Europe

Although many European countries have sophisticated criminal justice systems, further efforts are needed to ensure international and European standards are met so that people in contact with the law have their human rights protected. With significant challenges remaining across justice systems in Europe, people from minority or marginalised groups are often disproportionately impacted by crime policies and face discrimination.

Some of the key challenges in the region include prison overcrowding, delays in the trial process, poor treatment of people in vulnerable situations and in some areas poor coordination between criminal justice agencies, lack of resources and political will to make significant reforms.

The Europe programme is based in the Hague, the Netherlands. Current work focuses on:

• developing child-friendly justice systems
• promoting effective non-custodial sanctions, particularly for vulnerable groups
• supporting countries and criminal justice systems to implement European (Council of Europe and European Union) and international standards
• building the effectiveness of detention monitoring bodies to prevent and address human rights violations
• building networks of expertise.