Their applications are being analysed and were be decided by the country's president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, after a meeting with the minister of justice, Francisca Van Dunem.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Justice, 620 formal requests were received, representing more than 4% of the total prison population of 14,250 inmates.

The analysis of requests is carried out on the basis of written opinions from court officials, prison directors, reports from the prison and parole service, and proposals from the Ministry of Justice.