Pope Benedict XVI on
Thursday called for more humane conditions in Europe's jails and
greater emphasis on the re-education and rehabilitation of
prisoners. ''A concrete commitment is needed, not just a statement of principle, in order to bring about the offender's effective re-education, which is required both for the sake of his own dignity and with a view to his reintegration into society,'' the pontiff told participants in the 17th Council of Europe Conference of Directors of Prison Administration in Rome.
''Matters of criminal justice are continually being brought to the attention of the public and of governments, especially at a time when economic and social inequalities and increasing individualism are feeding the roots of criminality,'' he continued. ''There is a tendency, though, to limit the debate to the legislative aspect of the question of crime and punishment or to the judicial process - how best to arrive swiftly at a sentence that corresponds as closely as possible to the true facts. Less attention is given to the way custodial sentences are carried out".
Though recognising the progress made in recent years, the pope said there was still ''a long way to go''.
''It is not just a question of releasing sufficient financial resources to make the prison environment more dignified and to ensure more effective means of support and paths of formation for prisoners: a change in mentality is also needed, so as to link the debate regarding respect for the human rights of prisoners with the broader debate concerning the actual implementation of criminal justice,'' he insisted.
''In order to 'practise justice', it is not enough that those found guilty of crimes be simply punished: it is necessary that in punishing them, everything possible be done to correct and improve them. When this does not happen, justice is not done in an integral sense.''
The pontiff concluded by calling for special attention to be paid to the ''growing number of 'foreign prisoners' whose circumstances are often difficult and precarious''.