Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA on the transfer of prisoners in the EU: Advances and challenges in light of the Italian experience

The article addresses the implementation of Framework Decision 2008/909/JHA on the transfer of prisoners in the European Union (EU) and discusses its advances and shortcomings from a twofold perspective: the general features and objectives underpinning the Framework Decision and how these theoretical premises have been put into practice by domestic authorities. First, the article discusses the state of the art of the implementation of this mechanism in Italy and provides relevant data. Second, it addresses the main strategies enacted in Italy by the judiciary, the legislature and the executive power to maximise the impact of the national implementing laws. The analysis demonstrates that these efforts are mainly intended to dispose of unwanted EU citizens and to cope with prison overcrowding, thereby marking a clear departure from the rationale of the Framework Decision. Third, the article focuses on the recurring challenges regarding horizontal cooperation between domestic judicial authorities, with a specific focus on the division of competences between the issuing and the executing authorities in light of the EU and the Italian case law. The article supports the view that the Italian case study can represent a test bed for future quantitative and qualitative improvements in the implementation of this Framework Decision at the EU level.