Prison work: A tool for detention monitors

People in prison undertake work in many forms, from large-scale industry and farming to small-scale handicrafts and skills training for release. In some jurisdictions work is mandatory and offered to nearly the whole prison population; in others, no formal opportunities exist. While prison work can support rehabilitation and social reintegration, poor implementation and weak oversight mean it remains associated with serious human rights violations, including forced labour, abuse, corruption and discrimination.

As detention monitors are well placed to scrutinise how labour programmes are developed and run, this tool offers practical guidance for addressing prison work as part of broader monitoring activities – identifying human rights risks and recommending measures to ensure work benefits people in prison. This guide is part of PRI’s Detention Monitoring Tools, and is intended for National Preventive Mechanisms, National Human Rights Institutions, ombudsperson offices, civil society actors and others engaged in oversight of detention.

The tool draws on on international norms including the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules) and PRI’s guide Prison work: A guide to regulated and rehabilitative-based approaches, grounded in interviews with 20 formerly imprisoned people from diverse regions and work models, alongside expert consultation. Its central concern — the gap between the rehabilitative ideal of prison work and who ultimately benefits from it — continues to inform this tool for detention monitors.

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