facilities, the prison administration announced strict restrictions on visits. Visits are limited to 15 minutes, once a week per prisoner. Visitors under the age of 18 and those with flu symptoms are not admitted.
Appeals and recommendations.¶
9 July. The organisation Irish Prison Reform Trust urged the authorities to begin reforming the complaint system promised four years ago. The organisation stated that the current internal system did not meet the criteria of an independent mechanism. It maintained that the current restrictive measures made independent external oversight even more necessary. Of the 24 serious complaints (category A) received from prisoners during the first half of 2020, two had not been examined and 21 were still being investigated, as the inquiries had been put on hold during the pandemic.
30 March. The Irish Penal Reform Trust submitted to the Prison Service and Ministry of Justice a list of recommendations and measures that would limit the impact of the pandemic in prisons. The organisation caled, inter alia, for a significant reduction in the prison population, support for prisoners upon release, and the introduction of preventive and protective measures in prisons.
Identified cases¶
30 December. Several staff members tested positive at Wheatfield prison.
16 November. Six staff members of Limerick Prison were declared positive with the virus after extensive tests were carried out on 6 and 12 November on site.
An additional positive case was detected at Midlands prison. The prison administration believed to have stopped the “spread of the virus” among prisoners and staff members.
6 November. One inmate tested positive for the virus in Limerick prison. All inmates and staff were to be tested as a precaution.
2 November. Some staff members tested positive in Midlands prison. Mass testing was carried out in the prison during the previous week after several inmates were infected. No new positive cases were detected among inmates.
30 October. Prison officials indicated that five inmates at Midlands prison tested positive for the virus and were quarantined. Tests were done on the other inmates and staff. Ten inmates have been infected throughout the country.
22 October. A total of four prisoners have tested positive nationwide according to the Minister of Justice. She stated that: “each positive case was a recently committed prisoner from the community and none of the cases have been acquired within the prison environment”.
11 September. Two inmates at Cloverhill prison tested positive on arriving to prison.
3 April. Four guards tested positive for COVID-19. Eighty-two prisoners were confined to their cells at this time. No prisoners had thus far tested positive.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners: 1
Northern Ireland¶
Sentence adjustments¶
3 April. Nearly 100 prisoners would be granted temporary release beginning 6 April. This measure applied to people with less than three months remaining of their sentences.
30 March. Almost 200 out of 1 500 inmates in Northern Ireland will be temporarily released. This measure would concern people whose remaining sentence period is less than three months.
Contact with the outside world¶
10 December. Previously suspended in-person visits were allowed to resume in the days leading up to Christmas. Inmates were allowed to receive parcels from their loved ones, according to the Minister of Justice.
16 October. Mothers at Hydebank prison have been using Zoom since August to stay in contact with their children. They welcome the online access between 17 and 19 hours to be able to “see and chat with their kids”, “help with their school homework and read bedtime stories to them”.
8 October. The visits to Magilligan Prison have been temporarily suspended. This decision was taken after the detection of several positive cases among the healthcare staff working at the prison.
26 June. The head of the Maghaberry high-security prison rejoiced from the positive effect that video calls had on the prisoner’s daily lives. He explained that some people of foreign nationalities had seen their relatives for the first time since their imprisonment. Others were able to see their homes, loved ones who were not able to travel, or their pets. The administration of the establishment indicated that they wanted to continue offering these calls in the future.
5 May. A significant number of prisoners at Maghaberry exhibited withdrawal symptoms. The suspension of visits meant drugs were more difficult to obtain. The guards, already at reduced staffing levels, worried about how to manage the increasingly erratic behaviour of some of these individuals.
23 March. The prison administration announced the suspension of all prison visits.
Appeals and recommendations¶
1 May. InsideTime interrogated the Justice Minister Naomi Long on her handling of the epidemic in prisons. The newspaper estimated her response to be the best in the United Kingdom and offering “a brilliant example”. The country holds nearly 1 600 prisoners in three prisons.
The Northern Ireland section of Amnesty International UK requires the government to immediately consider alternative sentences for prisoners who are vulnerable because of their age or health condition if they do not seem to be a danger to themselves or to the society. It also requires them to release prisoners awaiting trial and those convicted of “minor” offenses.
The Minister of Justice contests that possible releases are imminent. S/he specifies in particular that these measures will only be considered if need be “to ensure the security of supervisors”.
Acts of protest¶
16 September. Some twenty inmates who are members of the New IRA went on a hunger strike to protest the quarantine conditions of Dr. Issam Bassalat at Maghaberry prison. The Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (IRPWA) denounced people being quarantined in “filthy and dirty” conditions. The protest movement was organised so that Dr. Issam Bassalat could be transferred to Roe House where New IRA inmates were held. Prison officials do not comment on individual cases. They emphasised however, that it is policy to quarantine anyone entering the jail for 14 days.
Identified cases¶
18 October. Four prison officers atHydebank Wood facility for women and young offenders tested positive for COVID-19. Fourteen other staff members who tested negative are self-isolating at home. Two inmates who were contacts are also in quarantine.
15 October. Maghaberry prison officials announced one positive case among its inmates. This inmate had been previously quarantined while waiting for COVID-19 test results. Fellow inmates on the same floor were being monitored by medical staff. A prison guard was asked to self-isolate at home.
6 September. A first inmate tested positive at Maghaberry prison. The inmate was placed in self-isolation and treated in a special section of the facility.
5 May. A man infected with COVID-19 was placed in temporary isolation in the Hydebank Wood Secure College (Belfast) prison. The prison authorities confirmed that he would be isolated from the other inmates in the prison and that the planned procedures would be “applied and carefully monitored”.
30 April. Five guards tested positive.
26 March. Several prisoners with symptoms characteristic of Covid-19 are placed in confinement. 165 of the 1,000 prison guards in the country are confined due to the coronavirus.
Contact with the outside world¶
11 November. The Afstaðir association for prisoners denounced a suspension of visits for more than five months in the prisons of Litla-Hraun and Hólmsheiði since the beginning of the pandemic. In open prisons, this ban had been in effect for 128 days. The president of the association said that only one computer was available to prisoners to contact their relatives via Skype. The Minister of Justice denied these allegations.
6 April. All visits, activities, permissions to leave and transfers were suspended. Video conferences were organised to maintain connections.
9 November. The Antigone association established a map to follow what was happening in prison during the second wave of the epidemic.
Antigone association has analysed the recent events and published a set of recommendations on how to manage the pandemic in prison.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
28 November. In Campanie, Prison Inspector Samuele Ciambriello, highlighted the lack of sanitising products and masks in Poggioreale prison.
16 November. Antigone association published a report regarding the situation following the second wave in Italian prisons.
11 November. Antigone association tried to explain the high number of infections during the second wave despite the health protocols in place. Between the end of July and 30 October, more than a thousand people were imprisoned. The increase in the prison population reduced the space reserved for the isolation of new arrivals, as well as for positive cases.
9 November. Antigone Association launched a series of videos to inform about the health situation in prison.
30 July. Prison guards indicated that the care of prisoners with mental disorders was satisfactory at the Dozza prison in Bologna, due to the regulated measures. The staff did not receive adequate training, or they were understaffed. In the men’s quarter, prisoners suffering from mental health problems were separated from others.
19 May. A decree allocated 31.7 million euros for the Justice Ministry to purchase sanitizing products, personal protection equipment and IT devices.
13 May. The Italian Coalition of Civil Liberties and Rights purchased, with the aid of international donors, personal protection devices for inmates unable to obtain them. A total of 5 000 masks was delivered to the Milan-San Vittore prison and 2 000 to the Trieste prison.
Judicial system¶
29 September. The hiring competition for 45 prison directors has been delayed to January 2021, in contrast to other public service competitions. The organisation Antigone believes that this decision shows that the Justice Ministry is not interested in the question of prisons. The organisation pointed out that in 2019, only 53 prisons had a permanent director.
9 July. The number of inmates in the country’s prison increased again, having fallen between February and May.
Sentence adjustments¶
19 August. A report from the Antigone organisation reported a reduction in the prison population. The main beneficiaries of the release measures were women and foreigners.
10 May. Through a decree, the government tightened release conditions of prisoners held for mafia crimes. This provided for a case review every two weeks.
6 May. The Ministry of Justice announced that members of the mafia who had been temporarily released owing to their age or vulnerability to the virus were to be reincarcerated.
18 April. The prison population decreased by 6 000 since the start of the pandemic in March.
16 March. The government adopted a decree amending the regulations regarding house arrest. 2 000 to 3 000 people could be released in the coming weeks. The Italian Coalition for civil liberties and rights considers these changes insufficient. It calls on the authorities to extend these measures to detainees who are particularly vulnerable because of their age or health.
Contact with the outside world¶
11 November. Due Palazzi prison had a few positive cases. As a result, between 6 and 15 November, the volunteering activities were suspended. The celebrations at the prison parish, which had resumed in early September, were suspended.
6 November. The Prime Minister announced the implementation of new measures. In particular, it provided for a ban for visitors to travel to visiting rooms in red zones.
15 October. Most prisons resumed their visits. The increased number of phone calls inmates have been allowed to make since the beginning of the pandemic will continue.
In some facilities, relatives and inmates must choose between visits in person and visits by videoconference.
15 July. Inmates at Rebibbia Nuovo Complesso prison were allowed visits from minors accompanied by an adult. Prisoners said nonetheless that the meetings took place over the phone behind a plexiglass screen, which wasn’t appropriate for the children who were scared. They suggested that the visits take place in the prison’s green space, while keeping a safe distance. The prison administration refused the idea.
13 July. Training programmes started again.
4 June. Family visits resumed. The number of people allowed would depend on the prison administration and the type of facility. In some prisons, prisoner access to technology was suspended. Other prisons let prisoners choose between video calls or real live visits. Visits from other people still were suspended.
Acts of protest¶
12 March. The visits suspension triggered revolts in several prisons in the country. Twelve prisoners died. The association Antigone has documented the timeline of events and published a set of recommendations to manage the epidemic in prisons.
Appeals and recommendations¶
23 December. The MP Riccardo Magi asked the Italian government to prepare a vaccination plan for inmates and prison staff, classing them as a priority.
19 December. Prison Inspector Samuele Ciambriello and chaplain Don Franco Esposito organised a march in the vicinity of Poggioreale prison to support the prioritisation of inmates and prison staff in vaccination planning.
14 November. Patrizzio Gonella, from Antigone association, called for an urgent reduction of the prison population. He maintained that there should be free numbers for families to call and get information about their loved one’s health. Distance education should be offered.
13 November. Rita Bernardini, President of the Hands of Cain, began a hunger strike to denounce the management of the epidemic in prison. “Folsom Prison Blues” is appealing on Facebook to support her.
30 July. Prisoners at the Bancali prison in Sardinia sent a letter in which they described the conditions of detention as ”tragic” within the prison due to the restrictions imposed. They criticized the 14-day quarantine of prisoners returning from their temporary leaves. They indicated that the staff was not subjected to the same treatment. The visitation settings were said to be unsatisfactory: families must wait several hours outside before entering the prison. They claimed to be treated unfairly by the supervisors. Prisoners with drug dependencies reportedly had no access to any care and were “left to fend for themselves”.
11 May. Patrizio Gonnella explained how the release of inmates with ties to the mafia risked undermining other prisoners, who could be subject to new restrictions.
25 March. The Antigone association and other organizations present a series of proposals to MPs to guarantee prisoners’ right to health.
18 March. Antigone declared that the government measures announced on 16 March were insufficient. The group for the defense of prisoners’ rights advised that over 14 000 inmates would have to be released, to alleviate prison overcrowding and avoid the spread of the virus.
Identified cases¶
1 December. The number of inmates who have contracted the virus has increased. Officials recently reported 1 000. The number of cases among staff is 989 compared to 1,042 on 25 November.
25 November. The Minister of Justice announced that 826 inmates tested positive, as well as 1,042 staff members.
18 November. Twenty inmates and nine officers at Brissogne prison tested positive.
16 November. Unit 41 at Tolmezzo prison has been affected again by the virus. Judges rejected demands for alternative measures to the detention procedures now in force in the unit. They emphasized that inmates were being kept in individual cells, that every health restriction was being enforced and that this was lowering the risk of contagion.
16 November. Twenty-two inmates at Arsizio prison, tested positive.
28 October. About 150 inmates and 200 staff members tested positive in Italian prisons.
30 September. Twenty inmates have tested positive and one has been hospitalised. Fifty-seven staff members also tested positive. Four of them died from COVID-19.
21 July. A total of 287 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 in 190 prisons across the country since the start of the pandemic.
1 May. One prisoner at the Milan-San Vittore prison died of COVID-19. A total of 159 prisoners and 215 staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.
23 April. Sixty-eight prisoners in Lorusso e Cutugno prison in Turin tested positive. Five of them were hospitalised.
30 March. The unions announced the death of two prison staff members and 150 others are reported to be sick.
27 March. Fifteen prisoners tested positive for the Covid-19 and 260 were placed in quarantine. Some 200,000 masks, 760,000 disposable gloves and 1,600 mobile phones have been distributed to prisons in recent weeks.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 6
Kosovo¶
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
7 April. Prison and medical staff were required to wear protective equipment to work. Masks and soap were provided to prisoners. Prisoners would be held in solitary confinement for at least 14 days prior to entry or exit and would be subject to a medical examination.
Sentence adjustments¶
15 April. Sentences for chronically ill prisoners, non-repeated offenders and for those held only on weekends might be suspended by means of a court application.
Contact with the outside world¶
29 August. Family members have not been allowed to visit inmates since the beginning of the month. On 18 August, prison officials permitted one family member per inmate to visit.
15 April. Visits, weekend releases and detainee transfers were suspended in prisons. The administration introduced the implementation of video calls so that detainees were able to communicate with their families.
Identified cases¶
29 August. Six inmates and 41 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Sick inmates were quarantined and treated in units prepared for such eventualities.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 5
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
20 April. New inmates were placed in quarantine for 14 days. The temperature of prison staff would be taken before each shift. Anyone whose temperature would be too high would be sent to the doctor.
The prisons and penitentiary hospital of Olaine set up suitable and isolated rooms for eventual COVID-19 cases.
Contact with the outside world¶
13 November. Riga Prison was placed in quarantine after discovering that five inmates and four officers had tested positive. This was scheduled for 12 to 17 November, and resulted in the suspension of visits from families, lawyers and representatives of institutions, as well as activities and educational programs.
17 March. Following the declaration of the state of emergency, the penal administration announced the suspension of visits, prisoner transfers, and new short-term imprisonments (15 days to 3 months). Phone calls and videoconferencing were granted to compensate for the restrictions.
Identified cases¶
20 April. Prison authorities announced that no COVID-19 cases had been detected in the country’s prisons.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 15
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
30 July Wearing a mask would be compulsory in prisons.
23 July Social, sporting and cultural reintegration activities resumed in prisons.
2 July. Group activities aimed at developing prisoners’ skills resumed at Panevezys prison.
19 March. Inmates who tested positive and those who were in contact with the virus were placed in isolation and/or under observation. Before entering or leaving, inmates would be placed in isolation for 14 days.
The majority of prison staff were equipped with masks and hydroalcoholic hand gel. The premises would be regularly cleaned and disinfected.
The women’s prisons began to sew masks.
Contact with the outside world¶
30 July. Long-term prison visits remained prohibited. In order to prevent contact between detainees and their families, short contactless visits were extended to the maximum and additional calls were guaranteed.
13 July. Short visits with relatives and lawyers were allowed. Marriages of prisoners could be celebrated. The ban on short temporary leaves was lifted.
18 June. Visits were authorised once more.
19 March. Visits were suspended, except attorneys. Inmates were permitted to make additional phone calls. Prisoner transfers were suspended.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners: 1
Contact with the outside world¶
16 March. Authorities announced the scaling back of visits, which would be limited to 25 per week and no more than two visitors at a time. Visitors would have to fill out a form and have their temperature checked before entering the facility. Direct contact has been forbidden, and a window would separate inmates from visitors. Lawyers also would have limited access, and other third parties would not be allowed into the prison. Transportation of inmates was reduced to a minimum, and new arrivals would be tested before being admitted.
Acts of protest¶
31 March. Thirty prisoners went on hunger strike to protest against incarceration conditions.
26 March. A riot involving 25 prisoners erupted in the Schrassig prison, mainly as a result of a lack of masks and disinfecting hand gel. Those involved were condemned to one month in isolation.
Identified cases¶
18 April. A first inmate tested positive for COVID-19 at the Schrassing prison. He was taken to hospital.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
1 July. The prison director of Stip indicated that protective measures had been put in place for the past three months. Prisoners received protective and hygienic equipment. Entries to the facility were controlled by taking temperatures and disinfecting everyone entering the prison. The premises were disinfected daily. A prison employee who was not in contact with the prisoners contracted the COVID-19.
Contact with the outside world¶
14 July. Inmates at Stip prison voted at the parliamentary elections. A room was set up to allow prisoners to vote, while complying with sanitary regulations. Prisoners’ voting slips will be sent to the electoral commissions of those councils where the prisoners hold a residential address.
Identified cases¶
2 July. One prisoner at the Idrizovo prison in Skopje tested positive for COVID-19, after an exit permit on 24-25 June. Ten prisoners who had been in contact with her were placed in solitary shelter.
9 April. A prisoner from the Sutka prison in Skopje died of COVID-19.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 12
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
7 November. Some sections of Corradino prison, were repurposed to accommodate people in quarantine. Nurses working in these sections were expected to carry out tasks such as food distribution and removal of rubbish. Correctional officers expressed their concern about the safety of the nurses involved.
29 October. Random tests were being conducted in Malta prison. The tests were meant to replace the daily temperature checks that were being done prior to June. The tests give rapid results and can be carried out quickly on a large number of inmates.
27 October. The division 6 of Corradino prison, was censured by the CPT and previously closed due to the inadequate detention conditions that were being used for quarantining new prisoners. They are isolated for a period of two weeks, 23 hours a day. The CPT noted in 2013 that the cells had limited access to natural light and ventilation. They were equipped with a floor mattress and an open floor toilet.
24 August. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that so far 600 tests have been performed, both on the staff and on the prisoners. Everyone has been required to wear a visor or a mask under all circumstances.
16 April. Prisoners at the Corradino Prison produced masks and other protective equipment to assist the fight against the coronavirus in the prison.
8 April. New working conditions were introduced for 130 correctional officers to reduce movements in and out of Corradino prison. They would last until the end of the pandemic. The guards would work and reside for seven consecutive days on the prison site.
March. New inmates would be placed in isolation for two weeks before joining the others in the prison cells. Masks were issued and the facilities would be scrubbed down regularly by staff and prisoners.
Judicial system¶
5 June. The prison staff resumed their usual work routine and stopped the week-long shifts that had been adopted during the health crisis.
Appeals and recommendations¶
8 April. The TV presenter and human rights advocate Peppi Azzopardi appealed to the authorities to release vulnerable prisoners from Corradino prison (Paola). He also suggested that prisoners serving a sentence of less than one year be released and tagged.
Sentence adjustments¶
27 March. The government considered a number of measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus in prisons. These measures include the creation of temporary prisons to alleviate the overcrowding at Corradino prison, granting house arrest with an electronic bracelet for those prisoners nearing the end of their sentence, and the separation of elderly and vulnerable inmates from the rest of the prison population.
Contact with the outside world¶
24 August. Visits have been only possible through a plexiglass window. Prisoners have been encouraged to contact their relatives via Skype.
5 June. The visits resumed. However, physical contact was still prohibited, and video calls were continuing.
March. Visits were suspended. New means for communication were put in place to maintain contact with the outside world. New inmates would be placed in isolation for two weeks before joining the others in the prison cells. Masks were issued and the facilities would be scrubbed down regularly by staff and prisoners.
Identified cases ¶
25 October. At Korbin prison, 12 inmates were placed in quarantine after testing positive. The division 6 of the facility is used to isolate new arrivals. The administration mentioned that all the necessary tests were being done. Most of the positive cases have been identified among the new prisoners.
10 October. An incoming prisoner tested positive after being placed in quarantine. The authorities mentioned this was the only case and that the situation was under control. The cell occupied by the inmate was decontaminated.
24 August. Five prison officers tested positive at Corradino prison.
10 August. An agent tested positive from COVID-19 after escorting an inmate to the hospital. People who have been in contact with the officer and prisoner have also been tested. The results came back negative.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
9 June. The Council of Europe donated protective equipment to the Moldovan prison administration to provide urgent support for inmates and prison staff.
12 March. Justice Minister announced the introduction of a special regime to prevent and fight against the spread of coronavirus. This plan included, among other things, a daily medical update to senior management, the conversion of vacant spaces (sports halls, teaching rooms) into isolation rooms and reporting of prisoners’ health status over the past 14 days. Masks were issued to prison officers.
Contact with the outside world¶
12 March. Visits, meetings and activities were limited, even suspended. Video calls were put in place to make up for this. Prisoner transfers were suspended.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
24 April. The European Union and the European Council donated 2 000 masks, 50 litres of disinfectant and 10 dispensers to the prison administration.
14 April. The Council for Police Control NGO denounced the “poor” sanitary conditions of remand prisons which may facilitate the spread of coronavirus.
1 April. Sanitary measures were introduced in the prisons at Spuž and Bijelo Polje to prevent the virus from spreading. The premises were disinfected. The staff and prisoners were provided with protective equipment, including gloves, masks and hydroalcoholic gel. Medical checks were also carried out.
Appeals and recommendations¶
2 April. Inmates in the country’s prisons requested the authorities to take measures to protect them against the possible spread of the virus.
Identified cases¶
9 July. Two wardens at Spusk prison contracted Covid-19. Nine prisoners and 21 members of staff were placed in quarantine as a preventative measure. Since the beginning of the epidemic there have been no Covid-19 cases recorded.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 9
Contact with the outside world¶
15 October. Entering and leaving Bjørgvin prison have been temporarily suspended. The discovery of a positive case among prison guards led to this decision.
13 March. Visits were suspended except for lawyers, the police and embassy personnel. These visits would take place through a separating glass pane. It is nevertheless recommended to them to opt for communication via videoconference. The administration has made 800 tablets available for this purpose.Prisoners would benefit from free calls to compensate for these restrictions.
Prisoners considered at risk and those who tested positive were placed in isolation.
Permissions to leave were suspended.
A new rule permitting the extension of electronic tag surveillance to sentences up to six months (previously four) was enacted until 1 May.
Sentence adjustments¶
16 March. Early release was granted to 194 prisoners.
Identified cases¶
15 October. 72 Bjørgvin prison inmates as well as eight guards were placed in quarantine after a prison employee tested positive for COVID-19.
9 October. A prisoner held in Kongsvinger tested positive for COVID-19. Forty-four of his fellow inmates and five staff members were placed in quarantine until October 18.
14 April. Four inmates from the Bastøy prison, located in the Oslofjord, have tested positive to COVID-19
1 April. One prisoner and four prison staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 10
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
14 March. Various measures have been taken “to limit the number of contacts and thus the risk of contamination”. Any prisoner showing symptoms characteristic of COVID-19 is placed in isolation. Visits are prohibited, except for lawyers and parents/guardians for juvenile prisoners. Prisoners with day or weekend leave permits are temporarily prohibited from leaving the prison premises.
Sentence adjustments¶
14 July. An article noted that 200 prisoners had been released and tagged. The Justice and Security minister placed an order for an additional 1 500 ankle tags. An advisor to the probation services indicated that the tagging of prisoners would last “as long as coronavirus would pose a threat.”
30 April A new measure permitted the anticipated early release of a number of prisoners under electronic tag. Only 700 tags were available, which did not allow every request to be granted. Discussions were under way to find a solution.
Acts of protest¶
12 April. A protest involving 40 to 50 prisoners took place at the Lelystad Penitentiary Institution. Sources said that the protest started because of the institution’s measures against the spread of the coronavirus. The Ministry of Justice and Security has not yet confirmed nor denied this information.
Appeals and recommendations¶
23 April. Three inmates in the Schiphol Judicial Complexdenounced the failure to enact measures, notably on social distancing and prison staff wearing masks. Lawyers requested more measures be adopted and prisoners to be rapidly granted early release.
Identified cases¶
19 March. The prison administration confirmed a prisoner’s positive test for coronavirus at the hospital ward of the Scheveningen prison. About 20 prisoners are isolated as a precautionary measure.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 3
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
8 May. The Polish Commissioner for Human Rights received complaints from prisoners regarding the sanitary conditions and inadequate protection against the coronavirus. They were in need of soap, shampoo, washing powder, disinfectant and hot water. The prisoners were unable to keep a safe enough distance from each other in the cells and were unable to see a doctor. Those who had symptoms were not tested.
Judicial system¶
8 May. In the detention centres at Bialoleka and Gdansk, lawyers were unable to meet with their clients without a valid medical certificate.
Sentence adjustments¶
23 March. To curb coronavirus spread, the Minister of Justice planned to extend house arrests under electronic surveillance. This measure would benefit around 12 000 convicts.
Contact with the outside world¶
10 September. Visits from children of inmates were still banned in the prisons. Some of the inmates have not seen their children since March.
29 July. Family visits resumed with certain restrictions. Each prisoner was entitled to one visit per month. Prisoners were only able to meet with one family member and children were not allowed. The visits were organised in such a way to prevent any physical contact by a plexiglass window. Visitors and prisoners would be required to wear masks and gloves during visits. The Commissioner for Human Rights considered these rules too strict.
8 May. Longer and more frequent telephone calls were arranged in response to suspended visits.
23 March. Visits and work outside their enclosure are suspended. Sewing workshops were set up in many prisons to make masks and protective suits.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 104
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
10 November. Prison overcrowding is contributing to the spread of COVID-19. Inmates continue to play football, play cards and be lumped in together, in spite of the presence of a second wave. Masks are not mandatory, and young inmates mix with older inmates. The most affected prison appeared to be Tires prison, which had 158 cases.
19 May. The army was called in to train prison staff on proper sanitizing procedures.
6 May. New prisoners would have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Sentence adjustments¶
14 November. The Minister of Justice explained that no release would be granted during the health crisis. In April, 1,867 prisoners had been released, according to data from the prison administration.
9 July. The political party Chega presented a draft law to send those prisoners released as part of the preventative measures against Covid-19 back to prison. The Supreme Judicial Council (CSM) criticised the law, which it considered unconstitutional. The bar, which also disagreed with the law, considered that sending those prisoners back who had already been released would risk the virus spreading in prison facilities.
6 July. The health crisis led to the release of 1,874 prisoners. The occupancy rate as of 1 July is now 83.9%. Most facilities were, by the end of 2019, overcrowded. Torres Nova prison had an occupancy rate of 160%.
24 June. The prison service stated that three officials coming to work at the prison had tested positive for Covid-19.
28 April. 1,867 prisoners were released since the beginning of the month.
8 April. The government planned to release up to 2,700 prisoners. The measure was vehemently criticised by the opposition.
1 April. Several judges asked the government to approve an exceptional law to release 1 400 prisoners and thereby reduce overcrowding.
23 March. Authorities announced the release of individuals held in remand awaiting trial in the following weeks.
Contact with the outside world¶
19 October. The State invested 300,000 euros in 675 cabins to be used for visits.
23 June. The Minister of Justice announced that 42 of the country’s 49 prisons had been equipped to reassume visits. They indicated that from 15 June visits proceeded in 14 prisons. They estimated that visits could begin in all prisons by the end of the month.
9 June. The Ministries of Justice and of Culture arranged for 70 movies to be shown in prisons and education centres around the country to make up for the restrictions imposed by the health crisis.
18 May. The Justice Ministry indicated that family visits were to resume in June in prisons and education centres.
6 May. Prison administration tripled the number of telephone calls permitted for inmates.
9 March. The government announced the temporary suspension of prison visits.
Acts of protest¶
26 June. The supervisors of the Carregueira prison in Sintra protested after the confirmation of three positive cases among the prison guards. The monitors delayed the opening of cells and visitations. They requested that 40 staff members who had been in close contact with the three ill supervisors be tested.
Identified cases¶
16 November. At Lisbon main prison, 81 prisoners and eight staff members tested positive. At Guimaraes prison, three staff members were infected. Further testing will be performed. Activities, trainings and visits were suspended.
19 August. Ten inmates tested positive. Sixteen inmates were quarantined.
29 June. One detainee at the Vale do Sousa prison in Paços de Ferreira tested positive.
26 June. Three prison guards tested positive for COVID-19 at the Carregueira prison.
18 May. Prison administration indicated that two detainees tested positive at the Vale de Judeus and Pinheiro da Cruz prisons.
28 April. Thirteen prison staff tested positive.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners: 21
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
14 May. According to the instructions of the prison administration, all persons showing symptoms of COVID-19 should be transferred to Brno prison, where a “COVID Department” was in place.
8 April. A prison service spokeswoman affirmed that strict preventive measures were in place in Czech prisons. Anyone with a body temperature above 38 ° C would be prevented from entering prisons.
18 March. The prison administration has distributed sewing machines and equipment to detainees so they can sew protective masks. The aim would be to produce up to 50,000 masks per month in order to give them to prisons and hospitals.
Contact with the outside world¶
5 August. Children were allowed to visit their relatives in prison. In the case of visits by children under 15, a second visitor was allowed. A plexiglass barrier would separate visitors from prisoners. All would be required to wear a mask.
8 June. Visits were authorized again. The Ministry of Health announced the modalities for resuming visits. Children were prevented from visiting their parents because only one person per visit was allowed and those under 15 could not enter the prison on their own. Before entering the prison, the visitor must sign a declaration stating that he was not being treated for an infectious disease. The visits would take place without physical contact thanks to a protective plexiglass barrier. All visitors must use protective equipment.
8 April. Visits were prohibited since the beginning of the epidemic. They were replaced by longer phone calls.
Identified cases¶
9 September. Twenty-one positive cases were detected among inmates at Příbram prison in Bytiz. Those who were ill were quarantined and taken to hospital while the prison was sanitized. Seventy inmates were tested, and all turned out negative.
14 May. 11 prison staff members had tested positive at this time, ten of whom had already healed. A prisoner in pre-trial detention had the coronavirus.
8 April. Nine members of the prison service were tested positive for the coronavirus. No case was reported among the detainees.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners: 337
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
25 May. Inmates extradited from countries where COVID-19 is present had to be quarantined for 27 days. They were placed in special facilities in order to ensure health protection measures were in place.
A technical-medical committee was created to help prevent the spread of the virus among inmates and staff. It was also put in charge of implementing adequate health restrictions.
Quarantine areas were put in place for suspected cases in five prison health units.
Prison officials announced the need to unblock additional funds to obtain health supplies and sanitizers.
Information obtained from the prison by the APADOR-CH organizaton.
16 March. Officials declared a state of health emergency. A prevention awareness campaign was held for inmates and personal protective equipment was handed out. Information and health messages were given out on radio and television. Psychological help was made available to inmates at risk. Measures were taken to implement physical distancing as recommended by health authorities. Staff members were to be checked for any health changes when entering and leaving prison facilities. Vehicles used to transfer inmates were to be sanitized by staff after every use.
Information obtained from the prison by the APADOR-CH organizaton.
Judicial system¶
25 May. Inmate transfers were suspended except for medical emergencies, court orders, security purposes, or changes in the detention regime. Court hearings for inmates could be held by video conferencing, or at a later date.
Information obtained from the prison by the APADOR-CH organizaton.
Contact with the outside world¶
May. Visits were resumed in mid-May with special rules.
14 April. The 16 March decree was extended and visits and the receipt of parcels remain suspended. The number of calls allowed for inmates in maximum security was increased from 2 to 5 per day. The length of their calls is now a maximum of 45 minutes per day, and 75 minutes per day for other inmates. Two telephone suppliers who have a contract with the prison decreased their rates.
Information obtained from the prison by the APADOR-CH organizaton.
16 March. Visits, as well as teaching, training and activities were suspended.
Information obtained from the prison by the APADOR-CH organizaton.
Acts of protest¶
18 March. Three inmates died and two were seriously injured after a fire at the Satu Mare prison in north-west Romania. The detainees started the fire by burning their mattresses to protest the restrictions, including reduced visiting hours, imposed as part of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Identified cases¶
11 November. At least 337 inmates have tested positive since the first cases appeared in September. Officials reported that, to this date, 214 positive inmates were being treated in the Bucarest-Jilava prison hospital.
20 August. Eleven new cases of COVID-19 have been detected among prison staff since 14 August.
5 June. A member of staff at Craivo prison tested positive for coronavirus.
7 May. 333 prisoners were tested, but none tested positive. Among the 558 officers tested, 22 were carriers for COVID-19.
28 April. One Deva prison inmate tested positive. He was asymptomatic and quarantined. His second test turned out negative and he was being followed up. One inmate on remand tested positive. She was transferred to the Bucharest-Jilava prison hospital where she received care from the emergency department.
Information obtained from the prison by the APADOR-CH organizaton.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 239
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
18 September. A report detailed the impact of the pandemic inside prisons. At the beginning of August, the federal department announced that 3,526 officers and 1,224 prisoners had contracted the virus. No early release policy has been implemented. Visits have been suspended, and no compensatory measures have been stablished to help maintain family ties.
14 August. Prisoners at IK-4 prison have reported symptoms of COVID-19 (loss of smell, taste, fever) and have not been tested. Some prisoners with illnesses have been locked up with others who are healthy and still work.
8 August. According to a document from the federal authorities in the Omsk region, prisoners at LIU-2 prison reported having symptoms of COVID-19. Patients have been isolated, tested, and placed under medical supervision. Visits have also been suspended.
2 June. The Russian Red Cross helped prisoners in the Moscow prisons. They delivered 40 boxes of medicine, vitamins and two respirators. According to Igor Trounov, the president of the Moscow bureau, “the situation in the prisons [was] nightmarish”. Detainees lacked space (overcrowding), food (restrictions on family parcels, food shortages), medication. He regretted that this aid had not been systematized in all of the country’s prisons.
8 June. Detainees from the prison IK-9 in the Tver region were trained for preventive measures to combat the coronavirus.
14 May. In the prisons of Moscow, the number of walks was reduced. Prisoners could only go out once every two days, or once every three days depending on the prison.
7 May. The short stay “Matrosskaïa Tichina” prison in Moscowreserved a building for inmates suspected of being infected with COVID-19.
9 April. The prison administration opened 49 laboratories in prison health establishments to test prisoners and staff members. Additionally, 1 400 tests have already been carried out.
7 April. The prison administration of Moscow invited prisoners to acquire masks and disinfectant by their own means via prison canteens. Masks were still unavailable, according to information from MediaZona.
6 April. Staff from prison SIZO 1 in Yekaterinburg started working for periods of 15 days. They live inside the prison during their shift.
3 April. All prison establishments in the country were sanitized, according to a publication from the prison administration.
31 March. The penal administration decided upon new strict isolation measures in the Moscow prisons. Visits from lawyers and parcels handling were suspended. Prison staff work has been set up alternately. Rotations are being conducted every two weeks.
Judicial system¶
10 May. The government released 230 million roubles (2.87 million euros) on behalf of the prison administration staff. This amount allowed for payment of a prime (around 340 euros) to officers having worked alongside prisoners with COVID-19. More than 8 000 people shall benefit.
6 May. The number of individuals placed in isolation in Moscow in April declined by half compared to February.
3 May. The prison authorities planned to acquire 9 000 tasers-batons for 111 million roubles (1.4 million euros).
10 April. Prisoners may no longer appear in front of a judge in person, and participation via videoconference was suspended indefinitely.
Sentence adjustments¶
30 April. An amnesty project was under review in the State Duma. It was drafted by Valentin Gefter, director of the Institute for Human Rights and Tamara Morshakova, a former judge at the Constitutional Court. The project recommended alternative measures to confinement, notably confinement at home. Almost 30,000 defendants could benefit, with priority given to minors, to women and men with young children, to older or ill people, to disabled people and those accused of nonviolent crimes or facing less than 5 years of prison.
15 April. The authorities would not grant amnesty to any prisoners for Victory Day, on 9 May. This announcement broke with traditional practice since the 1990s, which granted a general amnesty every five years, and conflicted with repeated demands from civil society since the beginning of the pandemic. The president of the Duma’s State Building and Legislative Committee argued that this amnesty law would have conveyed “a lax message”.
23 March. The Moscow Bar Association published an appeal to criminal lawyers. The appeal encouraged them to call for emergency measures to be put in place for prisoners, especially for older prisoners and those with chronic illnesses. The Bar association statement was intended for lawyers, about the seriousness of the current situation resulting from the spread of COVID-19. It invited lawyers to ensure information was made available about the result of such appeals. The Federal Association of Russian Bars welcomed the initiative and invited other Russian Bars to launch similar appeals.
Contact with the outside world¶
5 October. Short visits to Tomsk prisons have recommenced. Visitors must wear masks and gloves and have their temperature taken.
24 August. Short visits have resumed in the prisons of the Pskov region. Inmates are separated from their families by a glass barrier and visitors must wear masks and gloves. Temperatures are taken on arrival.
3 August. Sending parcels was prohibited since 27 July in the IK5 prison.
15 July. Visits have slowly resumed with the help of a separation device. Control measures have been put in place for receiving package deliveries.
11 June. The detention centre SIZO-1 in Kazan lifted the measures before the end of the month of the expected quarantine, on government’s order.
13-18 May. Several prisons had been placed in quarantine after it was confirmed that staff showed symptoms of COVID-19, or as a precaution:
10 April. Eleven Russian regions implemented exceptional prison measures: the cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, the Republics of Dagestan, Karelia, Komi, Mari El, the region of Krasnodar, and the oblasts of Leningrad, Moscow, Murmansk and Sverdlovsk. The decision to implement the measures was made by the regional head of the prison administration. The following measures may be taken by prisons: halting activities of any kind, restricting access, suspending parcel reception, limiting the work of maintenance services and other general services, except for health services. Limiting conversations between legal representatives and their clients to meetings in booths equipped with a glass partition and using proper protective equipment (facial masks, gloves and shoe covers).
The prison of Yoshkar-Ola (SIZO 1) in Mari El Republic reinforced its confinement measure. Detention centre employees started to remain on duty for 14 days at a time in the prison city, parcels reception was halted and access to court hearings was suspended. On 9 April, one member of the prison staff died, allegedly from COVID-19. Regional officials have not yet confirmed or denied the report.
3 April. The prison administration of Moscow announced that it accepted medicines from relatives of detainees.
16 March. The prison administration of Russia (FSIN) cancelled family visits in the country’s prisons until further notice. Lawyers are permitted to meet with prisoners. Prisoners with symptoms, or thought to have been contaminated by COVID-19 virus, are allowed to go to civilian hospitals. See the FSIN press release in Russian.
Appeals and recommendations¶
25 May. a group of Russian human rights activists launched the Seraya zona (“Grey Zone”) project. They joined efforts to map out the spread of respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, in Russian prisons. They are basing themselves on official data, information sourced from detainees and their relatives (confirmed by multiple sources) and media reports. For each identified case, they send an inquiry to the prosecutor’s office and Federal Penitentiary Service. They called for greater transparency from the prison administration. It is their belief that the prison administration has a responsibility towards civil society regarding the management of the sanitary crisis. La Croix published an article for this initiative on 3 June.
22 May. Vladimir Girinovsky, the leader of the Russian liberal-democrat party, called for vaccines against the coronavirus to be tested on volunteer inmates in exchange for significant sentence remissions in order to accelerate the clinical trial phase.
18 May. 280 relatives of prisoners incarcerated in SIZO 1, Novosibirsk, called upon regional prison authorities to reinstate the delivery of packages and mail.
4 May Human rights advocates worried that the number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in prisons has been under-estimated. Following a promise of anonymity, a prisoner from the Yaroslavl region noted that a number of his fellow inmates had symptoms of respiratory infection, that the social distancing measures were difficult to follow and that no masks had been provided. The inmates were searched three times a day.
Observers have suggested that the prison systems has shut into itself in the health crisis. Human rights advocates and lawyers were struggling to enter prisons ; inmates were facing greater pressures ; it had become more difficult for advocates to monitor the respect for human rights in conditions of detention.
2 April. The NGO Jailed Russia has been publishing a daily monitoring report on the latest COVID-19 epidemic news in Russian prisons (in Russian) since 2 April. It shares information sent by inmates’ relatives, inmates themselves, NGOs, human rights activists, press articles and various publications.
18 April. A petition initiated by journalists, researchers, lawyers and human rights activists demanded that the prison administration be more transparent as to how it is managing the epidemic in places of detention. Signatories requested the regular publication of the test results of inmates and staff in each region.
The director of the prison administration addressed a letter to the President of the Supreme Court of Russia to order a reduction in the number of new prisoners. He called for the President of the Court to encourage the delivery of alternative detention measures for “minor” or “economic” offences. Nearly half of newly arrived prisoners were involved in “minor” offences. Twenty-two prisons had been overcrowded since 1 April. The situation was particularly tense in Crimea, Moscow and its suburb.
April. Civil society organisations, including the Moscow Helsinki Committee, Mothers Against Political Repression and Amnesty International had, for several weeks, called for a general amnesty to protect the most vulnerable and least dangerous prisoners to society in the context of COVID-19 .
31 March. Many rights defenders are pursuing their calls for the release of inmates deemed as “nonrepresentative of a danger to society.” They requested the implementation of efficient measures to ensure prisoner safety. In recent days, authorities have been called out through many open letters: the Commission of Human Rights Oversight in Places of Deprivation of Liberty of Moscow, Myverdict NGO, and Gulagu.net project.
19 March. Thirteen Russian organisations have signed an appeal to international organisations calling for proper measures to be put in place to protect the health and safety of prisoners. The activists are calling for the release of prisoners convicted of minor offences, and the implementation of preventative measures, such as house arrests.
18 March. The government asked the prison administration to start producing masks for the prisoners.
Identified cases¶
24 August. One inmate tested positive at Bachkortostan prison.
1 August. A relative of a detainee in the IK-5 facility in the region of Orenburg reported that 13 people were sick. They complained of cough and fever.
6 July. The prison of Omsk counted more than 300 patients. They were separated from other prisoners but did not receive qualified medical assistance or examinations.
1 July. Several cases of coronavirus were detected among the prisoners and staff in the prisons of the Chelyabinsk region. The contaminated prisoners were isolated and monitored by medical personnel.
29 June. Ten new cases were identified among the prisoners in the Yaroslavl region. The quarantine terminated in the prison of the region which was housing remand prisoners.
25 June. Some cases of coronavirus were reported in a remand center of Orel. Detainees had no access to medical care.
17 June. Prisons in the Moscow region were placed in quarantine. The relative visitations, reception, detainee dismissal, transfers and packages deliveries stopped.
11 June. The prosecution service of the Jewish autonomous Oblast Birobidjan conducted an inquiry into the responsibility of regional prison officials for the 43 prisoners who tested positive. Elements of proof were found. The result could lead to the first criminal offence linked to the spread of the virus in prisons in Russia.
Families of prisoners alerted the media about the presence of COVID-19 in the IK-1 prison of Briansk. Regional prison officials confirmed that there were positive cases, some of whom were asymptomatic. Others had mild symptoms. The seriously ill were quarantined and placed under medical supervision. The number of persons testing positive was not reported.
25 May. The prison administration reported 238 cases among detainees and 980 cases among staff in federal prisons. Authorities carried out 52 000 tests.
14 May Prison authorities reported 617 cases among staff and 145 among prisoners. Since the beginning of the crisis, it had been announced that 208 members of staff and 29 prisoners had recovered.
23 May. Seventy-two members of the staff of the SIZO-1 prison in Ekaterinbourg were sheltered in place under observation in Nizhni Taguil. As of the date of publication, the tests were negative. Seven detainees tested positive in the SIZO-1 prison.
21 May. Several new cases were confirmed: 7 prison staff members in the Tula oblast and 6 staff members in the Yaroslavl oblast.
25 April. The prison administration confirmed that 11 prisoners had tested positive in prison colony No. 2 in Tula. They had mild or undetectable symptoms of the virus. The families pointed to the transfer of 120 inmates initially imprisoned in the No. 2 prison of Moscow to Tula as the cause. The 11 contaminated prisoners were among those transferred. Read article in English
24 April. Twenty-one prisoners and two guards tested positive in two prisons of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, according to the regional government. The prisoners were isolated and received treatment.
23 April. A first prisoner infected with COVID-19 was confirmed in a penal colony in theMourmansk Oblast. The individual was placed in quarantine. He was displaying mild symptoms of the illness. The individuals who had been in contact with him were subsequently tested. The prison was disinfected and put under strict quarantine measures.
16 April. Two staff members of the Balashov prison (Saratov region) contracted COVID-19.
Two prisons in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast were placed under quarantine. A staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
13 April. Five guards were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Republic of Buryatia.
2 April. A staff member of the penal colony IK-5 (Ryazan region)tested positive to COVID-19. He was assigned to shelter-in-place.
2 April. Novaya Gazeta reported on the interviews of detainee relatives regarding the management of the sanitary crisis. Many detainees of the SIZO-1 prison (Moscou) seemed ill. They showed symptoms of respiratory infection and had fever. No testing was done. Sick detainees were placed in cells with healthy ones. Only one doctor worked in the building and he had insufficient time to see all the patients. Medicine stocks were limited and relatives could no longer send packages. The prison administration denied this information in a publication on 3 April.
Several reports were made describing similar situations. Detainees and their families complained about the lack of access to information.
1 April. The head of the Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing ordered the penal administration to test every inmate or staff member showing symptoms. No COVID-19 case has been reported in Russian prisons as of 26 March.
Vladimir Osechkin, of Gulagu.net questioned the increase in the number of influenza or pneumonia cases observed in many regions. It could conceal unregistered COVID-19 cases as such. Verification of this information by the civil society is hindered by the limited access of lawyers and prisoners’ rights defense organizations, as well as the ban on loved ones’ visits.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 2
Identified cases ¶
10 September. A staff member tested positive. Twenty-four others who were in contact with him were placed in self-isolation and tested. Two tests came back negative, and the other results were unknown.
26 August. One inmate tested positive at Opatovce prison. He was placed in self-isolation and treated at the Trencin prison hospital. The inmates and staff who were in contact with him were placed in self-isolation. All results came back negative after the testing of 10 staff members and 44 inmates.
23 March. For the first time, a prisoner tested positive to COVID-19. The detainee is being tended to at the prison hospital of Trencin. A prison doctor ordered immediate anti-epidemic measures.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners: 1
Sentence adjustments¶
19 June. A total of 230 prisoners (16% of the prison population) were released as part of the preventative measures against Covid-19.
18 June. Slovenia released 16% of prisoners during the coronavirus crisis.
1 June. The 150 prisoners temporarily released in March received the order to return to prison. Arrest warrants were issued for those refusing to comply.
20 March. Prisoners could have their sentences suspended for a month. Prisoners who had less than six months of their sentences remaining might be subject to early release. All new incarcerations were suspended.
Contact with the outside world¶
5 June. The prison administration announced to have lifted the restrictions on visits. The rules were then the same as they were before the epidemic.
18 May. The suspension of visits was lifted. Prisoners could be visited by one person. Minors were not allowed in prisons, except in the women’s prison. Wearing a mask and hand washing was compulsory.
13 March. Visits were suspended.
Appeals and recommendations¶
3 June. The Ombudsman indicated to have received several complaints from prisoners and their relatives. These complaints involved the rejection towards their requests for temporary release to prevent the contamination of COVID-19. The Ombudsman indicated that the measures taken for the epidemic did not provide the possibility for prisoners and their relatives to request release. He nevertheless specified that prisoners could explain to the authorities the reasons why they should be granted temporary release. The Ombudsman called on the authorities to consider the prisoners health in determining their temporary release and demanded for special attention towards the vulnerable prisoners who might contract a severe form of COVID-19.
13 March. The National Institute of Public Health published its recommendations to prevent the spread of coronavirus in prisons.
Identified cases¶
24 March. An external staff member tested positive for coronavirus. Eight prisoners who had contact with him were placed in quarantine.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 6
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
9 April. The prison administration received personal protective equipment from the Swedish Armed Forces. Detainees showing symptoms are sheltered in place in prison.
Contact with the outside world¶
24 March. Visits and temporary leaves were suspended. Prison authorities are paying the cost of telephone calls from prisoners to their loved ones. New entries to prison were suspended.
Identified cases¶
9 April. Six inmates have tested positive.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 4
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
1 September.. Marco Nardone, a doctoral student at the Institute for Sociological Research at the University of Geneva examined the different issues that can arise in prison during a health crisis as part of his research: ”As a major crisis, COVID-19 truly reveals the conditions that exist in prison, but it also shows them as institution that are often misunderstood, forgotten and even disdained.”
30 June. It became compulsory to wear a mask in the regional prisons in the canton of Bern. This measure was implemented “with immediate effect” and affected staff, visitors and prisoners when outside their cells.
10 March. The prison facilities of the canton of Geneva announced the implementation of preventive measures at the prisons’ entrance to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. A body temperature check and a systematic visual check would be carried out for every person entering a facility. Persons showing symptoms might be refused entry.
Judicial system¶
11 May. The proportion of foreign prisoners, at its lowest in 15 years, could remain at this level due to borders being closed. Marcelo Aebi from the Federal Statistical Office explained that “Organised gangs who operate in Switzerland and its neighbouring countries account for probably half of all kinds of theft committed in the country”.
25 March. The number of entries decreases at the prison in Champ-Dollon: the number of arrests is limited to cases of a certain seriousness and the execution of some planned imprisonments is postponed. This chronically overcrowded establishment experienced a decrease from 657 to 597 people imprisoned in one week. Its capacity is 398 places.
16 March. Until further notice, the courts in all cantons would limit themselves to “mandatory tasks”.
Sentence adjustments¶
11 May. The pandemic had a double-sided affect: fewer newly sentenced prisoners and fewer releases. André Kuhn, a criminologist, explained that “Someone who is to be given parole must be assessed. Assessors such as hazard commissions were also affected by Covid-19. It is therefore not only new admissions that are put on hold, but also releases.”
15 April. The directors of the justice and police departments (CCDJP) affirmed that the conditional release of vulnerable inmates having served half of their sentence was legally not feasible. The humanrights.ch information platform regretted that the conditional release of people having served two-thirds of their sentence under the Criminal Code was used too infrequently.
The canton of Bern placed 27 vulnerable inmates in open or semi-open prisons. Sentences of less than 30 days for those “posing no risk to society” were suspended.
The total number of inmates at Champ-Dollon (Geneva) dropped from 650 to 560, thanks to the use of preventive detention alternatives such as house arrest, electronic bracelets and the obligation to present oneself to authorities.
3 April. Numerous prisoners, notably at Champ-Dollon, seized on the Genevan justice to protest against restrictions introduced in prisons and requested parole. Complaints increased to over 40 in a week.
20 March. The Order of Lawyers of Geneva requested the implementation of the granting of releases on parole at mid-sentence and the release, as much as possible, of people on remand. One person was infected at Champ-Dollon prison. She was transferred to the administrative detention center of Frambois to prevent infection of other people. Department Head of Prison Medicine of Geneva explained: “We are on a war footing.” Measures were taken: an area reserved for newcomers was set up, a night medical post allowed to watch for people showing symptoms, staff was wearing masks, and surfaces were regularly cleaned.
Contact with the outside world¶
11 December. Prisons in La Plaine de l’Orbe suspended visits. Inmates were entitled to compensatory measures, such as virtual visits.
The courts in various regions are implementing preventive measures. The Vaud Penitentiary Service banned all visits from families and relatives. Only lawyers are allowed to enter the prison to speak to their client.
In Geneva, families are still able to visit a loved one in prison. In view of the measures taken in other regions and in neighborhood countries, the likelihood on the right of access seems compromised.
15 April. The visitation areas of the Champ-Dollon prison in Geneva were equipped with plexiglass windows.
20 March. The county of Valais suspends visits.
19 March. The establishments in the county of Vaud suspend visits. Stamps are offered to prisoners to send letters. They have the possibility of receiving a mail package of 6 kg per week.
The establishments of the county of Geneva suspend children’s visits and amend the regulations applied to visiting rooms. The Brenaz prison turns the common visiting rooms into individual visiting rooms. The “extended” and family visiting rooms are suspended. The Champ-Dollon prison allows lawyers to visit only in case of emergency.
17 March. Establishments in the county of Neuchâtel and in the county of Friborg suspend the visits. To compensate them, prisoners receive, in particular, an additional 10 Swiss francs a week for sending letters.
Acts of protest¶
4 April. About 40 prisoners incarcerated in Champ-Dollon prison refused to return to their cell. They were protesting against prison conditions due to the measures linked to COVID-19. The protest was taken up again the next day by about 20 other prisoners who demanded a cell each. They were sanctioned by being placed in isolation cells, “deprived of daylight, with only a bedstead, mattress and toilet for furniture”, for a period of ten days.
1 April. Around ten female inmates from the Tuilières (Vaud canton) prison complained in a petition addressed to the prison warden about the measures taken to fight the epidemic. They were particularly affected by the suspension of visits and the separation from their children. Officials implemented measures to compensate for this.
Appeals and recommendations¶
26 November. The Geneva Bar Association repeated its request to authorities to reduce the number of inmates at Champ-Dollon prison.
9 April. The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), The Association of Progressive Jurists (AJP) and The Swiss League of Human Rights – Geneva (LSDH-Genève) called for authorities to put an end to overcrowding. This reached 132% in the Champ-Dollon prison. The recommended measures included the release of inmates who committed crimes related to migration, the release on parole of prisoners who completed half of their sentences, a delay in enacting new prison sentences, the restriction of provisional detention and resorting to alternatives to incarceration.
26 March. Lawyers require effective restrictions to limit contagions.
Maître Catherine Hohl-Chirazi, President of the Criminal Commission of the Bar Association, called for various measures: the hearings of defendants must no longer be held in small rooms without windows and a distance must be respected between all parties during public prosecution hearings. The lawyer rings the alarm bell and adds that “if the epidemic were to ignite inside the prison Champ-Dollon, given the overcrowding in the cells, it would have dramatic consequences”.
Identified cases¶
11 December. Prisons in La Plaine de l’Orbe, in the Vaud region, were placed in quarantine until 22 December, following the confirmation of several cases of COVID-19 among inmates and staff.
2 December. The regional medical service was planning to impose lockdown on Favra and Frambois prisons. A new case was detected in an inmate who was transferred from one facility to another. Favra prison is now on its second lockdown in less than a month.
23 November. Favra prison was placed in lockdown after detecting a positive case. The inmate concerned was transferred to Champ-Dollon, where there is a special unit for inmates who are ill. The lockdown was supposed to last until 27 November. Inmates were confined to one floor, and outings and meals were done in small groups.
17 September. One Bochuz prison inmate tested positive. This was the first case in a Vaud region prison. A prevention protocol was put in place. All activities conducted by outside personnel have been suspended and visits involving close contact have been cancelled. Appointments with lawyers and mental health professionals continue and will be conducted behind plexiglass barriers.
28 July.. A prisoner tested positive at Zug prison. As a result, 120 prisoners and 85 prison officers were placed under quarantine.
16 June. In the canton of Bern, only one prisoner out of 1,000 tested positive. The security department welcomed the low transmission rate of the epidemic.
15 April. The prison and judicial authorities announced that 35 people tested positive, of which 33 were staff members.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 15; Deceased prisoner: 1
Judicial system¶
1 April. Judges were concerned about a possible outbreak of COVID-19 in SIZO-19 prison in Kiev. They had noticed a deterioration in the health of the prisoners from that prison. The Minister of Justice did not confirm those reports.
Sentence adjustments¶
8 April. A bill on amnesty submitted to Parliament on 6 March broached the possibility of releasing 900 prisoners. The Minister of Justice specified that the process would be gradual and controlled and would not lead to mass releases. He also wanted to amend the law to reduce new arrivals in pre trial detention centres and penal colonies.
Acts of protest¶
25 April. A protest started in a Tchernivtsi prison during the night of 24 to 25 April. Inmates locked themselves up in their cells and three self-mutilated through cutting. This event followed the arrival the previous day of an accused person contaminated with COVID-19. The new arrival was kept separate from the inmates upon arrival.
Appeals and recommendations¶
22 September. The UN was concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in prisons. It recommended the adoption of amnesty laws for the most vulnerable.
11 April. The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group published comments on the bill of 6 March and the preventive measures taken.
24 March. About 100 of Ukrainian and European NGOs signed an official statement to bring awareness to the situation in Crimea and Donbass prisons, regions under the effective control of the Russian Federation. Visits were suspended after March 16. Prisoners can no longer receive medicines and other essential goods usually brought by their loved ones. Signatories warned about the impossibility of implementing necessary health and protection measures. Health services in prison were described as faulty. No prevention measure has been planned for the showers, work, or body search of detained individuals. The organisations called for international organisations and Russia to immediately take necessary measures to ensure the prisoners’ health in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic and enforce their international commitments.
Identified cases¶
4 June. An inmate sick with COVID-19 died at the IK 6 prison in Kropyvnytskyi. The Ukrainian Ombudsman believed that the death of this inmate was the result of poor organization and failure to comply with quarantine measures in this facility. The Ombudsman visited this prison on 13 May and observed shortcomings.
7 May. Prison authorities reported) 15 cases of coronavirus, affecting three prisoners and 12 members of staff.
23 April. Two cases of coronavirus were declared among the staff of a prison in the west of the country following a test by the Ombudsman. As of 23 April, no cases were confirmed among detainees.
Useful links
Tools.
- The information page of EuroPris, the European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services, on preventive measures.
Appeals and recommendations.
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The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) appealed to continue and increase the application of non-custodial measures to end overcrowding in prisons. The CPT welcomed the initiative proposed by most of the member States to resort to alternative measures other than prison, to limit the spread of the coronavirus. It also commended the member States for facilitating contact between prisoners and the outside world, by providing access to video calls or more frequent telephone calls while visits were suspended.
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The open letter to the presidents of the institutions of the European Union, signed by 50 public figures from several countries, demanding an immediate amnesty for persons deprived of their freedom
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The call of 42 European NGOs to international institutions including the WHO and the Council of Europe
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The statement of principles related to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the context of Covid-19 by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)
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60 MEPs have called on the commission and the European Council to encourage member states to adopt measures to guarantee the protection of prisoners’ fundamental rights
