PRI at the 15th UN Crime Congress

Penal Reform International at the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

PRI will take part in the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, taking place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

As part of its participation, PRI is organising or co-organising three ancillary (side) events, bringing together Member States, UN entities, civil society and people with lived experience to discuss some of today’s most pressing criminal justice issues: global prison trends, women’s imprisonment and gender-responsive alternatives, and alternatives to the death penalty.

Details of the three events are below.

1. Global Prison Trends: Progress made, challenges ahead, trends to watch

Ancillary event at the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice — Concept Note

Organiser: Penal Reform International

Supported by: Norway, the Thailand Institute of Justice, the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (tbc) and Pathfinders for Peaceful for Just and Inclusive Societies (tbc).

Date and time: Saturday, 26 September, 3:00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. (GST)

Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Room 2C. The event will be hybrid.

Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85753222310?pwd=OWUa78NT70GSMiHDtBO7TQIvTfZNcI.1 

Meeting ID: 857 5322 2310

Passcode: 445634

Context

The forthcoming edition of PRI and TIJ’s flagship joint annual publication, Global Prison Trends 2026, with the financial and research support of ILANUD, provides an overview of key developments in prison systems and criminal justice frameworks worldwide. Drawing on global data and analysis, it offers a timely snapshot of the state of prisons and the broader forces that shape them.

Prisons do not operate in a vacuum. They are shaped by the strength of the rule of law, governance, and wider social, economic and political contexts. Where these are weakened, the consequences are often most visible in places of detention, with people held unnecessarily, for prolonged periods, or without adequate safeguards. In contexts of fragility, conflict and instability, prison systems face growing pressure, including rising populations, shrinking resources and deteriorating conditions.

More than 11.5 million people are held in prisons globally on any given day, with many more cycling through systems each year. The impact extends beyond those detained, affecting staff, families and communities. Prisons are therefore a central component of justice systems with wide social consequences.

This year’s report highlights persistent challenges, including overcrowding, organised crime, limited access to rehabilitation, and ongoing human rights concerns. It also underscores that effective, evidence-based solutions exist to reduce prison populations, improve conditions, and support reintegration.

Launched in the year of the Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Global Prison Trends 2026 is a call to keep prisons firmly on the international agenda and grounded in human rights standards. Strengthening prison systems is essential to advancing justice, safety and human dignity worldwide.

Programme highlights

The event will feature discussions with international experts, sharing insights on key global prison trends and challenges. Topics will include the impact of weakened rule of law and governance on places of detention, rising prison populations and overcrowding, persistent gaps in rehabilitation and reintegration, and the need to centre the voices of those with lived experience of the criminal justice system in prison reform.

The event aims to foster informed dialogue, promote the exchange of good practices, and encourage collaborative, evidence-based approaches to prison reform and criminal justice policy. By bringing together diverse perspectives, the discussion will highlight both the challenges and practical solutions needed to bolster prison reform and ensure prison systems uphold human rights, safety and human dignity worldwide.

Languages: English.

Target Audience: CCPCJ delegates, including member states, intergovernmental organisations, and civil society, with online streaming to networks of practitioners, academics, decision makers and NGOs.

Proposed programme

Duration: 60 mins

Opening remarks (3 mins each):

  • Member State (tbc)

Speakers (6 mins each):

  • Jerome Mangelinckx, Penal Reform International
  • Chontit Chuenurah, Thailand Institute of Justice
  • Akosua Akuffo, Tithandizane Comfort Homes, International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women & Penal Reform International
  • Laura Ospina, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Inclusive and Just Societies
  • Dwayne Antojado, Adelaide University & Penal Reform International

Closing remarks (3 mins each):

  • Douglas Durán Chavarría, United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders
  • Philipp Meisner, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (tbc)

Q&A

Moderator: Penal Reform International

Contact person at PRI: Jérôme Mangelinckx, Global Policy Manager, jmangelinckx@penalreform.org

2. Fast tracking collaboration to implement the Bangkok Rules

Ancillary meeting at the 15th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Date: Tuesday, 29 September (10.00 – 11.00 a.m. GST)

Venue: Room 2B (Hybrid)

Meeting link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86776670371?pwd=n3DM7Prat4BXb1s23pqQZxms7eaiCS.1

Meeting ID: 867 7667 0371

Passcode: 394234

Main organiser: Women Beyond Walls

Co-organisers: the International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women, Penal Reform International, the Thailand Institute of Justice, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, and WO=MEN (tbc).

Event description

Women’s imprisonment is increasing in many parts of the world, with poverty, discrimination and gender-based violence among the root causes contributing to women’s criminalisation. Yet gender-responsive approaches and alternatives to imprisonment remain underused. This ancillary event will bring together civil society, funders and Member States to examine these root causes, drawing on the expertise of women with lived experience, evidence on the links between poverty and punishment, and lessons from implementation of the Bangkok Rules.

The event will highlight the role of advocacy and networks of formerly incarcerated women in driving reform, alongside the need for stronger support for organisations working with women in prison. Women Beyond Walls will launch the first global map of organisations working with women in prison, providing a resource to increase visibility, strengthen connections and support investment in this work.

Target audience

The event is aimed at Member State representatives, civil society organisations, funders, UN entities and other criminal justice and women’s rights stakeholders working to reduce women’s imprisonment, advance gender-responsive alternatives and strengthen the ecosystem of organisations supporting women affected by imprisonment.

Programme (60 mins)

Welcoming remarks by the moderator (5 mins)

Opening remarks:

  • Nadia van der Linde, WO=MEN (7 mins)

Keynote speakers:

  • Toni Tulloch, International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women (2 mins – recording)
  • Akosua Akuffo, Tithandizane Comfort Homes, International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women & Penal Reform International (7 mins)
  • Sabrina Mahtani, Women Beyond Walls (7 mins)
  • Chontit Chuenurah, Thailand Institute of Justice (7 mins)

Q&A: (10 mins)

Final round of recommendations with the speakers and closing remarks by the moderator (10 mins)

Moderator: Olivia Rope, Penal Reform International

3. Exploring alternatives to the Death Penalty that safeguard human dignity

Ancillary meeting at the 15th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Date: Tuesday, 29 September (4.30 – 5.30 p.m. GST)

Venue: Room 2B (Hybrid)

Meeting link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81879681951?pwd=vQbblBbwnP4yJnl6cXmvIkR5KHC6Cp.1

Meeting ID: 818 7968 1951

Passcode: 654784

Main organiser: Penal Reform International

Co-organisers: Centre for Research and Education in Security, Prisons and Forensic Psychiatry at St Olavs University Hospital, School of Law at University of Nottingham, Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research (ICPR), Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM) and Reprieve

Event description

Over the past five decades, the global momentum towards abolishing the death penalty has become undeniable. By the end of 2024, 113 countries had fully abolished it in law and practice, while many others restricted its use or imposed moratoriums. As countries transition away from capital punishment, the question of what comes next takes centre stage. Life imprisonment without parole has in many jurisdictions become the default alternative to capital punishment. While it avoids the irreversible nature of the death penalty, such sentencing on its own does not fully address longer-term challenges. Frameworks that preserve opportunities for review and rehabilitation, while upholding principles of proportionality, are more likely to promote balanced and sustainable justice outcomes. Excessively rigid sentencing risks placing strain on prison systems and contributing to broader sentence inflation. Abolition should therefore be accompanied by the development of fair, proportionate, and humane sentencing practices that balance justice with rehabilitation. Alternatives must align with international human rights standards, prohibiting cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment and ensuring respect for the inherent dignity of all persons. Courts and policymakers face the challenge of protecting society and acknowledging victims’ rights without resorting to irreversible or excessive penalties. Drawing on PRI’s recent update to its Information pack on alternatives to the death penalty (2025), this side event will explore evidence-based, rights-consistent alternatives.

Programme (60 mins)

Welcoming remarks by the moderator (2 mins)

Opening remarks:

  • Member State representative (3 mins)
  • Reprieve/ ECPM: Positive developments in the abolition ecosystem (5 mins)

Keynote speakers:

  • Person with lived experience from Taiwan (3 mins – recording)
  • Zaved Mahmood, OHCHR: drug policies/ Iran (8 mins) (tbc)
  • Catherine Appleton/ Zinat Jimada: What comes next after death penalty abolition? (8 mins)
  • Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, Chairperson of the Civic Unity Participation Party of Mongolia, former Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports, former Member of Parliament: Case study from Mongolia (8 mins) (tbc)
  • Dr. Salome Beacco, State Department for Correctional Services, Principal Secretary: Case study from Kenya (8 mins) (tbc)

Q&A: (12 mins)

Closing remarks: Representative from Malaysia (3 mins) (tbc)