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.
Latest updates
News
Hybrid side event #CND67: The challenges and opportunities of opioid agonist treatment in prison settings
Organised by Penal Reform International with the support of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, UK, USA, UNODC HIV/AIDS Section, HRI, INPUD and ENPUD. People in prison bear a disproportionate burden of health-related issues, characterised by a higher prevalence of chronic physical […]
News
Stocktaking Meeting on the Implementation of the Bangkok Rules
Monday 15 April 2024 – 9.00am – 4.30 pm The Hague Humanities Hub, the Hague, the Netherlands Background In 2010, the General Assembly adopted UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) to address the gender-specific needs of women offenders and women in prisons. These rules […]
News
Collaborative working sessions drive efforts to enhance safeguarding of children in European prisons
In December 2023, PRI and partners Social Activities and Practices Institute (SAPI) and Terre des Hommes Romania organised working sessions with national child justice stakeholders in Bulgaria, Ireland and Romania, the three focus countries of the ongoing Data MOSAIC project. Sharing insights from EU-wide and country-level research on the current data collection practices and tools for […]