Archive

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 […]

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 […]

PRI works with UN Committee against Torture to address vulnerable groups in detention

The UN Committee against Torture invited PRI to facilitate a one-day workshop on vulnerable groups in detention on 2 August 2018, within their regular session in Geneva. The workshop was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Association for the Prevention of Torture. PRI brought together a range of expert representatives from national […]

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 […]

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. […]

Penal Reform International appoints Florian Irminger to lead organisation

We are pleased to announce that Florian Irminger will join Penal Reform International as Executive Director from 3 September 2018. Florian is currently Head of Advocacy at Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) in Geneva. Before joining HRHF, Florian co-founded ‘Stop Suicide’, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the prevention of suicide among young people in Switzerland. In 2011, he was […]

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 […]

The role of corrections in peace operations

Last week, the Group of Friends of Corrections in Peace Operations (GoF) held its annual meeting in New York, which PRI’s Executive Director, Alison Hannah, attended as an Observer. The GoF provides support for corrections work in UN peace operations, strengthening prison services through promoting the deployment of expert corrections personnel and exchanging good practice […]

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 […]

PRI publishes guidance for prison staff on mental health

Today, Penal Reform International has published a new short guide for prison staff on addressing the mental health needs of prisoners. People in prison – totalling 10.2 million people on any given day – are disproportionately affected by mental ill-health, with around one in seven having a serious mental health condition. While there is growing […]