Irish Penal Reform Trust

International News

UK: Implementation of changes to criminal record filtering

19th November 2020

In July 2020, progressive changes to the filtering rules in England and Wales were announced by the government. These changes are expected to come into effect on 28 November 2020.

Crest: Prisons and Covid-19 – what went right?

18th November 2020

Professor Nick Hardwick examines for Crest how successful attempts to manage COVID-19 infections in prisons during the first lockdown could help to inform some of the critical decision-making needed in the event of future lockdowns.

CoE: An evaluation of the medium-term impact of COVID-19 on prison populations

10th November 2020

This Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE) study analyses trends in European prison populations during 2020, observing trends as they relate to the pandemic.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons: Minority ethnic prisoners’ experiences of rehabilitation and release planning

5th November 2020

The report found, among other issues, that ethnic identity’s influence on rehabilitation is underestimated – one-third of interviewed BME prisoners reported their ethnicity had directly influenced their experience of rehabilitation and release planning.

UK: Avoidable natural deaths in prison custody

5th October 2020

This new report aims to identify how natural deaths in prison might be prevented, where possible, and end of life care managed with dignity and compassion. This report is especially relevant as prisons face new challenges regarding healthcare amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Children Held on Remand in Victoria: A Report on Sentencing Outcomes

2nd October 2020

This report by the Sentencing Advisory Council (Australia) considers the relationship between remand and sentencing, and identifies the proportion of remanded children who did not go on to receive a custodial sentence for their offending.

Joint Committee on Human Rights: Government’s response to COVID-19

21st September 2020

Joint Committee on Human Rights today published the report of their enquiry into the human rights implications of the UK Government’s response to COVID-19.

Prison Reform Trust and Unlock: ‘Thinking Differently: Employer’s views on hiring people convicted of sexual offences’

14th September 2020

UK charities Unlock and The Prison Reform Trust have published ‘Thinking Differently: Employer’s views on hiring people convicted of sexual offences’, a report based on two surveys regarding the employment of those previously convicted of sexual offences.

PRI: Preventing harm and human rights violations in criminal justice systems

14th July 2020

Penal Reform International’s (PRI) new briefing considers how criminal justice systems around the world are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it is impacting on people serving custodial and community sanctions. While measures can be introduced now to mitigate infection, the briefing points to the systemic and long-term reforms needed to prevent harm and rights violations in future.

CPT: COVID-19 follow-up statement

9th July 2020

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) issued a follow-up statement to its 'Statement of principles' from March, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CPT says that further steps are needed to reduce the numbers of people in detention.

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