Midzhoska E. The importance of the Recommendation No. R (99) 22 concerning prison overcrowding and prison population inflation

Abstract: The author analyzes international recommendations for penitentiary systems of different states, ensuring the achievement of the goals of punishment as a key element of the crime prevention policy. The author considers various legislative constructions of certain states, reflecting the current solutions and recommendations contained in international documents, concerning the issues of prison overcrowding due to prison population inflation. The author analyzes the structure and the main principles of the Recommendation No. R (99) 22, and provides the opinion about its scientific validity in the context of numerous discussions about the current problems of its application by the Council of Europe member-states. The author compares the statistical rates of prison overcrowding in France, Belgium and Russia, analyzes and compares international documents in this sphere. The research methodology is based on dialectics, abstraction, analysis, synthesis, deduction, the comparative-legal, formal-legal and interdisciplinary legal research methods. The author concludes that at the present stage of the global legal policy development, prison overcrowding and prison population inflation are serious problems for penitentiary institutions and the system of criminal justice in general from the position of observance of human rights and effective management. It is necessary to develop and implement effective measures in order to prevent prison overcrowding and to decrease the number of prisoners. These measures should be consistent and rational; they should be aimed at the prevention of crimes and criminal behavior, effective law enforcement and the protection of the society and the state from criminal infringements. The study and the analysis of the latest statistical data on prisoners prove that prison overcrowding and frequent repeated offences are the burning problems of modern penitentiary systems of many states. 

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