Death penalty
We pursue the abolition of the death penalty and engage in favour of humane alternative sanctions.
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Life imprisonment in a constitutional democracy
On 4 June 2020, Professor Dirk van Zyl Smit gave the ‘Roger Hood’ Lecture at the University of Oxford.Titled ‘The People Strike Back? Life imprisonment and other ultimate penalties in a constitutional democracy’ the lecture looked into the fight of penal reformers to make ultimate penalties more humane. Penal reformers ‘sought, with some success, not only to abolish the death penalty but also to limit the imposition of life sentences and to ensure that those serving life imprisonment have realistic prospects of release’.
Multimedia
Webinar launch of Global Prison Trends 2020
Prisons and justice systems are facing unprecedented challenges brought by the COVID-19 global pandemic. At this launch event for PRI’s new report Global Prison Trends 2020, held on 22 April 2020, international leaders and experts addressed chronic issues that have led to this human rights and public health crisis with people in prison being so vulnerable – and critically, questioned how we should respond, now and in the long-term.
Languages: English
Report
Global Prison Trends 2020
PRI’s flagship publication Global Prison Trends, published alongside the Thailand Institute of Justice, published at a crucial time as prisons worldwide are being pushed to breaking point by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Languages: English, French, Russian, Spanish