The Portuguese Government is preparing new legislation that would require prisoners to participate in forest cleaning and land maintenance as part of structured prison work programs aimed at preventing wildfires. The proposal is included in the draft Criminal Policy Law for the 2025 to 2027 period and forms part of a broader strategy to reduce the risk of devastating forest fires across the country.
Under the draft framework, the Directorate General for Reintegration and Prison Services will coordinate with prison establishments to develop and implement social reintegration and prison work initiatives. These programs, carried out in accordance with existing legal standards, would include activities considered to be of public utility. Among the listed tasks are the cleaning, maintenance, and enhancement of land, woodland, and forest areas identified as vulnerable to fire risk.
The proposal also outlines additional responsibilities for participating inmates, including the reconstruction, rehabilitation, and recovery of natural spaces, infrastructure, and equipment damaged previous fires. Actions linked to collective risk prevention and civil protection measures are also part of the proposed prison work scope. The government argues that such programs can contribute both to environmental protection and to the social reintegration of inmates through structured, supervised labor.
Forest fires remain a recurring challenge in Portugal, particularly during the summer months when high temperatures and dry conditions increase vulnerability. Although forest arson and wildfire related crimes were already designated as priorities for prevention and investigation under the Criminal Policy Law for 2023 to 2025, that statute did not establish concrete preventive measures of this nature. The new draft seeks to introduce more operational tools within the criminal policy framework.
In parallel with the prison work measure, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests will intensify coordinated prevention efforts in high risk areas. The draft legislation calls for the mapping of forest zones requiring priority intervention, expanded drone use for monitoring and early detection of fire outbreaks, and the creation of dedicated reporting and alert lines to improve rapid response capacity.
The plan also includes awareness programs, training exercises, and preventive campaigns designed to reduce human caused fire incidents. Authorities view these combined measures as part of a more integrated civil protection strategy that brings together justice, environmental management, and technological monitoring.
The draft law was approved the Council of Ministers on 20 February and has since been submitted to the Assembly of the Republic for parliamentary discussion and potential approval. Lawmakers are expected to examine both the legal safeguards and the operational framework surrounding inmate participation in forest management tasks as part of the upcoming legislative debate.
