‘If a child is to be […] imagined as an individual with a distinctive personality, and not merely as a miniature adult waiting to reach full size, he or she cannot be treated as a mere extension of his or her parents, umbilically destined to sink or swim with them.’ This quote from Justice Albie […]
This week, PRI celebrated its 25th anniversary, this time in Vienna, by launching a short new animated film on the impact of unnecessary imprisonment and non-custodial alternatives at the United Nations Crime Commission. In just 2.5 mins the animation seeks to raise some important questions about the use of custodial sentences, particular for minor offences. While for serious […]
Next week the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will convene in Vienna (12-16 May). Held annually it is the principal policy-making body of the UN in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice and is therefore of key relevance to PRI’s mission. The Commission is the preparatory body for and implements […]
“A lot of the solutions to criminal justice problems don’t lie within prison walls. They are out there in public health, in housing, in social justice, in the relationships between people and in restorative justice,” said Juliet Lyon, PRI’s Secretary-General, kicking off the panel discussion held in celebration of PRI’s 25th anniversary in London last […]
Penal Reform International is launching a competition for the best journalism investigating the death penalty and life (or long-term) imprisonment. The death penalty remains in many parts of the globe, while around the world people are imprisoned for decades at a time. While trials, sentences and executions often make the headlines, other features of the death […]
The 23rd Session of the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) was held in mid-April in the African Union’s new and shiny headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Committee has a mandate to monitor the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child which has […]
The advanced copy of the report of the third Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting held in Vienna on 25-28 March 2014 on the revision of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners is now available. It has been tabled at the 23rd session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Crime Commission) […]
Next week will see the start of the 25th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council (3-28 March 2014 in Geneva) and PRI will be participating on three key issues: the abolition of the death penalty, justice for children and the revision of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. PRI’s statement within the […]
Age, gender and their small numbers make girls one of the most vulnerable and neglected groups involved in criminal justice systems. While far from being a homogenous group with characteristics and needs that vary between countries, we know that there are many issues that they face in common. These include the fact that they may […]
This week, PRI facilitated a visit to the Slovenian Ombudsman by a delegation from the Ombudsman’s office in Kazakhstan, including the Askar Shakirov, Ombudsman of Kazakhstan and Rustam Kypshakbayev, a specialist from the Ombudsman office. This visit was undertaken as part of a new 10-month PRI Central Asia project funded by the Organisation for Security and […]