Penal Reform International

August 2018 Update 

      

Spotlight:

New Guidance Document on the Mandela Rules 
Today, PRI and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) have released a new guidance Document on the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. The practical application of the Mandela Rules is vital to the safety and security of places of detention and the protection of the human rights and dignity of all. PRI and ODIHR's Guidance Document on the Nelson Mandela Rules – Implementing the United Nations revised Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners is designed to equip prison staff, prison administrators and policymakers with the knowledge and understanding necessary to implement the Mandela Rules in places of detention. The document discusses the importance of each rule, provides practical guidance on how to administer the revised rules and explores relevant human rights issues and best practice. 
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News: PRI works with UN Committee against Torture to address vulnerable groups in detention 
Jens Modvig, Chair of the Committee with other Committee members, PRI and experts
PRI facilitated a one-day workshop, with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Association for the Prevention of Torture, on vulnerable groups in detention on 2 August 2018 at the regular session of the UN Committee against Torture in Geneva. The workshop focused on seven key groups of detainees with distinct needs and the implementation of specific measures to protect these groups and their rights, as required by the Mandela Rules.
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New Resource: PRI's Mental Health Short Guide is now in Georgian
PRI's publication Mental Health in prison: A short guide for prison staff, designed to help prison officers support and react appropriately to prisoners with a mental health condition, has been translated into Georgian. ორგანიზაცია ,,ციხის საერთაშორისო რეფორმამ“ (PRI) ქართულად თარგმნა პუბლიკაცია ,,ფსიქიკური ჯანდაცვა ციხეებში: შემოკლებული სახელმძღვანელო ციხეების თანამშრომლებისათვის“.  პუბლიკაციის ქართულენოვანი ვერსია შეგიძლიათ ჩამოტვირთოთ აქედან.
Read it here

External Resource: The neglect for harm reduction funding 
Harm Reduction International published a new report exposing the funding crisis in harm reduction services in low and middle-income countries. Despite the 2017 Commission on Narcotic Drugs resolution that supported an increase in funding for sustainable programmes related to HIV, drug use and HIV in prisons, the report comments that harm reduction services in prisons are not prioritised and prison is a neglected area for such programmes. The report identifies UNODC, the Global Fund and PEPFAR as organisations that fund harm reduction work in prisons but estimates that the Global Fund and PEPFAR designate only a small proportion of their total harm reduction funding to work in prisons. 
Read here

Event: PRI's seminar on NPMs in Palestine
From 31 July–1 August 2018, PRI and the Independent Commission for Human Rights in Palestine ran a regional seminar in Amman on National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) with more than 70 representatives of national and international organisations. On 29 December 2017, Palestine became the fifth Arab country to adopt the OPCAT. The goal of the seminar was to work towards establishing a NPM against torture in Palestine by raising awareness of the mandate of NPMs among stakeholders and discussing the best model to adopt in the country. 
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News: PRI to co-organise conference on women in prison 
On 5–7 September 2018, PRI and the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice are organising the conference Women in prison: evidence, advocacy and reform, to advance the creation of a global movement of women prisoners' rights advocates. 45 advocates from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe will come together to share best practice and lessons learned on implementation of the UN Bangkok Rules, and build an association to improve monitoring, reporting and advocacy. Among others, topics of discussion will include the rise in women's imprisonment worldwide.
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News: New resources and a blog for Mandela Day
On 18 July, PRI commemorated Nelson Mandela International Day by remembering one of the more recent legacies of Nelson Mandela –  the UN Nelson Mandela Rules. Three years after the rules were adopted, Olivia Rope, PRI's Policy and Programme Manager, wrote a blog reflecting on the impact of the revisions, the progress made implementing the Mandela Rules worldwide, and PRI's contribution. On Mandela Day, the Institute for Criminal Policy Research also launched the third edition of A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management: Handbook for prison staff. The UN Office on Drugs on Crime also recently released a series of educational posters on the Mandela Rules. 
Read here
Click here to read past newsletters or sign-up to our Bangkok Rules newsletter on women in the criminal justice system. 

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