Invite to Summer School 2017: Detention monitoring applying the UN Nelson Mandela Rules
Update 17 May: please note the application period has now closed.
Applications are now open for members and staff of National Preventive Mechanisms to a Summer School in August 2017 on ‘Detention monitoring applying the UN Nelson Mandela Rules’ in Bristol, UK.
The Nelson Mandela Rules
In December 2015, after a four-year review process, the UN General Assembly adopted the revised Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners as the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’. The review was conducted as a ‘targeted revision’, updating those areas and rules that were considered the most outdated since their adoption in 1955. These encompassed a range of provisions that are key to the prevention of torture and ill-treatment: disciplinary measures and sanctions, solitary confinement, body searches, prisoner file management, complaints and inspections, investigations in cases of serious injury, deaths in custody and allegations/ signs of torture or other ill-treatment, health-care and the role of doctors.
About the Summer School
Download a flyer about the summer school and a draft agenda.
As an advanced course, the Summer School will increase participants’ capacity to prevent torture and ill-treatment using the revised Nelson Mandela Rules. It will also provide an opportunity to meet and network with experts in the field and representatives from other NPMs.
This School is the second training event organised by Penal Reform International and the Human Rights Implementation Centre, University of Bristol, in partnership with the Association for the Prevention of Torture, with funding from the Danish Government. Feedback from participants who took part in the 2015 Summer School on gender-sensitive monitoring was overwhelmingly positive, and we will therefore be following the same format, learning techniques, etc.
Two participants said: ‘It was one of the most beneficial trainings I received specifically on NPM matters. Thank you very much!’ and ‘I learned huge amounts and came away from it feeling confident.’
The Summer School course will employ a range of teaching techniques. There will be:
- Interactive/participatory sessions with a range of experts, including case studies and role plays
- Video messages from experts on specific issues
- Applying the Mandela Rules to a range of situations/ high and low-income countries
- Sharing of good practices and common challenges
With the majority of the revised Rules relating to the prohibition and prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment in detention, it is critical that detention monitoring bodies use the updated Rules. The four-day programme is therefore designed to equip the 20 participants with the necessary technical knowledge on key provisions so they can assess conditions of detention against the Rules and develop stronger recommendations thereof.
Information on cost and how to apply
- Course language: English (Good command required)
- Maximum number of participants: 20
- Cost: £375 for the meal and accommodation package in student accommodation, ‘Durdham Hall’, inclusive from evening of Sunday 13 August to the morning of Friday 18 August. Please note that the organisers cannot offer reimbursement for travel costs or other expenses, and that student accommodation is being used to keep the costs down.
Registration process: To apply please download, complete and send your application form to Olivia Rope at orope@penalreform.org by 17 May 2017.
We will confirm your participation by 9 June 2017 and send details for payment which will need to be made to confirm your place. Please note that if the course is oversubscribed, the organisers will select applications based on representation from maximum number of countries/regions and experience.