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Spotlight:
PRI co-hosts first conference on the advancement of penal reform in Central African Republic
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From 30 September to 1 October, PRI, as part of its partnership with UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA in Central African Republic, hosted the first nationwide conference on the advancement of the strategy for the demilitarisation of places of detention in the country.
The conference saw great attendance and engagement from government authorities, national civil society, and international partners. Steps taken in favour of the action plan for the implementation of the national strategy were discussed, alongside defining the next priorities, in particular in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
PRI's Executive Director, Florian Irminger, and Project Manager, Oscar Ouedraogo, called for the reduction of the prison population in the country as a necessary response to reducing risk of COVID-19 for people in prison. The mobilisation of civil society, one of the key actions led by PRI in Central African Republic, was praised by participants who highlighted the role national human rights organisations can play in promoting and monitoring the rights of people in detention. This first-time event is a key indicator of the engagement and commitment of authorities in the country to make penal reform a priority.
Listen to Florian Irminger speak about the benefits of a reduced prison population (in French).
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International Symposium on Girls in Conflict with the Law: join us for the webinar
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On 11 October 2020 we celebrated the International Day of the Girl, whom PRI recognise as having specific needs which must be addressed and protected within criminal justice systems. On this occasion, PRI's Regional Director in the Middle East and North Africa, Taghreed Jaber, will be taking part to the first in a series of webinars on 27 October 2020.
The event will introduce the International Symposium on Girls in Conflict with the Law with Remarks on Africa and the Middle East, and will be led by international experts from Dui Hua, the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, the Centre for Comparative and Public Law, the Centre for Criminology at Hong Kong University, and Penal Reform International. |
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PRI will begin a Europe-wide project on alternatives to detention
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This November, we will begin a project in partnership with the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, to contribute to the implementation of the EU Council Conclusions on alternative measures to detention. The project includes a study of European countries’ application of alternatives including how they affect vulnerable and minority groups. We will then conduct training for probation officers in Hungary and Portugal, review sentencing guidelines in each country and design and trial pilot projects on alternatives which better meet the needs and circumstances of vulnerable and minority groups.
This project constitutes PRI’s first substantive piece of work since we re-launched our Europe Programme last month. |
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"Proving who I am: the plight of people in detention without proof of legal identity"
In this expert blog from the series exploring trends from Global Prison Trends 2020, human rights expert and commentator, Vicki Prais, examines the issues faced by people in prison without proof of legal identity. Vicki explains how the absence of ID can in itself lead to detention for some people, and also causes a range of problems for those detained or leaving prison impacting on their ability to rebuild their lives.
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A ‘Double Punishment’: Placement and protection of transgender people in prison
In this second expert blog for PRI this month, Victoria Patrickson, researcher on the changes in governmental policy on the management of transgender prisoners in England and Wales and the United States, discusses the unique issues faced by the transgender population in places of detention and the approaches adopted by various governments.
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PRI needs your support
In these difficult times for organisations everywhere, we are doing our best to keep providing you with quality, informative materials on criminal justice systems worldwide and on how they respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Around the world, our dedicated staff are pushing for governmental reforms, providing emergency response, and fighting for the human rights of the millions of people in places of detention worldwide. We hope that you find our regular updates informative and interesting, and we are thankful for our ever growing audience. We are proud to be part of a fast-thinking, engaged community. Please support our hard work even further by making a donation today.
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