ABSTRACT
Improving prisoner resettlement to large extent depends on the legal framework, i.e. statutory legislation providing rights of inmates to be prepared for their release and to participate in activities which improve the transition from prison into the "free society" after release. An important development in drafting international human rights standards is the reference not only to humanitarian values but also to implementing standards which are "evidence-based" and therefore reflect the results of empirical studies on prisoner resettlement strategies. The European Rules on community sanctions and measures emphasize the need for cooperation from the point of view of the agencies working in prisoner resettlement after release. A serious problem for decision-makers on prison leaves is that some prisoners do not have existing family ties or social contacts outside prisons and therefore do not know where to stay overnight. In Austria only prisoners admitted to the release preparation scheme in the last months of serving their sentence are eligible for prison leaves.
