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This week, representatives from civil society from 31 countries are meeting in Amsterdam – alongside participants joining online – for the kick-off conference of a new Global Alliance of Civil Society on Prison Reform, convened by Penal Reform International (PRI). The initiative brings together a growing network of almost 90 civil society organisations on prison reform. The Alliance is being launched at a time of sustained pressure on justice systems globally. With more than […]
The seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 9 to 19 March 2026. CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality, the rights and the empowerment of women. PRI will be organising and co-sponsoring […]
Statement submitted by Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice and Penal Reform International, non-governmental organisations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council The statement, submitted by the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice and Penal Reform International on behalf of the Women in Prison Network, notes the absence of imprisoned and […]
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 […]
The 32nd Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) will be held in Vienna, Austria and online from 22 – 26 May 2023. The CCPCJ is the principal policymaking body that guides the UN in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, which takes action through resolutions and decisions. PRI will be at the […]
The 30th session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (the ‘Crime Commission’) will be held in Vienna and online from 17 – 21 May 2021. The Crime Commission is the principal policymaking body that guides the UN in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, which takes action through resolutions […]
The rescheduled 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will be held from 7 – 12 March 2021 in Kyoto, Japan under the overall theme “Advancing crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda”. The UN ‘Crime Congress’, held once every five years since 1955, […]
A new briefing, Coronavirus: Preventing harm and human rights violations in criminal justice systems, highlights the impact of responses to COVID-19 on people in detention – amounting to 11 million people – who have been left behind, ignored or forgotten. Penal Reform International exposes a lack of systematic testing and data collection in prisons across the globe, which means unknown numbers of people in detention and staff are falling ill and dying […]
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 […]
Today the highest human rights body of the United Nations starts in session as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hit countries around the globe and presents threats to the health and life of people in contact with criminal justice systems. First on the agenda is a presentation of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, […]
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, […]
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 reminds us of the very essence of PRI’s existence. At this time, our mission is to ensure that no one is left behind and PRI is working to ensure that prison management, criminal justice authorities and governments around the world are informed, equipped and supported to slow and […]
