On Friday 19 July in Helsinki, EU Justice Ministers discussed alternatives to detention and the improvement of prison conditions, while prison conditions and the problem of overcrowding in Member States' prisons can also pose a problem of trust for their partners, as the Finnish Presidency points out in a preparatory note.
At the end of the meeting, the European Commissioner for Justice, Věra Jourová, spoke of a very specific debate taking place between ministers. Stressing that only 50% of sentences of less than 3 years in Europe are served in prison, the possibility of using alternative methods is there, such as financial penalties, community service, or the increased use of digital technologies in order to allow early release from prison, she said.
In addition, according to the Commissioner, studies show that alternative methods "help the return to a normal life" and also to "reduce recidivism rates".
This is not the first time that ministers have addressed this sensitive issue of considering alternatives to imprisonment. While detention for serious offences should continue to be considered as "a necessary instrument in a system of criminal sanctions", detention should, however, "be used as a last resort and the criminal sanctions used should be both effective and proportionate", wrote the Finnish Presidency in its note.
The purpose of this ministerial debate was to ask ministers about their opinions and, in particular, whether they agreed on reducing the use of imprisonment. Finland also asked them whether it would be appropriate to give more ability to the Commission, as well as to the Council of Europe, to identify obstacles coming between Member States in terms of mutual trust. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic and Marion Fontana)