This article shows a selection of findings obtained from the research project entitled "Long term sentences and the human rights situation in countries that are members of the European countries". The research sought to examine the observance of human rights standards in relation to persons sentenced to long-term criminal sanctions (five years or more) in eleven countries that are members of the European Union. The research also includes the study of the living conditions in prison for inmates, their training and leisure time, their contact with the outside world and their organizational culture as well.