We promote prison and probation systems where the primary purpose is rehabilitation not retribution. We encourage and support the development of programmes for effective rehabilitation and for people in prison, preparation for release, with the aim of reducing re-offending, protecting society and rebuilding lives.
- We advocate for penal policies that focus on rehabilitation and reintegration and provide for effective and gender-sensitive programmes inside prisons, during non-custodial sanctions and after release. We see rehabilitation as holistic.
- We work with national governments, criminal justice professionals and civil society organisations to run and develop rehabilitation programmes inside and outside prisons to support offenders to lead law-abiding lives on release. For example, we run vocational educational programmes in many countries that are tailored to specific needs, the job market, available resources, etc.
- We build the capacity of prison and probation authorities and staff to recognise and address the rehabilitation needs of people in their care and in the case of people serving a prison sentence, prepare them for release.
- We run training workshops and develop training materials which reflect international standards and regional contexts, and include a focus on the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners.
- We track and document trends, challenges, good practices and international jurisprudence relating to rehabilitation and reintegration, including through our Global Prison Trends series.