Prisons “should be the first step towards social integration”, according to Minister of Justice Paula Teixeira da Cruz, who has also stated that the Portuguese government is doing everything it can to improve the quality of life of prisoners in national prisons.
Speaking during a visit to the Linhó prison establishment which has just inaugurated a new ward that can home up to 114 inmates, the minister stressed the role of prisons in the integration and rehabilitation process.
“We are very focused on our integration and rehabilitation plan. There are people who already have job offers based on courses that were taken in prison,” Teixeira da Cruz said.
The head of justice also guaranteed that the government is working hard to improve the living conditions of prison convicts, as well as their rights.
“In terms of prisoners’ conditions, nothing will remain to be done,” she said. “It is a promise I hereby pledge.”
