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PRI at the UN Crime Commission 2018
The UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will convene in Vienna between 14–18 May 2018. The UN Crime Commission meets annually and is the principal policymaking body of the UN in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. It is therefore of key relevance to PRI’s mission. The Commission is the preparatory body for […]
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UN Human Rights Council reaffirms role of human rights in international drug policy debate
Last Friday evening, 23 March 2018, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council concluded its three-week long session by voting to adopt a Resolution reaffirming that human rights must play a central role in the ongoing international debate on global drug policies. The resolution, put forward by Switzerland, Mexico and other core group members Albania, […]
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PRI signs an agreement to support demilitarisation of the prison service in the Central African Republic
In December 2017, Penal Reform International signed an agreement with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to provide support in developing a strategy for demilitarisation of the prison service. MINUSCA has been working in Central African Republic since 2014, supporting efforts to address the root causes of conflict and […]
PRI attends World Health Organization meeting on prisons and health
Last week, PRI’s Executive Director, Alison Hannah, attended the World Health Organization (WHO) international meeting on prisons and health in Lisbon. This international meeting, which was jointly organised by Public Health England (PHE) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), brought together over 100 experts in the field of prison and public […]
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OSCE/ODIHR meeting explores importance of independent detention monitoring to protect human rights while preventing violent extremism and radicalisation
The importance of independent detention monitoring bodies in assessing whether state measures to prevent and counter violent extremism and radicalisation that lead to terrorism (VERLT) in prisons are human-rights compliant was the focus of a workshop organised by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in partnership with Penal Reform International (PRI), […]
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Preventing violent extremism in prison: joint UNDP, UNODC & PRI consulation
Two UN organisations – UNDP and UNODC – joined with PRI to hold a joint consultation with international experts and practitioners in Amman this month. The aim was to take stock of current knowledge and exchange information on good practice in addressing the issue of violent extremism in prison. Regional and global experts from over […]
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PRI launches anti-corruption initiative in Kazakhstan
PRI’s office in Central Asia has launched a new project to develop government accountability and good governance in the law enforcement system in order to combat corruption in Kazakhstan. The project aims to improve mechanisms for increasing accountability and anti-corruption, and build interaction between the government and civil society. The project’s first working meeting was held […]
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PRI issues joint statement on the impact of the ‘war on drugs’ on human rights
This week Penal Reform International and the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS) made a joint statement on drugs and human rights at the 36th Session of the Human Rights Council. The statement highlighted how a range of well-documented human-rights violations – such as increased police violence and mass incarceration of people involved in non-violent, low-level drug […]
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PRI’s MENA office holds conference on security and human rights in Algeria
Image: Taghreed Jaber, PRI’s Regional Director in MENA, speaking at the conference. Last week, PRI’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) office and the National Council for Human Rights in Algeria organised a national conference, Security and Human Rights: the Algerian Reconciliation model. Topics discussed at the conference included the Algerian experience in countering violent extremism, including the […]
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PRI at the UN Crime Commission 2017
The UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will convene in Vienna on 22 – 26 May 2017. The UN ‘Crime Commission’ meets annually and is the principal policy-making body of the UN in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. It is therefore of key relevance to PRI’s mission. The Commission is the preparatory […]