We campaign for prisoners’ right to access legal information, legal representation and legal aid, and strive to protect prisoners from reprisal for engaging in litigation. These rights are essential for prisoners’ judicial protection and to ensure that legal developments are not merely theoretical, but have a practical impact on prison systems.

While the criminal justice field has become a privileged terrain for challenging the role of judges, particularly the authority and legitimacy of supranational courts, ensuring prisoners’ access to justice requires a greater mobilisation for the defence of the very principle of judicial protection of fundamental rights in prison and the core principles of criminal law. EPLN addresses the rule of law implications of penal populism and advocates for an enhanced scrutiny of infringements of the rule of law in penal justice.

We address the systemic failures of European prison health systems and advocate for detainees’ right to healthcare by campaigning for the independence of healthcare in prison and the release of ill prisoners. EPLN promotes the principle of equivalence of care for prisoners through the provision of healthcare in public health institutions and outside prison walls.

EPLN works to combat torture and ill-treatment in detention, particularly in countries where such practices remain widespread. The network supports its members in documenting cases of torture, assisting victims and bringing cases before national and international courts.

Despite the increasing importance given to the social reintegration of prisoners in international standards, sentence adjustment procedures often remain largely under the control of prison administrations, while prisoners have limited opportunities to effectively present their case. EPLN advocates for removing the barriers in accessing such procedures and strengthening adversarial guarantees and procedural safeguards.

The EU accession process, marked by the granting of candidate status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in 2022, created a unique opportunity to elevate prison reform to the level of a genuine political priority capable of addressing the structural causes of prison problems. EPLN has contributed to ensure that prison issues are included among the topics monitored by the European Commission in the accession process, as reflected in the Commission’s annual enlargement reports.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, EPLN has stood alongside its Ukrainian members to document torture committed against prisoners, raise public awareness and support victims in legal proceedings and rehabilitation. EPLN also advocates for the improvement of the coordination and effectiveness of investigations into crimes.