This report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the Italian penitentiary system, highlighting structural deficiencies, operational bottlenecks, and human rights concerns. Examining key demographic, legislative, and infrastructural metrics, the document illustrates how persistent overcrowding severely strains prison resources, limits rehabilitation opportunities, and compromises basic living standards. It stresses the urgent necessity for policy reforms aimed at reducing reliance on incarceration and implementing alternative sentencing measures.
Prison de-radicalization strategies, programmes and risk assessment tools in Spain
This report offers a detailed analysis of the legal and organizational structures handling radicalization within Spain, explicitly distinguishing between the General State Administration and the autonomous prison administration of Catalonia. It outlines the legal framework governing terrorist offenses, the use of the Closed Regime and the FIES surveillance system for high-risk prisoners, and the geographical dispersal policy. Additionally, it highlights specific prevention protocols and treatment programs designed to monitor and disengage radicalized inmates in both jurisdictions.
Evaluation of prison de-radicalization practices and risk assessment tools in Portugal
Based on empirical observations, expert interviews, and a major national conference, this evaluative report examines the political and academic debate surrounding prison radicalization in Portugal. It critically analyzes how an issue with little concrete presence in Portuguese prisons became a prominent topic due to European funding and policy agendas. The report discusses the opacity of prison administration, the under-recognition of right-wing extremism, and the paradox of developing specialized risk assessment tools for a problem that practitioners deem largely non-existent locally.
Prison de-radicalization strategies, programmes and risk assessment tools in Portugal
This study presents an overview of Portugal’s penal system and its official positioning regarding prison radicalization. Operating in a national context with virtually no history of Islamist terrorism or radicalized prison populations, the report explains how Portuguese authorities have incorporated EU directives and international frameworks. It outlines general correctional legislation, alternative measures to detention, and standard rehabilitation programs, while noting the absence of dedicated, system-wide deradicalization protocols or specialized risk assessment routines.
Evaluation of prison de-radicalization practices and risk assessment tools in Latvia
Presenting findings from qualitative interviews with prison officers, probation staff, civil servants, and religious representatives, this study evaluates Latvia’s emerging radicalization prevention framework. The report explores the operational role of the inter-agency working group “Prevent” led by the State Security Service and highlights the State Probation Service’s proactive leadership in staff training. It discusses the practical difficulties of managing a topic with very few actual cases, emphasizing the importance of inter-agency cooperation and early community engagement.
Prison de-radicalization strategies, programmes and risk assessment tools in Latvia
This report describes Latvia’s institutional and legal mechanisms for preventing violent extremism within its correctional facilities. Given the very small number of individuals prosecuted for terrorism-related offenses in Latvia, the document contextualizes national policy as a proactive, preventive measure heavily aligned with European Union guidelines. It reviews statutory provisions concerning participation in foreign armed conflicts, general prison administration structures, alternative sanctions, and the initial steps taken to train custodial staff through international networks.
Evaluation of prison de-radicalization practices and risk assessment tools in Italy
Featuring qualitative interviews with a diverse group of Italian prison actors—including regional superintendents, wardens, surveillance judges, educators, police officers, and chaplains—this report evaluates how radicalization is actually experienced in Italian facilities. It unveils a clear divergence in perspective: top-level administrators tend to view radicalization as a pressing threat driven by political imperatives, whereas frontline staff regard it as a minor issue compared to daily operational challenges. The study highlights the dominance of security-driven intelligence over educational and rehabilitative programs.
Prison de-radicalization strategies, programmes and risk assessment tools in Italy
This document provides a comprehensive analysis of the Italian penal system’s legal and administrative framework for managing radicalization and terrorism. It details the operation of the specialized High Security circuit (AS2) designed to isolate individuals charged or convicted of terrorist offenses. The report outlines the three-tiered monitoring system managed by the Penitentiary Police’s Central Investigation Unit (NIC), the legal mechanisms governing pre-trial detention and special regimes, and the heavy reliance on post-sentence administrative expulsion for foreign national offenders.
Evaluation of prison de-radicalization practices and risk assessment tools in Greece
Based on empirical fieldwork, interviews, and a national conference, this report evaluates the operational reality of Greek prisons following a major political shift that transferred correctional authority to the Ministry of Citizen Protection. The analysis captures prison staff perceptions regarding radicalization, revealing high theoretical awareness due to European training initiatives but highlighting severe operational constraints. It examines how systemic issues—such as chronic overcrowding, lack of specialized staff, informal prison subcultures, and inadequate provisions for non-Orthodox religious practices—inhibit effective prevention.