Resources listing

All resources

Briefing

Penal Reform Briefing No.3: Women in Prison

Over half a million women and girls are held in penal institutions around the world,  the largest populations being in the United States, the Russian Federation and  Thailand. Everywhere, women are a minority in national prison populations but their numbers are increasing in many countries. The increase in women’s imprisonment is fuelling the global trend […]

Languages: Arabic, English, French

Training

Compendium of Comparative Prison Legislation

The Compendium of Comparative Prison Legislation aims to provide legislators, government officials, prison administrators and all concerned with penal reform with positive, realistic and contemporary examples of national laws from around the world. The Compendium is structured thematically, with each chapter containing extracts from relevant international and regional standards relating to the treatment of prisoners, […]

Languages: English

Training

Handbook on Prisoner File Management

The presence of complete, accurate and accessible prisoner files is not only a prerequisite for effective prison management and strategic planning, it is also an essential tool for ensuring the human rights of prisoners are respected and upheld. The present Handbook is aimed at those who hold the responsibility for people in custody. It demonstrates […]

Languages: English

Report

The Alexandria Declaration on a moratorium on the death penalty in the Arab world

PRI and the Swedish Institute co-hosted a conference which took place in Alexandria, Egypt, in May 2008. Eminent guest speakers and participants were invited from across the Arab region. The central objective of the conference was to consolidate the prospects of a moratorium on the death penalty in those countries in the Middle East and […]

Languages: Arabic, English

Annual Report

Annual Report 2007

Please contact us at info@penalreform.org is you wish to request a paper copy.

Languages: English

Report

Gacaca Research Report No.11: Testimony and evidence in the Gacaca courts

This latest report from the Gacaca monitoring project deals with the issues surrounding testimony, evidence-giving and proof in the Gacaca courts. In effect, the whole Gacaca justice system relies on witness statements and oral accounts of events – accounts which can be distorted by the passing of time, corrupted by the desire for retribution or curtailed […]

Languages: English, French

Model for Reform

Africa’s recommendations for penal reform

This book is a compilation of Declarations, Plans of Action and ECOSOC Resolutions which make logical, practical, humane and cost-effective recommendations for penal reform, written specifically in and for the African context. Where implemented, these can reduce the unnecessary use of imprisonment and improve access to justice, while responding to the special needs of those […]

Languages: English, French

Report

Impact of Parental Imprisonment on Children

This report highlights the often forgotten vulnerability of the children of parents in prison. As part of the Women in Prison and Children of Imprisoned Mothers Series produced by the Quaker United Nations Office, the study aims to raise awareness of the particular issues faced by these groups and explore how they can be appropriately […]

Languages: English, Russian

Report

Gacaca Research Report No.10: Judgements on property offence cases

This report focuses on the cases involving property offences committed during the genocide. Such cases are complex due to the varying degrees of responsibility: did the perpetrators engage in the looting of an abandoned home as a means of survival or were they involved in the organised and systematic destruction of property to eliminate all […]

Languages: English, French

Briefing

Penal Reform Briefing No.2: Health in Prisons

The prevalence of disease, malnutrition, mental illness and general ill health among the global prison population provides overwhelming and incontrovertible evidence that prisons are bad for your health. For many, imprisonment is marked by the deterioration in health and well-being– in some cases it is tantamount to a death sentence. The causes of poor prisoner […]

Languages: Arabic, English, French, Russian