Resources listing

Briefing

Technical brief: Transgender people and HIV in prisons and other closed settings

Transgender people often experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, including in criminal justice systems. Evidence indicates that such marginalisation, criminalisation and discrimination can lead to greater vulnerability to and risk of long-term mental and physical health issues, including increased risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and experience of sexual assault. This technical […]

Languages: English

Event

Event: World Drug Day 2022

On World Drug Day 2022, several UN human rights experts will release a new joint statement calling on the international community to acknowledge the devastating consequences of punitive approaches to drug control, and to shift the emphasis of global responses towards supporting people involved with drugs. This joint statement adds to the growing calls for […]

Languages: English

Event

Event: Decisive action to reform laws that criminalise poverty and status

Side event to the 31st Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Co-organised by Ghana, Mexico, South Africa, the United States, Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, International Drug Policy Consortium, International Legal Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Penal Reform International, African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum, Community Advice Offices South Africa, Office […]

Languages: English, French, Portuguese

Event

Event: Prisons in crisis – Conflict, climate change and COVID-19

Side event to the 31st Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Co-organised by Penal Reform International; Government of Liechtenstein; Correctional Service Canada; Justice and Corrections Service, Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions, UN Department of Peace Operations; American Civil Liberties Union; Prison Insider; and International Penal and Penitentiary […]

Languages: English

Event

Event: Global Prison Trends 2022

Global Prison Trends is Penal Reform International’s annual flagship report, published with the Thailand Institute of Justice, identifying the key trends and challenges in prison systems worldwide. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, despite repeated calls to reduce prison populations since the onset of the crisis, the global prison population has reached an all-time high. Global […]

Languages: Arabic, English

Event

Event: Practical measures for the prohibition of arbitrary detention in drug control

Side event at the 65th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, organised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with the support of Canada, Ghana, Switzerland, United Kingdom, European Union, National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria, Commission of Human Rights of the Philippines, Global Commission on Drug Policy, Harm Reduction International, […]

Languages: English, Spanish

Guidelines

Good governance for prisons during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

This guide is based on research into the COVID-19 justice response around the world, including a particular focus on the responses in Kenya and Kazakhstan. The analysis examines the elements of justice system governance which enabled the sector to react quickly and effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic in prisons as well as the factors which inhibited timely, relevant responses. The guide aims to inform better governance in any future crisis situations, as well as the direction of penal reform more broadly.

Languages: English

Report

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-custodial sanctions and measures: Summary report of a comparative study in Member States of the European Union

In order to reduce prison populations to manage the spread of COVID-19, many states turned to the use of non-custodial sanctions and measures and the adoption of early or emergency release schemes. While the impact of the pandemic on prisons has been well documented, it is less clear how COVID-19 and the different measures governments […]

Languages: English, French

Model for Reform

10-point plan: crisis-ready non-custodial sanctions and measures

Probation agencies and others supporting the use and implementation of non-custodial sanctions and measures have been significantly impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures adopted by criminal justice systems and governments in combatting the spread of the virus in prisons and communities at large. While the focus has often been on mitigating the extreme […]

Languages: English, French, Russian, Spanish

Report

Country reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-custodial sanctions and measures

In-depth country reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use, implementation and experience of non-custodial sanctions and measures in Georgia, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan and Portugal, including preparations for release from prison and experiences of staff and those under probation supervision. These reports were published with the financial support of the International Penal and Penitentiary […]

Languages: Kyrgyz, Hungarian, English, Georgian, Portuguese, Russian