Due to the lack of financing for the programmes there are no new living spaces built in the prisons and the boarding houses in the period 2008-2013, with the exception of the new open-type boarding house in Galabovo. Congestion remains a problem for the CF, resorting to probation remains at the same level, and the use of parole has increased insignificantly. The CPT urges the Bulgarian authorities to double their efforts in the fight with the overpopulation in the prisons through the implementation of policies aimed at limitation or change in the number of people sent to prison. In these efforts the Bulgarian authorities should take into account Recommendation (99)22 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe concerning prison overcrowding and prison population inflation, Recommendation (2000)22 on improving the implementation of the European rules on community sanctions and measures, Recommendation (2003)22 on conditional release (parole), Recommendation (2006)13 on the use of remand in custody, the conditions in which it takes place and the provision of safeguards against abuse and Recommendation (2010)l on the Council of Europe Probation Rules. Both programmes from 2008 and 2011 envisage implementation of electronic surveillance as a new probation measure. A pilot project, with approximate duration of 6 months, was implemented and the activity was completed. The nature of electronic surveillance is not a stand-alone probation measure. It is a tool for the implementation of many new probation measures. This tool may also expand the administrative sanctions related to football or petty hooliganism, domestic violence, etc. The implementation of this recommendation would not only reduce public costs related to the subsistence of the prisons, but it would ensure better public security to the offenders, and people who have committed administrative offences. During each visit the CPT identifies insufficient personnel, and during the last visit "it is deeply concerned as to the lack of progress with respect to the personnel number in the prisons. The staffing remains completely insufficient in order to provide solid basis for the improvement of the treatment of prisoners. In fact, the existing shortage of personnel, combined with the constant inflation of the overpopulation may have serious consequences to the security of the prisons as a whole and the personal security of the officers, as well as the prisoners“. The personnel at the CF was downsized in 2008 by approximately 600 full-time positions. The system is relatively stable since then, but there is a continuous trend for a decrease of the number of personnel. The relative ratio between the personnel and the prisoners within the CF system in Bulgaria is 1 to 2. The downsizing processes are part of the budgetary cuts within the state administration. The potential opening of a new boarding house in Debelt to the prison in Bourgas, if it is a closed-type of boarding house, would be hard to staff with the required number of employees. Therefore, although the system has an internal resource for redistribution, it is necessary to seek and ensure availability of new full-time positions for warders and social workers in the prison corps. During its visits the NPM also noticed significant overloading of the warders, the social workers and the medical personnel. The Committee recommends detained and independent investigation of the corruption signals filed. 47