Event: Deaths in prison: understanding and reducing preventable loss of life

Side event at the 32nd Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Organised by Penal Reform International, supported by Brazil and Finland. 

In 2019, the UN reported that mortality rates in prisons were 50% higher compared to the wider community. This is linked to a wide range of causes and contributing factors which raise serious concerns for prison management, public health, and human rights. However, information on the causes and demographics of prison deaths remains limited, making it difficult to prevent them.

On 26 May 2023, this side event brought together member States, practitioners, and civil society to discuss challenges and best practices in addressing deaths in prisons, in accordance with international standards. It was held as part of PRI’s ongoing collaboration with the University of Nottingham and the prisonDEATH initiative.

Programme  

Opening remarks – César Augusto Vermiglio Bonamigo, Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations in Vienna

Deaths in prison worldwide: Examining causes, responses, and prevention – Adriana Pou Hernández, Researcher, Penal Reform International  

Deaths in Chilean prisons: Panorama, diagnosis and proposals – Agustín Walker Martínez, Lawyer, Universidad de Chile 

Film screening: Woodhill. A short film. (produced by University of Nottingham and LUNG Theatre)

Closing remarks – Paulina Tallroth, Ministry of Justice, Finland 

Moderated by Olivia Rope, Executive Director, Penal Reform International