News

Mar 24 21

Findings From Auditing Prisons In Malawi: A Data Driven Approach To SDG16.3.2

This is part 2 of the blog ”Findings from Auditing Prisons in Malawi” originally published by Pathfinders Read part 1 here ____________________________________________________________ By Clifford Msiska, Director, Paralegal Advisory Service Institute (Malawi) and Adam Stapleton, Director, The Governance and Justice Group (UK) The Justice for All report highlights the importance of putting people at the center of justice. This can […]

Mar 24 8

New horizons in Türkiye with ambitious project to be implemented by Penal Reform International and Civil Society in the Penal System Association

In February 2024, Penal Reform International (PRI) and local partner, Ceza İnfaz Sisteminde Sivil Toplum Derneği (Civil Society in the Penal System Association, CISST), embarked on a new project funded by the European Union to improve human rights in the in Türkiye’s Penitentiary System. For the next four years, PRI and CISST will deliver an ambitious […]

Feb 24 22

National Human Rights Committee of Qatar and Penal Reform International Forge Partnership to promote human rights and Reform Criminal Justice Systems

Press release On 6 February 2024, in Doha, Qatar, the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) of the State of Qatar and Penal Reform International (PRI) made a significant step towards improving and safeguarding human rights in the criminal justice system by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This strategic partnership aims to foster a collaborative […]

Oct 23 26

News

Olivia Rope delivers keynote address at ICPA Annual Conference 2023

The International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) Annual Conference 2023 is taking place this week in Antwerp, Belgium, from 22-27 October 2023, hosted by the Belgian Prison Service. The theme of the conference is “Humane Corrections: What more can we do“, reflecting the need for a more humane approach to corrections and to identify new and […]

Oct 23 5

News

Call for input: Violence and Health in Prison

As Secretariat of the Informal CSO Group on Health in Prison, Penal Reform International (PRI) is coordinating civil society input to inform an upcoming technical brief on violence and health in prison by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Please share any relevant research, initiatives, publications, or hyperlinks. Email your responses to tlenihan@penalreform.org […]

Mar 23 14

News

PRI brings together experts in a roundtable on Roma and non-custodial sanctions

On 7 March 2023, PRI hosted a multi-stakeholder regional roundtable in Brussels to discuss and address problems faced by Roma in European criminal justice systems, especially within the context of implementing non-custodial sanctions and measures. The roundtable discussions benefitted from the expertise and perspective of criminal justice practitioners from seven European countries as well as […]

Nov 21 23

News

Criminal justice stakeholders come together for improved non-custodial sanctions in Portugal

As part of ongoing work in Europe, PRI traveled to Coimbra, Portugal on 4 and 5 November to meet with criminal justice stakeholders and our partner the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra for discussions on ways to make non-custodial sanctions and measures in the country more readily available for all, supporting flexibility, responsivity and fairness in their use and implementation, also in times of crises such as the […]

Jul 20 2

News

Revised European Prison Rules provide greater human rights protection for people detained across the continent

Yesterday marked an important milestone for prison systems across Europe: the revised set of European Prison Rules (EPR) were adopted by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) and Penal Reform International (PRI) welcome this important revision of the rules (and their commentary). It is instrumental that […]

Jun 20 19

News

UN Human Rights Council takes action to tackle racism and police brutality

George Floyd’s killing in the United States city of Minneapolis in Minnesota has shed light on systemic racism within law enforcement agencies across the US. Such discrimination is a global problem, as we have documented in Global Prison Trends 2020, minority groups are over-represented in many criminal justice systems, seeing higher rates of arrest, pre-trial […]

Jun 20 8

News

Justice – in all senses of the word – will only come through hearing and learning

An effective and human rights-based approach to law enforcement requires legitimacy, non-discrimination, and public scrutiny. Trust in law enforcement agencies must come from commitment to the law and international standards, respect for all people and tolerance to those who come into contact with law enforcement, and exemplary in behaviour of law enforcement agents. Police can […]

Apr 20 14

News

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, international leaders and experts will address chronic issues that have led to this human rights and public health crisis with people in prison being so vulnerable – and critically, […]

Nov 19 21

News

Our ambitions for 2020-2023

This year PRI is celebrating 30 years of accomplishments in developing and promoting fair and effective criminal justice systems across the world. Today, we set our trajectory for the coming decade, launching our new strategy for 2020-2023. The decade we are entering will determine whether the world is able to sustain and promote human rights, […]