Over 13,700 inmates are held in conditions that the Minister of Justice acknowledges as extremely difficult, in a scenario that has been worsening throughout the current year.
The number of deaths recorded in Portuguese prisons this year amounts to 55, which reveals the gravity of the humanitarian situation in the country's prison system.
The prison population has grown by 4.5% since March, which has contributed to the worsening of detention conditions and to the increase in pressure on existing infrastructure.
The Minister of Justice acknowledges the difficulties faced by the prison system, without however presenting concrete solutions to halt this situation in the immediate term.
