Prisons & incarceration

Publications11 September 2024

Global Prison Trends 2024

PRI offers analysis of global challenges, including overcrowding, mental health issues, corruption, and the growing use of digital technologies, whilst also showcasing innovative solutions toward reform.

Publications11 September 2024

The crisis of overcrowded prisons in Indonesia: Barriers to accessing alternatives to imprisonment

IDPC and LBHM critically assess the country's punitive drug policies and their impact on prison overcrowding, recommending increased health-oriented provision and legal reforms.

Publications11 September 2024

Drug laws in Thailand: the limits of reforms to relieve prison overcrowding

IDPC discusses alternative measures to incarceration implemented in Thailand from the perspectives of practitioners and people involved in the criminal legal system.

Publications11 September 2024

“What I should be doing is harm reduction, if I’m doing my job right”: Engagement with harm reduction principles among prosecutors enacting drug policy reform in the United States

Rouhani et al. explore how US prosecutors use harm reduction principles to shape criminal justice outcomes for people who use drugs, revealing the potential for pro-drug policy reform.

News23 August 2024

King of Morocco pardons over 4,800 cannabis farmers

This measure is a recent step in the country's drug policy shift, aiming to develop alternative livelihoods and establish a legal cannabis market for medical and industrial purposes.

Publications13 August 2024

Involving people with lived experience in criminal justice reform: A focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings

PRI offer guidance to support policy makers and practitioners in involving people with lived experience of the criminal justice system in reform efforts.

Publications9 July 2024

Drug use stigma and reprisal: Barriers to prison needle exchange in Canada

De Shalit et al. conduct the first independent and national study of Canada's federal prison needle exchange program, determining that drug use stigma and anticipated or actual reprisal from correctional officers are preventing program uptake.

Blog13 June 2024

Thailand risks reversing successful reforms, repeating drug policy failures

Prime Minister Sretta Thavisin's declarations in favour of increased punitive measures for drug use and related activities echo Thailand's catastrophic "war on drugs" in 2003, despite international recommendations for balanced, rights-based strategies.

News7 June 2024

Rates and causes of death after release from incarceration among 1 471 526 people in eight high-income and middle-income countries: an individual participant data meta-analysis

Borschmann et al. find that alcohol and other drug poisoning is the highest cause of death after release from incarceration, underscoring the importance of better transitional healthcare and reducing imprisonment.

Publications13 May 2024

Special Issue: A decade-long review of the death penalty for drug offences

HRI highlight that the global movement for abolition of the death penalty continues to gain ground, yet progress related to drug offences specifically remains a persistent fight.

Publications4 April 2024

The death penalty for drug offences: Global overview 2023

HRI highlight the continued violation of international human rights standards, reporting a record number of drug-related executions despite some positive policy developments.

News28 February 2024

Malaysia: Almost 6,000 detained nationwide in three-day anti-drug op

Despite moves toward drug policy reform in Malaysia, drug crackdowns persist, posing questions around human rights impacts and safeguards.

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