The latest report from the Committee against Torture at the Council of Europe exposes the grim reality of the Portuguese prison system, nothing has improved since its last visit.
Prisons rife with gang violence, overcrowding and poor health care are being looked at - but not too closely - as the Government says it is taking action, but budget problems have delayed improvements.
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) of the Council of Europe today released its depresssing report on Portugal’s prisons with special condemnation for Lisbon.
The document outlines overcrowding at around 150% and recommends that the Portuguese authorities adopt alternative measures to prison.
But it is not only the excess prison population that worries the Council of Europe, it is also the often appalling conditions with damp cells, no toilets, broken windows, damaged mattresses, and a lack of natural light highlighted.
The Government says that it is taking legislative measures and will renovate and expand prison buildings but budget problems have delayed the works.
Other points of concern include the lack of adequate health care within prisons, violence in prison, and the excessive cell time for prisoners due to a lack of staff.
The report also expressed deep concern that young people are not separated from older prisoners, which ‘compromises their rehabilitation’ (of the young ones) and leaves them especially vulnerable to violence, coercion and abuse.