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PRI awarded four-year grant by Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs for penitentiary reform in Yemen
The four year project starting in December 2014 will aim to reform the penitentiary system in line with international human rights; develop the capacity of civil society groups to initiate projects to support people in the criminal justice system and to protect the rights of prisoners; and implement alternative sanctions and diversion mechanisms at community […]
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International conference in Amman highlights progress of criminal justice reform initiatives in MENA
On 3 and 4 November, PRI’s Middle East and North Africa office co-organised a large international conference with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and under the patronage of his Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan. This conference marked the end of a three year project (2011-2014) funded by the Swedish International […]
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International experts gathered in Amman for today for start of PRI conference on criminal justice and human rights
PRI’s International Conference on ‘Criminal Justice Reform and Human Rights: Recent Trends’ opened today (3 November) in Amman under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Alhussein of Jordan. The two day conference is organised by Penal Reform International (MENA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Public Security […]
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Indian prison officers tour the UK prison system
Unlimited visits from families, hand sanitizer for staff and prisoners to improve hygiene and inviting local NGOs to provide prisoners with vocational training: just a few of the ideas that ten prison managers from across India took back from an exposure visit to the UK this June. The visit, which took place from 1 to 14 June, was […]
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PRI discusses priorities for prison reform at regional and national fora in India
Over the last week PRI and the Penal Reform and Justice Association (PRAJA) have been running a series of training of trainer workshops high-level seminars for prison officials highlighting the need for professionalisation of the prison service and wider penal and criminal justice reform in India. On the 22nd February, PRI will hold a high-level national seminar […]
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Seminar discusses how to increase the use of probation in Bangladesh
On Friday 20 December, PRI and its partner organisation, the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) held a joint seminar on the use of probation as an alternative to imprisonment in Bangladesh. While the legislative framework in Bangladesh allows for offenders charged with a wide range of minor offences to be placed on probation, […]
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Human rights and prison management the focus of prison service training in Kolkata last week
On 9-12 December 2013, PRI and the Penal Reform and Justice Association (PRAJA) ran a training of trainers workshop (ToT) on human rights and prison management for Indian Prison Officials. Twenty prison managers from India’s eastern states – Jharkhand, Mizoram and West Bengal – took part in the four-day course on human rights and prison management, which […]
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Final conference reflects on how local authorities in Kazakhstan are addressing the needs of prisoners after release
For the past two years PRI has been working with the national and local authorities in Kazakhstan on a programme designed to improve prisoners’ chances of getting work and being successfully reintegrated into their communities on release. In 2010, the responsibility for social and economic reintegration of prisoners was passed to the local authorities (akimats) […]
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PRI at the 24th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council – a look ahead
PRI will be engaging on two priority issues at the 24th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council which will open on 9 September in Geneva: the abolition of the death penalty and the human rights impact of the overuse of imprisonment. The session will run for three weeks and the agenda is packed, with over 40 resolutions […]
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Expert training for Kazakhstan’s local authorities on improving rehabilitation services for former prisoners
From April 16-17, 2013 Penal Reform International in Central Asia organised training for staff of akimats (local state authorities), which were given responsibility for rehabilitation of prisoners on release in August 2010. The training was made possible with the financial support of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Kazakhstan. Read the press release: Resocialisation training for […]