EXECUTION OF PENAL SANCTIONS IN EUROPE

Zaporna kazen je prešla dolgo pot od tradicionalnega zapornega sistema in totalitarnega režima do modernega rehabilitacijskega zapora. Ne tako oddaljena zgodovina nam pokaže, da so države Evrope z reformo kazensko pravnega sistema naredile velik korak in napredek k vzpostavljanju demokratičnih institucij izvrševanja kazenskih sankcij. Obstajajo standardi vodilnih evropskih institucij, ki zajemajo kriterije humanosti in spoštovanja človekovega dostojanstva, ki naj bi se jih države držale, a ponekod je še zmeraj viden velik razkorak med teorijo in prakso. Izvrševanje kazenske sankcije temelji na rehabilitaciji in ne retribuciji. Visoka stopnja prestajanja kazni je rezultat pretirane uporabe pripora kot tudi izrekanja zaporne kazni za obsojene storilce. Ključna zadeva pri zmanjšanju prenatrpanosti v zaporih je sprememba zakonikov in izrekanje kazni, ki so alternativa k zaporni kazni. Pri postavljanju standardov za izvršitev zapornih kazni imata UN in EU pomembno vlogo. Evropska zaporska pravila dajejo smernice zaporom po Evropi pri pravilnem izvrševanju zapornih kazni. Pravila niso zakonsko obvezujoča, saj v nekaterih državah nimajo dovolj sredstev za pravilno delovanje institucij, so pa kot vodilo državam, da stremijo k cilju pravilnega izvrševanja sankcij po evropskih standardih. V diplomskem delu smo predstavili situacijo v posameznih evropskih zaporih in ugotovili, da je način izvrševanja kazenskih sankcij po Evropi zelo različen. Vsaka država ima dodelan svoj sistem, imajo pa veliko skupnih problemov, kot so prenatrpanost, probleme z drogami, korupcijo in premalo denarnih sredstev, namenjenih kazensko-pravnem sistemu. Skandinavske države se predstavljajo kot izjeme in služijo kot zgled vsem ostalim pri izvrševanju sistema kazenskih sankcij, z majhnim številom zaprtih in humanimi pogoji v zaporih. Situacija je v srednji in zahodni Evropi nedvomno boljša kot v vzhodni, kjer je vpliv starega sistema in totalitarnega režima še opazen. Države v zahodni Evropi so tudi finančno močnejše, kar pripomore k učinkovitejšemu sistemu izvrševanja kazni.Imprisonment has passed a long way from the traditional prison system and totalitarian regime to a modern rehabilitation type prison. Not so distant history shows us that the countries of Europe with the reform of the criminal justice system have made a big step and progress towards the establishment of democratic penitentiary institutions. There are standards of leading European institutions, which include the criteria of humanity and respect for human dignity, and should be respected by every member country but in some places a large gap is still visible between theory and practice. Enforcement of the sentence is more based on rehabilitation then redemption. High rates of imprisonment are the result of excessive use of detention and imprisonment of convicted offenders. A key issue in reducing overcrowding in prisons is penal code upgrades and sentencing penalties, which are an alternative to custodial sentences. EU and the UN have an important role to play in setting standards for executing prison sentences. European Prison Rules provide guidance for imprisonment in Europe in the proper enforcement of custodial sentences. Rules are not legally binding because some countries do not have sufficient resources for the proper functioning of the institutions, but serve as a guide to those countries that pursue the objective of the proper enforcement of sanctions by European standards. In the thesis we have presented the situation in European prisons and found that the methods of execution of criminal penalties in Europe are very different. Each country has accomplished its own system, but they have a lot of common problems, such as overcrowding, problems with drugs, corruption and lack of funds intended for the criminal justice system. Scandinavian countries are found exceptional in in an era of penal exces whit low rates of imprisonment and humane prison conditions. The situation in Central and Western Europe is undoubtedly better than in the East, where the influence of the old system and totalitarian regime is still noticed. Countries in Western Europe are also financially stronger, which contributes to a more effective system of enforcement