Copy

Penal Reform International

October 2018 Update 

      

Spotlight:

New factsheet on prison conditions for women facing the death penalty 
To mark the 2018 World Day Against the Death Penalty, PRI and the Cornell Centre on the Death Penalty Worldwide published a Factsheet examining the prison conditions for women living on death row, based on the new Cornell Centre report entitled Judged for More Than Her Crime: A Global Overview of Women Facing the Death Penalty. In a new expert blog for PRI, Delphine Lourtau and Sharon Pia Hickey of the Cornell Centre discuss this recent report. The unique situation of women on death row merits attention as little empirical data exists about the conditions under which they are detained. Addressing women’s specific needs is particularly important as women tend to remain on death row for increasingly longer periods of time in prisons that are not designed for women generally or for long-term women prisoners specifically. This new Factsheet discusses the urgent issues that are facing women in prisons; particularly women on death row, and provides some key recommendations on how to address these urgent issues.
Read it here in English or French

Event: PRI host Breakfast Briefing at UN General Assembly on prison trends and Nelson Mandela Rules
This Thursday 18th October 2018, PRI and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights will co-host a Breakfast Briefing at the UN General Assembly in New York, co-sponsored by Switzerland, the Thailand Institute of Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union. If in New York, you are invited to join us to hear an expert panel review current trends, the jointly published Guidance Document on the Nelson Mandela Rules, and the Global Prison Trends 2018 report. This event will take place at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN on Thursday 18 October from 8.30am–9.45am.
Download the flyer for more information

News: PRI open Legal Aid Offices in Moroccan prison
PRI, in collaboration with Morocco's General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR), have opened ‘legal aid offices’ and ‘prison external communication units’ at the Ait Melloul Prison in Agadir, Morocco. These offices are two of five new service offices that have been opened. This project is supported by the British Embassy in Morocco, and its aim is to ensure the better protection of the human rights of people in prisons.
View more

Resource: Guide to mental health in prisons
10th October marked the annual World Mental Health Day for global mental health education and awareness. Protecting mental well-being and addressing poor mental health are two of the most challenging issues in prisons worldwide, with research suggesting that around one in seven prisoners has a serious mental health condition. PRI’s guide: Mental Health in Prisons: A short guide for prison staff seeks to help prison staff understand and respond to the mental health needs of people in prisons. Guidance is based on a human rights-based approach as required by the UN Nelson Mandela Rules.
Read it here in English, Arabic or Georgian

Call for information: Rehabilitation and reintegration for women prisoners
Together with the Thailand Institute of Justice, PRI is developing guidance on rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for women in prisons.  This is to assist with the implementation of the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Sanctions for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules). To facilitate the production of the guidance, PRI are calling for information on rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for women in prisons from a variety of countries and social contexts. PRI welcomes submissions in any language or format for examples of programmes, initiatives and projects set up for women in prison, or at the post-release stage to help develop the guidance.
Read more here

News: PRI signs Memorandum with South Kazakhstan State University 
On 3rd October 2018, PRI's office in Central Asia signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the South Kazakhstan State University in Shymkent, Kazakhstan to lay the foundation for a project supported by the Dutch Embassy in Kazakhstan. This project will develop human rights research skills in South Kazakhstan by supporting and building the capacity of professors and students to work to promote human rights by equipping them with the necessary skills.
View more

External resource: Global Commission on Drug Policy report 
The Global Commission on Drug Policy have published a new report on Regulation and The Responsible Control of Drugs. The report explores many aspects of the regulation of drug policy, including the argument for regulation as enabling the restriction one of the largest and most accessible criminal opportunities. The report discusses how ending prohibition and regulating drug policy holds the prospect of diverting millions of potential young drug producers, traffickers and dealers from a perilous and destructive criminal lifestyle.
Read it here
Click here to read past newsletters or sign-up to our Bangkok Rules newsletter on women in the criminal justice system. 

Find out more about our work at: www.penalreform.org   

      

Copyright © 2018 Penal Reform International. All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is: publications@penalreform.org

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Any personal information we collect will be used in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) May 2018, the Data Protection Act 1998 in the United Kingdom, and other applicable laws. We will never sell personal data, and we will never share personal data with any individual or organisation outside of Penal Reform International, unless we have prior consent to do so or are required to do so by law. Please click here to read our privacy policy.