Blog

Featured Blog

Placing lived experience at the heart of systemic change in prisons

In this expert blog for Penal Reform International, Dwayne Antojado highlights that meaningful involvement of people with lived experience of imprisonment is essential for creating truly human-centred justice systems. His work shows that co-designed education, authentic representation, and narrative methods deepen understanding of imprisonment, while fair support and decision-making roles for affected individuals turn personal […]

Dwayne Antojado5th August 2025

Featured Blog

The shadow code: How informal prison hierarchy undermines human dignity across post-Soviet prisons

In this expert blog, PRI’s Tinatin Uplisashvili explores the persistence of informal prison hierarchies across post-Soviet penitentiary systems, structures that continue to shape prison life through violence, social exclusion and informal authority. Drawing on recent reports by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and long-standing documentation from multiple countries, the blog analyses how […]

Tinatin Uplisashvili22nd July 2025

Behind bars, beyond justice: confronting corruption in the prison system

In this expert blog for Penal Reform International, Sofie Arjon Schütte analyses the phenomenon of corruption in prisons, fuelled by severe power imbalances, limited oversight, and widespread overcrowding, creating conditions ripe for bribery, extortion, and abuse – particularly against vulnerable groups.

Sofie Arjon Schütte15th July 2025

Second chances – Five takeaways from the UN General Assembly debate on global prison challenges

In this blog, PRI’s Executive Director Olivia Rope reflects on the urgent need for meaningful prison reform, drawing on her recent participation at the United Nations General Assembly session marking ten years of the Nelson Mandela Rules.

Olivia Rope25th June 2025

Carceral hope: Life sentences, ageing, and the ethics of possibility

In this expert blog for Penal Reform International, Dr Marion Vannier and Dr Helen Gair from the University of Manchester explore how hope is imagined, experienced and transformed within the context of life imprisonment.

Helen Gair and Marion Vannier5th June 2025

Insights on security and violence in European prisons

Violence in European prisons is rising, driven by overcrowding, staff shortages, and organised crime. This blog explores trends, data practices, and reforms needed for humane, rehabilitative and secure prison systems.

Jérôme Mangelinckx 2nd April 2025

Beyond capacity: Europe’s prison overcrowding challenge

Discover how European prisons navigate overcrowding. This blog explores disparities, impacts, and innovative reforms, drawing on 2024 data and insights from PRI’s Global Prison Trends series.

Idil Aydinoglu11th December 2024

Growth – an emerging new philosophy, to transform culture in detention

Figure 1: Principles of Growth Wheel In this blog written for PRI, the authors Makayla Agyemang and Dr Sarah Lewis from UK-based Penal Reform Solutions, present the “Growth Project” that they have implemented in English prisons to foster rehabilitative relationships between people detained and staff in prison facilities. The project is based on Dr […]

Sarah Lewis, Makayla Agyemang14th February 2024

Nature-based detention houses

In a context of climate crisis and rising costs, prisons, like all institutions, must take action to be more sustainable and minimise impact on the environment. In this blog, Wiep Fokker from Restorative Justice Netherlands makes the case for nature-based detention houses as an ecologically sustainable model for penal reform. The climate and biodiversity crisis […]

Wiep Fokker24th October 2023

The impact of rising food prices on food security in Lebanese prisons: The case of Qobbeh Prison in Tripoli

Economic crisis and the rising cost of living are having a serious impact on people in prison, with many prisons unable to provide basic necessities including adequate nutrition. In this expert blog, Pascale Bafitos, Detention Program Director at Restart Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, describes the impact in Qobbeh Prison in Lebanon.

Pascale Bafitos5th July 2022

A rare assessment of the penal system in North Korea

Due to extreme secrecy and opacity in official information, very little is known about the penal system in North Korea. As the Human Rights Council considers the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the European Parliament condemns the human rights situation in […]

Hae Ju Kang20th April 2022

Prisons and food: From in-cell eating and meal-lines to collective and domestic kitchens

People in prison lose autonomy and agency over many aspects of their lives, usually including food production and consumption. In this blog, Sabrina Puddu examines the different approaches taken to food in prisons, looking at trends from eating alone in cells, to dining halls, and collective and domestic style kitchens. Collective kitchens are witnessing a […]

Sabrina Puddu2nd June 2021