Since 2000, the prison population in Southeast Asia has increased by 116% (compared to 36% across Asia and 24% globally). This has resulted in chronic levels of overcrowding in many countries, with occupancy rates over 200% in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
One of the primary causes of prison overcrowding is that imprisonment remains the default response to offending in many countries in the region, and also at the pre-trial stage. Punitive drug policies continue to drive imprisonment rates up. Drug laws in the region typically criminalise drug use or possession for personal use, with mandatory pre-trial detention, court backlogs and inadequate access to release mechanisms meaning people spend years on remand awaiting trial.
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Report
Global Prison Trends annual series
Global Prison Trends is PRI's annual flagship series. Published every year since 2015, the series identifies topical developments and challenges in criminal justice and prison policy and practice, and contributes to the monitoring of crime trends and operations of criminal justice systems.
Languages: English
News
Capacity building for correctional staff in the Philippines
In January-February 2023, PRI delivered a 3-week series of trainings in partnership with UNODC in the Philippines on the UN Nelson Mandela Rules and Bangkok Rules, reaching 150 frontline jail and prison officers from Luzon, Visayas and Davao regions in the Philippines, in collaboration with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the […]
Briefing
Deaths in prison: Examining causes, responses, and prevention
Mortality rates are up to 50% higher in prison than in the community, linked to a wide range of causes and contributing factors which raise serious concerns for human rights, public health, and prison management. This briefing is a call to action for the international community and national actors to strengthen their approach to deaths in prisons, to take pro-active measures to prevent loss of life and, when deaths do occur, to respond appropriately to identify any systemic concerns and prevent future harm.
Languages: English