While there have been improvements in recent years, criminal justice policy in Central Asia remains punitive.
Large prison populations, a result of the overuse of pre-trial detention and custodial sanctions, have led to overcrowding and poor conditions. The absence of separate juvenile justice systems, lack of measures to support the reintegration of offenders back into the community and the Soviet tradition of camp-style prisons remain persistent problems. Violence in prison and torture and ill-treatment of prisoners is not uncommon.
PRI has been working in the Central Asia region since 2001. Our office in Astana, Kazakhstan, currently manages programmes in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and maintains links with partners in Uzbekistan.
Current work focuses on legislative reform in Kazakhstan, torture prevention, particularly on improving independent public oversight of places of detention, and supporting the reintegration of prisoners into society.
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Newsletter
Central Asia: Quarterly newsletters
The newsletters, which are in both English and Russian, showcase the various projects, events and training carried out in the region.
Languages: English, Russian
News
PRI hosts first regional conference on combatting violent extremism and radicalisation in prison
The conference brought together representatives from five countries to share experiences on effective prison management of violent extremism offenders.
News
Women’s Power Breakfast highlights need for gender sensitivity and equality in justice systems
The event, which took place at the OSCE's Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, was co-organised by PRI, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.