The Council for Penological Co-operation (PC‑CP) Working Group held its 38th meeting in Madrid from 20 to 22 May 2025, hosted by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. On 20 May 2025, the participants were greeted by Mr Fernando GRANDE‑MARLASKA, Minister of the Interior of Spain, who highly praised the work of the PC‑CP. The agenda included work on the draft CM Recommendation on Education in Prison and its draft Explanatory Memorandum as well as revising and updating the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation CM/Rec(2012)12 concerning Foreign Prisoners and its Explanatory Memorandum.
Two presentations were delivered to the participants: the first on a project related to the treatment of transgender offenders in Malta and the second on the reform of the penal sanctions and measures in the United Kingdom and its impact on prison numbers.
The content and organisation of the 30th CDPPS Conference (24‑25 September 2025, Poland) were also discussed. On 21 May, the participants visited the Supreme Court of Spain (Tribunal Supremo).
The need to strengthen the links between the standard-setting work and expertise of Council of Europe intergovernmental expert committees such as the PC-CP, and their contribution to operational cooperation projects, in alignment with the global outreach of the Council of Europe, was also stressed.
Participants were also advised to consult the section on “Conditions of detention and probation” in the Council of Europe Secretary General’s 2025 Report, entitled “Towards A New Democratic Pact for Europe”.
For more information, see the meeting page.
The PC-CP is one of the permanent sub-committees of the Council of Europe Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC).
