The global female prison population continues to rise, partly due to harsh drug policies. In the second blog of our series marking the tenth anniversary of the UN Bangkok Rules, Corina Giacomello presents the findings of research on women and girls who use drugs and are detained in Mexico, and shines a light on those […]
15th December 2020
This blog is the first in a series marking the tenth anniversary of the UN Bangkok Rules, covering a range of issues affecting women in criminal justice systems worldwide. In this blog, Tríona Lenihan, PRI’s Policy and International Advocacy Manager, looks at the global female prison population, highlighting key trends and issues to address in […]
10th December 2020
Sentencing people who are convicted of a criminal offence is complex business. The sentencing policy and practice of any given country has a significant impact on prison population and overcrowding rates, and is closely linked with the ability to provide safe, humane prison conditions in line with international standards like the UN Nelson Mandela Rules. […]
5th August 2020
La epidemia de Covid-19 ha provocado una variedad de respuestas por parte de los sistemas penitenciarios y de justicia, pero en general la difícil situación de las mujeres ha sido pasada por alto o directamente ignorada. Si no se producen evaluaciones y respuestas al coronavirus que contengan un perspectiva de género específica, la vida de […]
27th July 2020
In this blog, as we publish a new briefing on coronavirus and criminal justice systems, Penal Reform International’s Executive Director, Florian Irminger, reflects on measures taken in response to the pandemic and what needs to be done - now and in the longer term - to prevent harm and human rights violations.
14th July 2020
The European Prison Rules (and their Commentary) were recently revised by the Council of Europe. The most notable changes arguably concern the rules guiding prison authorities on the separation and solitary confinement of prisoners. This comes at a time where separation has become more commonplace with COVID-19 restrictions in place. The practice of solitary confinement […]
10th July 2020
En español. The coronavirus pandemic has brought a whole host of responses by prisons and wider justice systems, but the plight of women has been neglected or overtly disregarded. Without a gender-specific assessment and response to coronavirus, lives of women in criminal justice systems are at risk and human rights violations will continue. This expert […]
4th June 2020
In this blog to mark International Women’s Day celebrated on Sunday 8 March 2020, Penal Reform International’s Executive Director, Florian Irminger, reflects on the reasons for women who find themselves in prisons from Central African Republic to Costa Rica.
10th March 2020
“It all started with a meeting…” 30 years ago, Vivien Stern, Ahmed Othmani and Hans Tulkens created Penal Reform International. They had in common the belief we still cherish, as stated by Nelson Mandela: “No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails”. In other words, the health of criminal justice […]
21st November 2019
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report in September 2019 on the administration of justice and human rights analysing violence, death, and serious injury in situations of deprivation of liberty. In this blog, Aldyen Krieger, PRI’s Policy Intern, evaluates the primary drivers behind the high exposure to violence and increased mortality […]
18th November 2019