Criminal justice and penal reform in the South Asia region faces a number of challenges.
Problems include: prison overcrowding, lack of alternatives to imprisonment, little training for criminal justice officials and lack of specialised systems and measures for vulnerable groups, including women and child detainees.
PRI worked in South Asia from the mid-1990s until 2016. From 2012, we focused primarily on Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, but we also sought to influence criminal justice good practice and standards within the whole region. We focused on promoting:
- Alternatives to imprisonment
- Juvenile justice reform
- Improving conditions for women and girls in the criminal justice system
We provided training, resources, guidance, technical assistance and advocacy support on international criminal justice standards and best practice in these areas.
Read an overview of PRI’s work in South Asia.
Latest updates
Briefing
Coronavirus: Healthcare and human rights of people in prison
PRI briefing note issued on 16 March 2020 on the situation of the outbreak of a novel form of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and prevention measures in prisons and wider impacts of responses to governments on people in criminal justice systems.
Languages: Arabic, English, Russian, Spanish
Blog post
Women’s rights matter more than ever for the future of criminal justice systems, and for PRI’s
In this blog to mark International Women’s Day celebrated on Sunday 8 March 2020, Penal Reform International’s Executive Director, Florian Irminger, reflects on the reasons for women who find themselves in prisons from Central African Republic to Costa Rica.
10th March 2020