WISH EU

2026-07-22

The WISH EU project aims at promoting judicial cooperation in criminal matters with a focus on alternatives to traditional prisons and pre-trial detention. More specifically, it aims at supporting the implementation of small-scale and community-integrated detention houses or facilities in Europe. Such detention facilities enable the implementation of fundamental rights and other European principles, which has proven difficult; or even impossible, in large prison institutions (as evidenced by the case-law of the ECtHR and by prison research). The increased use of detention houses in several European countries shows that policymakers recognize the value of small-scale and community-integrated detention. At the same time, however, it also shows some challenges. In order to perform optimally, staff members will need to apply particular working methods and skills when working in a small-scale and community-integrated setting. For instance, security will result from the quality of the relationships between incarcerated people and staff, rather than from static security measures. The WISH EU project will meet these challenges by developing European Rules on the Ecosystem of Small-Scale Detention Facilities (WP2) and European Guidelines on Relational Security (WP3). These guidelines and rules will be co-created by practitioners, policymakers and researchers who will come together in Knowledge Workspaces Liberty Deprivation & Society (WP1). The more perspectives involved in developing these guidelines and rules, the more relevant they will be for all stakeholders. Special attention is therefore given to the balanced composition of these networks in terms of social and cultural backgrounds, genders, disciplines, and age, and to an equal voice for each participant. These knowledge workspaces will be established in a sustainable way so that they continue to exist after the end of this two-years project.

Belgium, Netherlands, France, Portugal

2025-12-15