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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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The right to hope: PRI co-hosts international strategy forum on life imprisonment

This week, Penal Reform International and the University of Nottingham organised an international civil society strategy forum on life imprisonment, which took place in London from 11–12 December 2018. The two-day forum brought together key civil society actors (alongside stakeholders from academic institutions) from around the world to discuss and strategise how to tackle the […]

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PRI hosts first regional conference on combatting violent extremism and radicalisation in prison

Last week, PRI’s Central Asia office hosted a regional conference bringing together representatives from five countries to share experiences on effective prison management of violent extremism offenders. Data shows that the number of those convicted of violent extremist and terrorist crimes is growing, and there are concerns in some Central Asian countries that prisons have served as […]

PRI and ODIHR to organise briefing at UN General Assembly on Nelson Mandela Rules

On the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York, PRI and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will co-host a breakfast briefing in which an expert panel will review current trends and developments in prisons, including the implementation of the revised UN Standard Minimum Rules for the […]

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World Day Against the Death Penalty 2018

Today, 10 October 2018, is the 16th World Day Against the Death Penalty. This year, the aim of the World Day is to raise awareness of the inhumane living conditions of people sentenced to death. Although people on death row are entitled to the same basic rights and treatment conditions as other categories of prisoners, as set […]

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Call for information: Rehabilitation and reintegration for women prisoners

Penal Reform International, together with the Thailand Institute of Justice, is developing guidance on gender-specific rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for women prisoners, to assist with the implementation of the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Sanctions for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules). As part of this, we are collating best practices that implement […]

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Women’s Power Breakfast highlights need for gender sensitivity and equality in justice systems

The under-representation of women in justice system institutions and its impact on justice system outcomes were the focus of a Women’s Power Breakfast in Warsaw on 19 September 2018, during the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. The event was co-organised by Penal Reform International, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and […]

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PRI at OSCE’s 2018 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting: promotion of UN Mandela Rules and gender equality in corrections

This month Penal Reform International will be participating in the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, organised by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR). The Human Dimension Implementation Meeting is Europe’s largest annual human rights conference, and will take place on 10 to 21 September 2018 in Warsaw. The meeting provides participating States, the […]

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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 […]