Abstract

The subject of the analysis is the regulations relating to religious freedom during the enforcement of an imprisonment sentence. Taking as a starting point that such punishment is and must remain in every penal system, it should be admitted that its enforcement is associated with various, sometimes far-reaching, restrictions. Simultaneously, everyone has the right to religious freedom and to the participation in religious practices. We look at these two aspects from the perspective of factors shaping penal enforcement law—yesterday and today. Undoubtedly, international treaties leave a strong mark on the laws governing the scope of freedom in prisons. However, the second factor is the social evaluation in which it is formulated through the media with regard to the evaluation of harmful acts, penalties, and manner of enforcement. The historical, normative, and survey research conducted allowed the authors to formulate a diagnosis in the aforementioned scope and to indicate the means of a rational resolution of conflicts between the social assessment, statutory law, and human rights of convicts.