The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted this week a Recommendation to governments containing the European rules on community sanctions and measures.
The new rules aim to strike a balance between protection of society and improving the social reintegration of offenders. They update previously existing standards in this field taking into account new forms of community sanctions that emerged in the last years, such as electronic monitoring, including GPS tracking.
The text contains guidance to authorities on how to address issues such as the requirement of consent by the person concerned, the enforcement of the sanctions or measures and what procedures to follow when they are not respected.
While encouraging the use of this kind of sanctions and measures as an alternative to imprisonment, the Committee of Ministers warns that they should be used in an appropriate way, ensuring they are proportionate and correspond with the offences and the profile of the suspect or the offender.
The Committee of Ministers has also taken note of a Handbook that provides practical advice to prison and probation services regarding radicalisation and violent extremism. The text is based upon and further develops the guidelines adopted in March 2016.
The handbook addresses issues such as risk assessment methods, regime and treatment of radicalised persons, safety implications for prisoners and staff, and how to work with offenders´ families, social circles and communities.
