Accommodation in European Penitentiaries - Desire versus Reality

Abstract

With the evolution of humanity, several aspects of life have changed, such as the possibilities of movement, the resources for obtaining information, the growth and diversification of medical services, the increase in life expectancy, and the positive development of living conditions. In the prehistoric era, man summed up his living conditions as the need to find a place protected from wind, rain, or snow arranged as a shelter, clothing was provided mostly from the fur of hunted animals and the necessary warmth during the cold season was provided by fire made of wood. Over time, people's needs grew and diversified, shelters turned into furnished and equipped homes, clothes began to be made by specialized people called tailors, and the climatic comfort of homes began to be ensured by various installations based on electricity, gas, or other innovative systems. With the advent of penance, there was also the need to equip detention facilities with all the necessary elements for a normal life. If at the beginning prisons were seen as simple locations where the wrongdoer must be incarcerated, nowadays penitentiaries are detention facilities equipped with all the utilities necessary for a decent life and have heating sources, water supply mechanisms, electrical installations, and system of sewage. Initially, the conditions of the incarcerated person were not of interest to any person or authority, but later minimum norms were approved for the accommodation of those who have committed criminal acts or are suspected of committing a crime.