Prisons in Portugal

Portuguese prisons have a changing history. At the beginning of the 19th century, several historical buildings were adapated and transformed into prisons. With the 1867 penitentiary reform, facilities were built to meet the new requirements recommended by European reformers, notably in the form of panopticon prisons. Then judicial and administrative establishments, the so called Cadaias camarcas, as well as penal colonies were built. Since the Carnation Revolution of 1974, a large number of facilities have been closed.     

Today, Portugal has 49 facilities (estabelecimentos prisionais, EP), divided into two groups, establishments presenting a high complexity and with an average complexity, without a distinction between facilities for pre-trial detainees and for sentenced inmates.

The number of prisoners has  long exceeded that of the available detention places, but the Covid-pandemic brought the occupancy level in mid-2020 down to under 100%. At the end of 2023, it stood at 98%. By European comparison, Portugal has still a high prisoner rate, which may be explained by the large number of long prison sanctions.

Sentenced detainees have no obligation to work, and the work possibilities are limited, making everyday life even more monotonous. The guards (guarda prisional) are regrouped in unions.

Located in a large field of 90ha, this facility is the only one for minors and young adults in Portugal. The inmates come mainly from the suburbs of major urban centres.
Part of the buildings are inherited from an old farmhouse;  in the 1940s, a further seven prison pavilions were built.

The establishment lays in a rural area along the N117, on a previous military training ground. Except for two cell blocks, the buildings and the secured prison area with its large plot of land reserve could be qualified as rather good, especially the well-designed visitor facilities. The cell blocks contain, in total, 122 communal cells and 72 single cells. Communal cells – with four beds – were, in 2011, equipped with a fifth bed. The interior of the cell blocks has a complex design and needs a lot of personnel to be under full control.
The unit organised on a lighter regime (RAI) has 38 places with a comparatively relaxed, almost homely atmosphere.

Just below the landing path of the airport of Porto is the location of this modern Estabelecimento Prisional, in the immediate vicinity of the prison for men with the same name and other special facilities of the DGRSP.
The four wings serve four different purposes: one is a unit for mother and child, another a unit for pre-trial prisoners and the last two for sentenced inmates. Each has its own courtyard and refectory. The single cells are small, especially when a cot is placed in it. The communal cells have 6 beds. Quite remarkable is the nursery, with its special offer of activities for children of the detainees, who may stay in the establishment until the age of 5. There is also a large, well-equipped and well-used gym. The standards of security are similar to other facilities of the high complexity category.

Izeda is a commune situated at 600 m, in a lost, barren region close to the Spanish border. In summer, it is extremely hot; in winter bitterly cold. The Salesian Don Bosco Institution built here in 1960s a large boarding school offering vocational training. It functioned as such until 1977. Since its conversion in 1996, the main building and the adjoining constructions are used by the DGRSP for the enforcement of sanctions. The large classrooms have been transformed into cells, housing sometimes up to 16 detainees. A large room, with a stage, is used for activities with the detainees; the magnificent church building offers food for thought. Inmates accommodated in a former barn, situated outside the secured area, carry out agricultural work. Large olive groves belong to the EP Izeda, which uses the village olive press.

This prison was created in 1951 with the designation of Pinheiro da Cruz Penal Colony, intended for “offenders of difficult correction”. With an area of 1500 hectares in a rural area, it is naturally predominantly agricultural. In the closed regime, it has four pavilions with individual cells and two dormitories, equipped with canteen, medical offices, infirmary, classrooms, professional training spaces, workshop areas, sports equipment and visiting room.
In the open regime (RAI) there are, as accommodation spaces, four pavilions, the “Bairro do Monte” and several facilities scattered around the estate, which allow the accommodation of inmates working in activities such as agriculture and livestock.

The facility, which was previously located on the outskirts of the city and now in the middle of Ponta Delgada, dates back to the 19^th century. It is still in use, although the building is long obsolete and the site should instead be intended for tourist purposes.
The current building was renovated in 1975. The two cell blocks with individual cells and collective rooms are connected by a classic entrance building housing the administration. A small unit for women is located on the upper floor of one of the wings. The facility's external area, comprises a walking yard, a fitness stand, a workshop and a 15×30m sportsfield, secured by a wall with two guard towers.

The city of Beja lies in the center of the southern region of Portugal. The EP de Beja is primarily used for pre-trial detention. The building was constructed in the 1950s and was as a local prison, a so-called Cadeia Comarcã. It has been modernized and converted for use as a pre-trial detention center in 1972. Two three-story wings that opened in 2002 are attached to the original main building, which is still in use; they have an inner courtyard with a sports field. While the original building is complex, the extensions have the classic, straight shape of a cell wing.

According to official information, the detention facility EP de Évora has since its opening been intended mainly for the detention of inmates who exercise or have exercised functions in military or security services, and also for other categories of rpisoners deemed vulnerable who require special protection. In a large square protected by a wall, the building dating back to the middle of the 20th century has the shape of a cross, with a sports field set up next to a court yard, both of which are secured by a further wall. The two longer, two-story residential wings can together accommodate 35 persons.

The prison accommodation space is distributed across four pavilions, in individual cells and dormitories. It has a treatment unit for inmates with addiction issues, a security section and a health unit, opened in 1997, which allows for various specialist and in-patient consultations.It has a multipurpose sports field equipped with synthetic flooring for inmates to practice various activities. The establishment has a vast workshop area, with work and teaching rooms. The prison population is essentially made up of inmates in pre-trial detention from tje region of Porto. Convicts from the north of the country who await transfer to prisons to serve their sentences are also incarcerated in this prison.

The EP de Odemira - in the Algarve - has been used exclusively for women since 1995. Compared to the main prison facility for women in Porto, the EP Santa Cruz do Bispo - feminino, this one in Odemira is intended for pre-trial and convicted female inmates of the south of Portugal. Located on the southern edge of the small town, the facility consists of a main building on two floors, with additional building for the kitchen, a room for visitors, a workshop and a classroom.

Like many smaller prison facilities in Portugal, the EP de Silves emerged from a so-called Cadeia Comarcã, a penal and administrative facility from the 19th century. It was built in the early 1960s, and on 05-08-1996 it was reopened and the refurbishment and extension work, essential for its continuity, was completed. The EP de Silves consists of a square building, secured by an outer fence. It has three wings, A, B and C. Wing A has two floors. The rest of the spaces - the kitchen, refectory and visitors' room - are on the ground floor, and the classrooms are on the first floor. The EP de Silves is used primarily for carrying out pre-trial detention.