Blog

Implementing the Mandela Rules with scarce resources: discussions from a gathering of prison authorities from South East Asia

Following the adoption of the revised UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners – the Nelson Mandela Rules in December, consultations are being held around the world to raise awareness and to seek the views of national policy-makers and prison authorities on implementation. PRI has hosted consultations in Uganda and in India. Last week, it […]

Olivia Rope17th August 2016

Peru has adopted a protocol for the treatment of women in prison based on the UN Bangkok Rules

In April 2016, the National Penitentiary Institute of Peru (INPE) approved a resolution to adopt and implement a new Protocol for the treatment of women prisoners based on the UN Bangkok Rules, one of the first countries to have done so. Maria Eva Dorigo, an independent researcher who worked with the INPE on the Protocol, explains its significance. […]

Maria Eva Dorigo5th August 2016

What are the implications of television cameras in the courtroom?

Filming live court cases might make justice come to life, but do television cameras in a court room make our justice systems more transparent or improve public understanding of legal proceedings? Dr Ruth Herz, German judge and now visiting professor at Birkbeck School of Law, University of London, took on the role of a ‘TV judge’ […]

Dr Ruth Herz27th July 2016

The added value of OPCAT ten years on

On 22 June it will be ten years since OPCAT – the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture – entered into force. In this expert blog for PRI, Professor Rachel Murray, Director of the Human Rights Implementation Centre at the University of Bristol (UK) asks what impact the treaty has had a decade […]

Rachel Murray22nd June 2016

Norway: how a partnership with the Salvation Army is helping provide a ‘safer way home’ for foreign national prisoners

Migration across borders is changing our prison populations. Lucy Slade has previously worked as a resettlement mentor manager and has volunteered in London prisons where a large proportion of inmates come from outside the UK. At Lucy’s local prison, HMP Wandsworth, around half of the prison’s 1,600 men are foreign, representing over 70 different countries. […]

Lucy Slade27th May 2016

Prison staff: overworked and underpaid?

Security, prisoner welfare and successful rehabilitation depend to a large degree on well trained prison staff. However, in many countries, the job is low status, badly paid, and recruits receive little training. Prison staffing is the subject of a special feature in PRI’s new Global Prison Trends report. Rob Allen sets out the main points for consideration […]

Rob Allen26th May 2016

Much ado about nothing? The Global Commission on Drug Policy assessment of UNGASS

Pavel Bém is former Mayor of Prague and a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, Czech Republic. Here he gives his assessment of April’s UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem. The United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on “the world drug problem” was an important moment for the international […]

Pavel Bém18th May 2016

Scaling up harm reduction in prisons: a role for prison monitors and new tools

Harm Reduction International has published a new tool for use by prison monitoring mechanisms (national, regional and international) to monitor the management of communicable diseases and harm reduction in prisons and prevent human rights violations in this context. Gen Sander, Human Rights Analyst at Harm Reduction International, introduces the tool here. Last October, I wrote […]

Gen Sander11th May 2016