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Prisons

Steel prison bars in a corridor — illustrative of prison overcrowding under Council of Europe review.

Strasbourg Marks September 2027 as the Tangible-Progress Deadline on Portugal's 103.4% Prison Overcrowding — Committee of Ministers 11 June Decision Reads Deteriorating Conditions and Lisbon EPL Closure Slips to 2028

Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers set Portugal a September 2027 deadline to show tangible progress on a 103.4% prison occupation rate, after the 9-11 June 2026 Strasbourg session read deteriorating conditions; Lisbon EPL closure now pushed to 2028.
The Portugal Brief
Assembleia da República Greenlights Lei de Política Criminal 2026-2028 With Prison-Crew Forest-Cleaning Mandate, Stop-and-Search Powers in Zonas de Criminalidade de Impacto Social and a Priority-Crime List Headed by Arson

Assembleia da República Greenlights Lei de Política Criminal 2026-2028 With Prison-Crew Forest-Cleaning Mandate, Stop-and-Search Powers in Zonas de Criminalidade de Impacto Social and a Priority-Crime List Headed by Arson

Parliament passed the Lei de Política Criminal (Criminal Policy Law) for 2026-2028 on 12 June, putting prison-crew forest-cleaning and police pat-downs in high-impact-crime zones onto the statute. PSD, Chega, IL and CDS-PP carried; Livre, PCP, BE opposed; PS, PAN, JPP abstained.
The Portugal Brief
More Than 200 Inmates of Lisbon's Estabelecimento Prisional Refuse to Return to Cells in Peaceful Protest Against Conditions in Ala B — GISP Intervention Unblocks the Stand-Off as Director António Leitão Promises an Afternoon Hearing

More Than 200 Inmates of Lisbon's Estabelecimento Prisional Refuse to Return to Cells in Peaceful Protest Against Conditions in Ala B — GISP Intervention Unblocks the Stand-Off as Director António Leitão Promises an Afternoon Hearing

Over 200 inmates of Lisbon's EPL Ala B refused to return to cells Monday morning, sitting on the floor and demanding to be received by the prison director. GISP intervention unblocked the situation; director António Leitão promised an afternoon hearing. EPL is scheduled for gradual closure by 2028.
The Portugal Brief