(ANSA) - STRASBOURG - Concern over the living conditions of
detainees and over the ''levels at record high'', was expressed
by the European Parliament through a resolution adopted by the
plenary in Strasbourg with 474 votes in favour, 109 against 34
abstentions. In the explanatory memorandum accompanying the
text, signed by the rapporteur, (part of which he did not vote
in the parliament), it is emphasized that, despite a decrease in
the prison population in Europe, ''the situation remains
critical in some countries, such as Belgium, Greece, Spain,
France, Portugal and Italy''. With about 1,600,000 detainees in
Europe, the French rapporteur writes in his press release,
overcrowding ''is a real human problem''. According to the
latest edition of the Council of Europe's annual penal
statistics, released on March 14, 2017 - the resolution voted
in the parliament reported - ''the number of detainees continues
to exceed the number of available places in one third of
European correctional institutions''. The statement, among other
things, expressed concern over the ''high number of suicides in
prison'' and calls on the member countries to ''fight against
the growing phenomenon of radicalization''. (ANSA).
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