Foreigners in European Prisons

Over the last few decades, the prison populations in European countries have grown and their profiles have changed. There are more than 100,000 foreign prisoners in European countries. Their numbers vary greatly from country to country, but the average percentage of foreigners in the total European prison population is over 20%. Why are foreigners over-represented in European prison populations? Who are they and on what grounds are they held in detention? Are foreign prisoners more vulnerable due to language difficulties, cultural differences, and their distance from relatives? Are they being socially excluded? Is their treatment and legal position different from other prisoners? And, how are national prison systems and other authorities addressing this issue? Funded by the European Commission, this extensive study - developed within the framework of the EU program "Social Exclusion" - offers an answer to the questions stated above. With this, a distinction is made between foreigners who are detained for committing a crime - or are suspected of one - and foreigners whose deprivation of liberty is based on migration law. Originally published as a two volume set in 2007, this comprehensive single volume reprint contains country reports of twenty-five EU Member States, as well as six reports of organizations which contributed to the research. The first chapter presents a comparative overview with conclusions and recommendations. At the end, a detailed bibliography will be given which includes relevant websites and legal documents.