A new study has shown that children who experience parental imprisonment during their youth are more likely to die prematurely. Steve van de Weijer, co-author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), discusses the key findings and possible causes, and looks at […]
13th February 2018
Educational programmes in prison are ‘generally considered to have an impact on recidivism, reintegration and, more specifically, employment outcomes upon release’ (Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Vernor Muñoz). Nina Champion, Head of Policy at Prisoners’ Education Trust, looks at the importance of prison education and the increase in and impact of prison university partnerships […]
9th January 2018
Heather McGill, a researcher currently working on Central Asia for Amnesty International, discusses her recent report on prisoner transportation in Russia, which was launched in October 2017. Prisoners are always at greater risk during transportation, but prison transportation in Russia is in a league of its own. The size of the country combined with the […]
28th November 2017
This Saturday 25th November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The date was designated by the United Nations in 1999, but, almost 20 years on, we see that violence against women is as prevalent as ever – and particularly so for women caught up in criminal justice systems. In this blog Harvey […]
21st November 2017
Today, the fourth edition of the World Female Imprisonment List is published by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR). Catherine Heard, Director of the ICPR’s World Prison Research Programme, discusses the latest data. This week at ICPR we release the most comprehensive global dataset ever produced on women prisoner numbers. The fourth edition of […]
9th November 2017
Detailed safeguards and specialised institutions have been developed to tackle the circumstances in which torture occurs and to establish independent public oversight of places of detention. However, torture and ill-treatment are still widespread. The Omega Research Foundation, a UK-based research organisation, looks at the importance of independent monitors to document and monitor the use of weapons and […]
18th October 2017
To mark the 15th World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October 2017, this expert blog by Robin Maher examines the the links between poverty and the use of the death penalty. What does poverty have to do with the death penalty? In a word, everything. There is no greater indictment of the death […]
10th October 2017
Lawyer Daniela Ancira explains why she founded La Cana, a social enterprise that is helping to improve the reintegration of female prisoners in the State of Mexico, by teaching skills that enable them to earn an income both in and after prison. The State of Mexico is one of 32 states that make up the […]
4th October 2017
With the number of trial waiver systems worldwide increasing nearly 300 per cent since 1990, Jago Russell, Chief Executive of Fair Trials, looks at how this emerging issue can both improve but also undermine human rights protections. The trial is the archetype of criminal justice. It has captured the public imagination. Just think of the dominance […]
30th August 2017
PRI talked to Paul King’e, County Probation Director in Nakuru, Kenya, to find out how a gender-sensitive approach to community-based programmes can help female offenders in Kenya. Tell us about your role within the Kenya Probation Service. I serve as the Nakuru County Probation Director charged with the responsibility of coordinating the implementation and monitoring of all departmental […]
20th July 2017