International News

New Study by the Justice Policy Institute Reveals Startling Racial Disparities in Maryland Prisons: African Americans Make Up 90% of Incarcerated Drug Offenders 23rd October 2003

Among its findings, the report showed that while African Americans make up only 28% of Maryland's population, African Americans make up 68% of drug arrests, and 90% of people incarcerated for drug offenses. Read more

Prison Privatisation in the United Kingdom by Stephen Nathan 22nd October 2003

from Capitalist Punishment: Prison Privatization and Human Rights by Andrew Coyle, Allison Campbell, Rodney Neufeld, eds. Clarity Press/Z Books, 2003. Read more

Prison-based syringe exchange programmes: a review of international research and development 16th October 2003

By Kate Dolan, Scott Rutter and Alex D. Wodak. National Drug and Alcohol Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. © 2003 Society for the Study of Addiction to Alcohol and Other Drugs Read more

U.S. Justice Calls Mandatory Sentences `Bad Policy' 22nd September 2003

Mandatory minimum sentences passed by Congress are "bad policy," U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said yesterday. From the Associated Press. Read more

Driving the Point Home: A Strategy for Safer Tattooing in Canadian Prisons 12th September 2003

This policy document reviews international evidence of prison tattooing and disease transmission and makes recommendations to reduce the harm of unsafe tattooing in Canadian prisons. Read more

Speech: "Prisoners as enemies or prisoners as citizens? - The responsibility of the State" 9th September 2003

By Vivien Stern, Senior Research Fellow International Centre for Prison Studies, Kings College London. Read more

SPACE II: Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics 2001 29th August 2003

Comprehensive data on prison populations, incarceration rates, etc. Prepared by Marcelo F. Aebi, University of Seville and University of Lausanne for the Council of Europe. Read more

Breaking the Circle: A summary of the views of consultees and the government response to the report of the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 25th April 2003

Published by the UK Home Office. Read more

Mandatory minimum sentencing is unfair, ineffective, and expensive, says the Common Sense Foundation 21st April 2003

This inflexible, heavy-handed approach to dealing with crime has contributed to a boom in the number of low-level offenders sent to prison and increased the length of their sentences. Read more

Speech: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Kennedy criticizes mandatory minimum sentences 9th April 2003

United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy address to the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association in San Francisco criticises mandatory minimum sentences. Read more