Independent experts’ meeting on the review of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the ‘Essex Paper’)

The ‘Essex Paper’ is the outcome of an independent experts’ meeting on the revision of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMR).  It was submitted by PRI and Essex University to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime ahead of the 2nd Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting (IEGM) on the in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 11-13 December 2012.

The group of experts met to identify current international norms and standards in the areas proposed for revision and any outdated language or gaps in the Standard Minimum Rules as a result of the international legal developments that have taken place since their adoption in 1955.

This report should be read together with the second report of the Experts submitted in March 2014 to the 3rd Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting.

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