Analysis
Justice
The Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR), based at Birkbeck, University of London, led a comparative research and policy project to understand the causes and consequences of over-incarceration worldwide. ICPR has worked with a large network of NGOs, academic researchers and practitioners…
Read more
Australia: Ageing prisoners
Analysis
Opinion
Coronavirus
Elderly prisoners
Oceania
Health
Alternatives
Australia
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Natasha Ginnivan discusses the ageing prison population in Australia.
Read more
United States: addressing the structural inequalities underlying a failing prison health system
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Mental health
Drugs
Material conditions
Suicide
United States
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Homer Venters is a physician and epidemiologist working at the intersection of incarceration, health and human rights.…
Read more
Coronavirus
South America
Overcrowding
Brazil
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Patrick Cacicedo is a Public Defender based in São Paulo.Patrick holds a PhD from the University of São Paulo (USP), and…
Read more
Africa: informal governance and healthcare access in prison
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Discipline
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Carole Berrih, a lawyer specialising in public law, focuses on the role of prisoners in the maintenance of order in Nigerian…
Read more
Africa: health beyond epidemics
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Coronavirus
Health
Material conditions
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Frédéric Le Marcis focuses on epidemic responses in prison environment in different African countries.
Read more
Madagascar : The right to health must not be "forgotten behind bars"
Analysis
Opinion
Access to legal rights
Health
Mental health
Overcrowding
Madagascar
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Tamara Léger draws on her previous research experience to highlight the severe impact of prison overcrowding on health…
Read more
Culture
Justice
Mental health
Material conditions
Netherlands
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Michiel van de Wolf discusses the Dutch approach for dealing with those considered as mentally disordered offenders.
Read more
Thailand: the overcriminalization of meth, a failed moral crusade
Analysis
Opinion
Asia
Long-term prisoners
Drugs
Overcrowding
Thailand
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Pascal Tanguay discusses the overcriminalization of meth-related crimes in Thailand and its consequences.
Read more
United States: there’s an aging crisis in New York’s prisons and we need to solve it
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Elderly prisoners
Long-term prisoners
Access to legal rights
Health
United States
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Rodney Holcombe, New York State Director for Criminal Justice Reform, addresses the New York prison system and the its…
Read more
United States: surge in life sentences
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Long-term prisoners
Justice
Death penalty
United States
Ashley Nellis, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Analyst at the Washington DC-based NGO, The Sentencing Project, which has been active in the struggle to reform American law and practice on life sentences. Here, Ashley discusses America’s now commonplace use of life sentences and calls for bolder approaches…
Read more
Europe
Long-term prisoners
Justice
Overcrowding
Social ties
Rehabilitation
United Kingdom
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Helen Mills discusses the vexed problem of short prison sentences.
Read more
Africa: a regional campaign to decriminalise petty offences
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Access to legal rights
Justice
Overcrowding
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Louise Edwards reflects on the works and challenges of the regional campaign to decriminalise petty offences.
Read more
Life imprisonment: a sentence in dire need of reform
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Coronavirus
Elderly prisoners
Asia
Europe
Long-term prisoners
Oceania
Justice
Health
Mental health
Drugs
Overcrowding
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. In this piece, Olivia Rope, Executive Director of Penal Reform International (PRI), discusses life sentences, a key priority…
Read more
Europe: towards a binding legal framework for places of detention
Analysis
Opinion
Europe: the long road to human dignity
Analysis
Opinion
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Activities
Social ties
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Here, Maïté de Rue discusses the overuse of pre-trial detention in Europe and its consequences.
Read more
Rehumanising pretrial justice
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
North America
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Access to legal rights
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Jago Russell focuses on the impact of pretrial defence
Read more
India: remote hearings and the rights of accused persons
Analysis
Opinion
Coronavirus
Asia
Access to legal rights
India
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Madhurima Dhanuka discusses the impact of remote hearings on fair trials.
Read more
Kenya: finding Kafka in the criminal justice system
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Access to legal rights
Justice
Kenya
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Gilbert M. Omware, Defence lawyer and criminal justice researcher, discusses the injustices faced by vulnerable groups…
Read more
North America
Women
South America
Long-term prisoners
Drugs
Brazil
Despite many differences at the legal, social and economic levels, Brazil and the United States have commonalities in their use of female incarceration. The Instituto Terra, Trabalho e Cidadania (Land, Labour and Citizenship Institute, ITTC) undertook a comparative investigation to identify recurrent…
Source — The Instituto Terra, Trabalho e Cidadania (ITTC)
Read more
Africa
Coronavirus
Central America and the Caribbean
South America
Asia
Europe
Material conditions
Social ties
As the COVID-19 outbreaks around the world suprised most governments, how did the authorities respond to the crisis behind the bars? Were prison authorities prepared to avoid the spread of the virus? Which measures were taken and how did them impact prisoners’ lives?
Read more
Argentina: managing uncertainty
Analysis
Coronavirus
South America
Material conditions
Activities
Social ties
Argentina
As the COVID-19 outbreaks around the world suprised most governments, how did the Argentinian authorities respond to the crisis behind the bars? Were prison authorities prepared to avoid the spread of the virus? Which measures were taken and how did them impact prisoners’ lives?
Read more
Chile : Managing uncertainty
Analysis
Coronavirus
South America
Health
Material conditions
Protest
Activities
Social ties
Work
Chile
As the COVID-19 outbreaks around the world suprised most governments, how did the Chilean authorities respond to the crisis behind the bars? Were prison authorities prepared to avoid the spread of the virus? Which measures were taken and how did them impact prisoners’ lives?
Read more
France: managing uncertainty
Analysis
Coronavirus
Europe
Material conditions
Protest
Activities
Social ties
France
As the COVID-19 outbreaks around the world suprised most governments, how did the French authorities respond to the crisis behind the bars? Were prison authorities prepared to avoid the spread of the virus? Which measures were taken and how did them impact prisoners’ lives?
Read more
