E-newsletter: A summary of criminal justice news and resources in February 2017

E-newsletter February 2017

Welcome to Penal Reform International's monthly e-newsletter, a round-up of PRI and other penal reform news from around the world and a variety of criminal justice and human rights resources. The views expressed in the news items below are not necessarily those of PRI. In this month's edition In the spotlight: 'Essex paper 3': Guidance on the UN Nelson Mandela Rules Tweet of the month Blogs Drug policy Death penalty abolition and life imprisonment Torture prevention Conditions in detention Women in the criminal justice system Global advocacy Pre-trial justice Alternatives to imprisonment

In the spotlight: 'Essex paper 3': Guidance on the UN Nelson Mandela Rules

PRI and the Human Rights Centre of the University of Essex have published guidance on the interpretation and implementation of the revised UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners - the Nelson Mandela Rules. The 'Essex paper 3' is based on deliberations of an expert meeting in April 2016.  The paper consists of six chapters covering: Dignity Prison management Contact with the outside world Health-care Restrictions, discipline and sanctions Incident management

Tweet of the month   This month from CHREAA‏ @chreaamalawi “Rogues” and “Vagabonds” No More: Ending Africa’s Imperial Legacy of Absurd Petty Offenses https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/rogues-and-vagabonds-no-more-ending-africa-s-imperial-legacy-absurd-petty-offenses … Follow PRI on twitter!

New blogs

The global state of harm reduction in prisons: Inadequate, unreliable and unlawful In this expert blog, Gen Sander, Human Rights Research Analyst at Harm Reduction International, argues that the provision of harm reduction is a human rights obligation, not just a policy option.

Drug policy

UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs From 13 - 17 March 2017, the 60th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will be held in Vienna. This is the first major gathering of the UN drug control system since the UNGASS on drugs, last April. Accounts of the events and proceedings will be available live on the CND Blog. See more on th International Drug Policy Consortium's website. Thailand's drug law reform The International Drug Policy Consortium reports on amendments to Thailand's drug laws, which took effect on 16 January 2017.  The reform momentum was driven largely by prison overcrowding and a growing prison population, and the legislative amendments will result in reduced penalties and more proportionate sentencing. Other news Brazil: Supreme Court judge calls for drugs legalization to beat gangs Cambodia: Arrests soar as a result of drugs crackdown Philippines: Justice minister suggests that drug suspects are not part of humanity

Death penalty abolition and life imprisonment

Joint statement for biennial meeting on the death penalty, Human Rights Council, February 2017 A joint statement by FIACAT, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and PRI at the biennial high-level meeting on the death penalty at the Human Rights Council in February 2017 is available on the PRI website in both French and English. The panel discussion focused on exchanging views to address the human rights violations related to the use of the death penalty, in particular with respect to the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The statement calls on the Council to conduct an in-depth legal study on the emergence of a customary rule prohibiting the use of the death penalty in all circumstances.

UN calls for inputs for death penalty report The UN's Human Rights Office is calling for input for a report on the use of the death penalty - in particular on the consequences arising from the imposition and application of the death penalty on the human rights of the person facing the sentence and other affected persons, paying specific attention to the right to equality and non-discrimination, including foreign nationals. The deadline to send input is 31 March 2017.

The death penalty in Europe  An article by Oliver Robertson for Open Democracy discusses why the far right must stop talking about the death penalty in Europe - even for the most heinous crimes.

Ratifications of UN Protocol on abolition of death penalty On 10 January 2017, São Tomé and Príncipe ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty and became its 84th State party. Madagascar approved a law authorising the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol on 17 January 2017.

Other news Pakistan: Approximately 10 per cent of Pakistan’s death row prisoners are feared to be juvenile offenders Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign to reinstate death penalty for drug-related crimes clears a major hurdle Scotland: Plans for whole-life sentences to be examined by parliament Singapore: Call for families of death row inmates to receive longer notice of execution South Africa: Increase in the number of people being sentenced to life in prison

Torture prevention

New UN Special Rapporteur on torture outlines priorities in report In a report submitted to the Human Rights Council, Nils Melzer, the incoming UN Special Rapporteur on torture gives an overview of the activities of the mandate during the reporting cycle. In the report, he outlines his working methods, his thematic priorities and his vision for a meaningful anti-torture advocacy, in close cooperation with existing mechanisms.

Other news and reports From the APT: An outcome report and short video from a symposium on monitoring psychiatric institutions convened by the Association for the Prevention of Torture. Australia: UN inspection of prisons and detention centres to be permitted to help eradicate torture Catalonia: Report of the Catalan mechanism for the prevention of torture published Russia: Rights council to seek permission for prison inspections UK: Prisons holding child inmates in solitary confinement against UN torture rules

Conditions in detention

Press conference held in Kazakhstan on prison reform: expectations and reality