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Reconstructing the Central African Republic will require a fair and effective criminal justice system
In the current context of extreme instability and volatility in the Central African Republic where the United Nations local presence has even reported ‘chronical violence targeted at civilians’; the Central African Republic government has approved a strategy which aims to demilitarise the country’s penitentiary system. On 9 January 2019, Prime Minister Simplice Sarandji endorsed three policy […]
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ODIHR and PRI publish new resource on Nelson Mandela Rules
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) published a new tool on 9 August 2018 to support the effective implementation of minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. The resource, produced jointly with Penal Reform International (PRI), was launched initially online. The Guidance Document on the Nelson Mandela Rules – Implementing the […]
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PRI to co-organise conference on women in prison
Penal Reform International and the Vance Center are co-organising a conference on Women in prison: evidence, advocacy and reform, in Bogota from 5–7 September 2018. The conference will bring together 45 women prisoners’ rights advocates from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe to share information about conditions of women’s imprisonment in their respective countries and regions and […]
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PRI publishes latest annual report
PRI has published its latest annual report, which outlines the impact of our work and achievements from 2017. The report, which includes messages from PRI’s Executive Director Alison Hannah and PRI’s Chair Dirk van Zyl Smit, showcases the work of PRI’s regional offices as well as our international advocacy work, and explores the impact of our publications and resources. […]
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Experts discuss Global Prison Trends at London panel event
Yesterday, Penal Reform International hosted an expert panel event in London to mark the UK launch of Global Prison Trends 2018. Published last month, Global Prison Trends 2018 is the fourth edition in PRI’s annual flagship Global Prison Trends series. The panel event, which took place at Linklaters LLP, brought together experts to discuss the most urgent and emerging issues […]
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PRI launches Global Prison Trends 2018
Today, PRI launches its annual flagship publication, Global Prison Trends 2018, at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Global Prison Trends 2018 is the fourth edition in PRI’s annual flagship Global Prison Trends series, and is published in collaboration with the Thailand Institute of Justice. It identifies topical developments and challenges in criminal justice and prison policy and practice over the past […]
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PRI wins President’s Award at the 2017 ICPA conference
Executive Director Alison Hannah with the President’s Award The International Corrections & Prisons Association (ICPA) held its 19th AGM and conference in London from 22–27 October. With a theme of ‘Innovation in Rehabilitation: Building Better Futures’, it gathered over 600 prisons and corrections experts from around the world to exchange information about innovatory initiatives and good […]
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PRI to host breakfast briefing on Global Prison Trends 2017
Next week, PRI will host a breakfast briefing to present analysis of global crime trends and the use of imprisonment, including emerging issues and challenges, from the Global Prison Trends 2017 report. The briefing, which will take place on Wednesday 25 October at the ICPA 2017 conference in London, will also look at the contribution […]
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Training for prison staff in Uganda on managing vulnerable prisoners
With support from the British High Commission in Uganda, last week PRI’s office in Sub-Saharan Africa conducted training for prison staff on the management of vulnerable prisoners, including the mentally ill, disabled prisoners and the elderly. The two-day workshop, which was held in Kampala, provided training for 18 prison staff. The training included an overview of […]
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New resources launched for implementing a gender-sensitive approach to non-custodial sentences
PRI has launched a number of new resources for implementing a gender-sensitive approach to non-custodial sentences. Typically, women are convicted of petty crimes closely linked to poverty, and gender-sensitive alternatives therefore carry a huge potential to avoid imprisonment. However, non-custodial sentences globally have been almost exclusively created for men, by men, and the differing needs and […]