Torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are prohibited in numerous international human rights instruments, but when do conditions of incarceration – such as overcrowding – cross the boundary from acceptable into ‘cruel or inhuman’ or even ‘torture’? ‘All too frequently…the prison may be overcrowded, even to the point of […]
7th June 2017
Last week, governments gathered in Vienna for the 26th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). Marie Nougier, Senior Communications and Information Officer at the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), describes the outcome of a side event organised by the IDPC, PRI and the government of Costa Rica to link the UNGASS outcomes with […]
1st June 2017
Prisons – by definition – are secure institutions. Shifting philosophies of punishment underpin approaches to security and safety. The mobility, behaviour and activities of those imprisoned are controlled by carceral architecture and structured schedules with policy, practice and personnel reinforcing the custodial demands of imprisonment. Such procedures are designed to prevent escapes and maintain ‘control’ […]
25th May 2017
Social franchises are increasingly being used and recognised as a tool to quickly and effectively create sustainable impact. But their potential to support probation and reintegration of former prisoners has not yet been fully explored. We take a look at what social franchises, penal systems and sanitary towels have in common. “In several African countries […]
8th May 2017
It is now widely acknowledged that armed conflict particularly and uniquely impacts women, and there is political commitment to address this, notably in the Women, Peace and Security agenda. In this expert blog, Andrea Huber of PRI and Therese Rytter of DIGNITY, the Danish Institute Against Torture, examine how international law on the prohibition of […]
18th April 2017
A recent Supreme Court judgment in the US is being hailed as a triumph by death penalty abolition advocates. Moore v. Texas has enforced the prohibition against the execution of intellectually disabled defendants, by ruling against the state of Texas’ outdated methods of assessing intellectual disabilities – that were based on ‘stereotypes, fears, or myths’. […]
6th April 2017
In this guest blog, Sabrina Mahtani, co-founder of the Sierra Leonean NGO, AdvocAid, writes about a woman who was sentenced to death in 2010 when she was 17 for killing her abusive former boyfriend. Her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2011 and although her appeal was heard in 2014 – 2015 she has still not received a […]
21st March 2017
Photo: The terrorist suspect being interviewed by Norwegian police. Provided with kind permission by the author. In 2011, ten years after a new approach of questioning criminal suspects was introduced in Norway called ‘Investigative Interviewing’, the country was struck by a terrorist attack which killed 77 people. In the aftermath of the attack, Asbjørn Rachlew, […]
14th March 2017
2016 год для двух городов Казахстана – Алматы и Актобе – запомнится в красном цвете террористической угрозы высшей степени. Людям пришлось пережить атаки радикалов. Пережив панический страх и ужас, люди потребовали от властей незамедлительной реакции. Все чаще в СМИ и на страницах социальных сетей разворачивались словесные баталии. И все чаще результатом их становился слоган: «Смерть […]
16th February 2017
In this expert blog, Gen Sander of Harm Reduction International states that the global state of harm reduction in prisons is inadequate, unreliable, and unlawful. She argues that the provision of good-quality and accessible harm reduction, both inside and outside of prisons, is a legally binding human rights obligation, not just a policy option. The […]
6th February 2017