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Spotlight
Global Prison Trends 2023
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This month, PRI published our annual report, Global Prison Trends 2023, together with the Thailand Institute of Justice, exposing the impact of economic crises and rising costs of food, transport and energy bills on prison systems, detained persons, and their families.
Covering 27 topics relating to the use of imprisonment, prison populations and prison management, the report examines the impact of overcrowding in all aspects of prison life and management, from healthcare and nutrition to rehabilitation and countering violence and criminal subcultures in prison.
The report and infographics show little progress has been made in moving away from using imprisonment as the ‘default’ response and towards improved proportionality in sentencing, despite the international commitments to prioritise alternatives to detention.
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PRI at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)
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On 22–26 May 2023, PRI attended the 32nd Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) held in Vienna and online.
Throughout the week, PRI raised key trends and emerging issues in prisons and criminal justice systems, including the overuse of criminal justice responses and imprisonment that have led to a record-high global prison population and have a disproportionate impact on poor and marginalised members of our societies. Recordings of the following side events are now available:
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PRI statement at the Human Rights Council 53rd session
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On 26 June 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions presented his report on deaths in prisons at the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council, calling for urgent attention and solution by States, stressing that most deaths in prison simply should not happen and "could have been avoided by the adoption of relatively straightforward, affordable measures”.
PRI made the following statement calling for improved data collection and robust investigations of all deaths in prison - based on our recent briefing on deaths in prison, published in December 2022 with University of Nottingham.
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Registration open: Regional Congress on the Death Penalty in the Middle East
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The 4th Regional Congress on the Death Penalty will be held in Amman on 11-12 July 2023. Registration is now open - the Congress is free and open to all but registration is required.
The Congress will consider achievements and expectations in the region, analysing the legislative framework, justice system, impact of on specific population groups, and awareness raising on the issue. Several workshops will also provide a forum for open discussion on the role of different actors, contexts of conflict and post-conflict situations, and the Universal Periodic Review. See the Congress brochure for more details.
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Expert meeting on electronic monitoring held in Brussels
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On 27 June 2023, experts from probation agencies, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, academia and civil society gathered in Brussels to discuss the use of electronic monitoring and related human rights implications. Participants in the meeting exchanged about the challenges, opportunities and operations of electronic monitoring systems and visited one of Belgium’s electronic monitoring centres to see the sytem in practice.
The meeting was co-organised by PRI and the University of Essex, as part of its Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project.
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New blog: Poverty and detention: Are legal frameworks adequate?
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Pre-trial detention contributes significantly to prison overcrowding and causes a range of harm to individuals, their familes, and society. But what is driving its use?
In our latest expert blog, Madhurima Dhanuka from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative presents the findings of a recent report and explores the disproportionate impact of pre-trial detention on poor and marginalised communities. |
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