![pi_fp_portugal_fr.png](/assets/f1440x800-q70/606efe04/pi_fp_portugal_fr.png)
Portugal
Capital city — Lisbon
Country population
i01/2021/ Council of Europe, [SPACE I – 2021 Report] (https://wp.unil.ch/space/space-ii/annual-reports/)Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabit…
i03/2023Type of government
Human Development Index
0.866(38/191)
iHomicide rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)
Name of authority in charge of the pris…
Total number of prisoners
i15/01/2023/ [prison administration]((https://dgrsp.justica.gov.pt/Portals/16/Estatisticas/%C3%81rea%20Prisional/Quinzenais/2023/1q01-2023-sitpen.pdf?ver=YcWdyro24SoCW4lRRFBiUA%3d%3d)Average length of imprisonment (in mont…
i2020/ Council of Europe, SPACE I – Report 2021, p. 123.Prison density
i12/2022Total number of prison facilities
i2021An NPM has been established
Female prisoners
i15/01/2023Incarcerated minors
Percentage of untried prisoners
i31/12/2021Death penalty is abolished
Living conditions
Accommodation
The law establishes a minimum standard for living space per prisoner
no
The size of the cells and the equipment they contain conform to European Prison Rules, which recommend, without providing figures that cells satisfy the minimum standards of human dignity1.
Architect Jorge Mealha visited prisons in 2022 in preparation for new constructions. He found that prisoners were crammed into cells of 20 to 30 square metres, freezing in winter and sweltering in summer, with nothing to do but watch television. Most establishments have only dormitories and it is very difficult to obtain information on the number of people per cell.
European Prison Observatory, “Prison conditions in Portugal”, 2013, p. 10. ↩
Prisoners are accommodated in single cells
yes
Prisoners are placed in individual cells. Prisoners may be placed in collective enclosures in the following cases:
-
To meet the needs of families (a mother/father and their child)
-
To prevent risk of physical or psychological harm
-
In the case of a lack of space in the facility (article 34 of the Prison Rules)
Prisoners sleep on
a bed
All the prisoners are provided with bedding
Cells each have a mattress, a bed, bed linens, a chair and a cupboard.
Cells are fitted with a window that can be opened.
In its 2020-2022 report, the Portuguese Bar Association’s Human Rights Commission (CDHOA) criticises the “damp and mouldy” state of cells in the Ponta Delgada correctional facility. The report also notes that the windows in one of the prison blocks are not wide enough, leading to a lack of natural light and poor air circulation. However, in the medical unit of the same facility, air circulation and natural light are satisfactory. The Commission observed similar conditions in the Odemira prison.1
Portuguese Bar Association’s Human Rights Commission (CDHOA), “Relatório Visitas Estabelecimentos Prisionais 2020-2022”, 2023, pp. 13, 21. (in Portuguese) ↩
The cells/dormitories are provided with electric lighting
yes
The Portuguese Bar Association’s Human Rights Commission (CDHOA) notes in its 2020-2022 report that one wing of the Lisbon prison is shrouded in darkness, as it lacks light bulbs. The report suggests that the bulbs are either being removed or broken by the prisoners.1
Portuguese Bar Association’s Human Rights Commission (CDHOA), “Relatório Visitas Estabelecimentos Prisionais 2020-2022”, 2023, p. 12. (in Portuguese) ↩
The cells/dormitories are equipped with heating and/or air conditioning
no
Prisoners are authorised to equip their cells with an electrical heating appliance or air conditioning unit, at their own expense.
Prisoners can smoke
-
in cells
-
in communal areas
Tobacco consumption is a criterion to assign prisoners to a cell (article 18 of the Regulations).
Hygiene
Prisoners have access to water
in their cell
Showers are located in the cells/dormitories
no
Prisoners have a right to one shower per day. The water must be hot.
Types of sanitary facilities
toilets
Regulations provide for a washbasin and toilet or equivalent sanitary facilities in each cell (article 34 of the Regulations).
The facilities where prisoners are housed are equipped with a WC.
The prison service provides personal hygiene products free of charge
only for new arrivals and destitute prisoners
Prisoners can buy personal hygiene products.
The prison service provides cleaning products free of charge
yes
Beddings are refreshed
yes, once a week
Bed linen changes are the responsibility of prisoners.
Rubbish is collected from cells once a day.
Food
Drinking water is free and available in all areas of the facilities
Number of meals per day
3
An additional meal is served at snack time.
Daily cost of meals per prisoner
$3.48
Private companies are awarded €3.20 per day and per person to meet dietary needs.
Food services are managed by
private food services
The prison service provides food that respects special dietary needs
Specific diets are available for medical reasons and, “where possible”, for religious or philosophical reasons (article 45 of the Regulations).
Prisoners eat their meals in
a communal dining area
In the absence of a dining hall, the governor of the facility determines where meals are to be eaten.
Prisoners placed in a disciplinary cell eat their meals in the cell.
Lisbon’s prison has eight cafeterias for its prisoners. In January 2023, one is shut down because of a ceiling collapse risk. As a result, about 130 prisoners had to eat their meals in their cells for at least a month.
Prisoners can buy food products
Each facility has a canteen service where prisoners can buy food and non-food products. The DGRSP determines which products are made available to the prisoners.
The cost of the products is deducted from the prisoner’s personal account. The DGRSP determines the maximum amount of purchases (Article 50 of the Regulations).
Automatic vending machines give access to coffee, water, soft drinks, baked goods, and tobacco (article 51 of the Regulations).
Prisoners are allowed to cook in their cells or in a shared space
in some facilities
Prisoners are allowed to cook in their cells or in a shared space designated for that purpose.
Prisoners are allowed to receive food parcels
yes
Visitors are allowed to bring one food package every week weighing a maximum of 1 kg. On the occasion of a birthday, they can bring a pre-sliced cake weighing a maximum of 2 kg. Beverages are forbidden (article 48 of the Regulations).