By Forum Penal – Associação de Advogados Penalistas
In Portugal, Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Government to fully implement in prisons the legal framework governing nursing careers, with a view to improving the quality of care delivered in prisons.
In July 2026, the Portuguese Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Government to fully implement the provisions of Decree-Law No. 71/2019, governing nursing careers, in prison establishments, where organisational gaps in nursing management remain, with an impact on the delivery of care for prisoners, including as regards continuity of care (Resolution No. 230/2026, 28 July 2026).
The resolution pursues the twofold aim of increasing staffing levels and aligning the organisation and management of nursing care in prisons with the framework applicable to nursing services more generally. It provides for the creation and recruitment of positions for specialist nurses and senior nurses in prisons, and for an immediate increase in nurses’ “risk allowance” (suplemento de risco), with a view to increasing their overall remuneration.
It further calls for the establishment, within the Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP), of a dedicated nursing management structure with powers concerning the management, supervision and organisation of nursing care. The creation of this structure would reinforce the institutional organisation and professional autonomy of nurses in prisons.
The development is particularly relevant against the background of longstanding concerns regarding the adequacy and continuity of healthcare available to prisoners.
It takes place in the broader context of the ongoing reform of prison healthcare in Portugal, which envisages a phased transfer of competences for the management of prison healthcare to the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice. In October 2025, the mandate of the Interministerial Justice-Health Working Group, established in 2024, was renewed to continue work on the 2023–2030 Plan for Health in the Context of Deprivation of Liberty, which envisages this phased transition.
The European Prison Litigation Network (EPLN) and its members and partners monitor developments in domestic prison law across Europe and provide concise analyses of the most significant changes affecting prisoners’ rights at national level. These updates are intended to support practitioners in identifying emerging European trends, drawing on comparative experiences, and strengthening their legal practice and advocacy in defence of prisoners’ rights.
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