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PRI will take part in the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, taking place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 26 September to 1 October 2026. As well as participating in the plenaries and programme, PRI is co-organising ancillary (side) events, bringing together Member States, UN entities, civil society and […]
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Founding members of the Global Alliance of Civil Society on Prison Reform from 31 countries met in Amsterdam on 26-27 March 2026 to advance a shared vision to address the growing prison crisis impacting millions of people and societies across the world. Bringing together representatives of civil society including people with lived experience of imprisonment, […]
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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 […]
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Upholding Children’s Rights in the Digitalisation of Justice Visit the project website Given that today marks World Children’s Day, we would like to highlight an important milestone in our work to strengthen children’s rights. This week in Bucharest, Penal Reform International convened stakeholders from 15 countries to address the issue of procedural safeguards for children in the […]
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Organisers: Penal Reform International and the Amsterdam Law Hub Co-sponsors: Bureau Clara Wichmann Date and time: Friday, 19 September 2025 at 10.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m. CEST at the Amsterdam Law Hub, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 164, 1018 WV Amsterdam. The event will be hybrid with online streaming. Register This discussion aims to explore […]
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Photo caption: PRI meeting with Directorate General of prisons and Detention Houses From 20–25 October 2024, Penal Reform International (PRI) embarked on its first mission to Türkiye for an EU-funded initiative. This four-year project, implemented in partnership with the Civil Society in the Penal System Association (CISST), aims to support the improvement of detention conditions and […]
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Vienna— The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and Penal Reform International (PRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Vienna during the 33rd session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). Under this newly signed MoU, UNICRI and PRI will conduct a comprehensive study to address the critical […]
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Organised by Penal Reform International with the support of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, UK, USA, UNODC HIV/AIDS Section, HRI, INPUD and ENPUD. People in prison bear a disproportionate burden of health-related issues, characterised by a higher prevalence of chronic physical […]
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Monday 15 April 2024 – 9.00am – 4.30 pm The Hague Humanities Hub, the Hague, the Netherlands Background In 2010, the General Assembly adopted UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) to address the gender-specific needs of women offenders and women in prisons. These rules […]
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On 27 June 2023, a range of experts gathered in Brussels to discuss the use of electronic monitoring (“EM”) and related human rights implications. Participants included academics, representatives from national probation agencies, the Confederation of European Probation (CEP), the Council of Europe, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and civil society groups. […]
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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 […]