JUSTICE FOR ALL – Enhancing the Rights of Defendants and Detainees with Intellectual and/or Psychosocial Disabilities: EU Cross-Border Transfers, Detention and Alternatives

Project duration

January 2022 – January 2024

Donor

European Union

About the project 

The EU has previously implemented programmes that emphasized the need to strengthen the rights of suspects and accused who are vulnerable in criminal proceedings owing, for example, to their age, mental health or physical condition. Yet persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities are still in an especially vulnerable situation and imprisonment may be particularly harmful for them.

The overall objective of the project is to promote judicial cooperation in criminal matters and to contribute to the effective, coherent and fundamental rights compliant application of EU mutual recognition instruments in criminal matters.

More specifically, the project aims to:

1.     Clarify, consolidate and increase knowledge on the international and regional standards applicable to defendants/detainees with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities

2.     Assess the implementation and practical application of the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrants (FDs) in relation to defendants/detainees with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities with a focus on systemic issues that may hinder EU cross-border cooperation. The assessed information and practical examples will be provided to EU member states in order to support them in the implementation of the FDs in a fundamental rights compliant manner.

3.     Facilitate cooperation and strengthen mutual learning and exchange between different stakeholders at the national and EU wide level

4.     Raise awareness on the rights of defendants/detainees with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities among the Project target groups, including decisions makers

Project implementing partners:

Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (Austria), Mirovni Institut (Slovenia), Antigone Onlus (Italy), Fachhochschule Dortmund (Germany), Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Association (Bulgaria)

Project budget: 579 818.02 EUR

Our part in the budget: 46 357.75 EUR

Reference number: 101007497