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The Executive Board of Penal Reform International (PRI) has announced that Olivia Rope has been appointed as the organisation’s Executive Director. Olivia, who has been acting Executive Director since 1 November, is stepping up from her role as Director of Policy and International Advocacy. Dirk van Zyl Smit, Chairperson of PRI, said “We are delighted […]
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Finalists of the ‘Capstone Project’ research competition, implemented by Penal Reform International (PRI) with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kazakhstan, presented their research projects on 14 July 2020. This year, due to the COVID-19 related restrictions in Kazakhstan, students of M.Utemissov West Kazakhstan State University presented their research […]
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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 […]
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Yesterday marked an important milestone for prison systems across Europe: the revised set of European Penitentiary 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 […]
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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, […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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2020 marks ten years since the UN Bangkok Rules on women prisoners and non-custodial measures for women were adopted by the UN General Assembly, which called for alternatives to imprisonment for the case of women, particularly for minor offences. Yet, drug policies continue to disproportionately impact women and female prison populations continue to rise in […]
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Penal Reform International (PRI) is taking important and effective steps towards preventing ill-treatment and promoting the application of fair and effective criminal investigations and trials of people detained in Uganda. At PRI’s pioneering police training course in November 2019 on investigative interviewing and international human rights standards it was revealed that only two of the participants […]
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Penal Reform International in the Middle East and North Africa, in partnership with the Penitentiary and Reintegration Administration Algeria, and supported by the British embassy in Algiers, has been delivering capacity building interventions to prison staff on the principles of strategic planning and implementation methodologies. These interventions are part of a broader project funded by […]
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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, […]