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GLOBAL PRISON TRENDS 2018 SPECIAL FOCUS Pull-out section The rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders in the era of sustainable development Global Prison Trends 2018 Penal Reform International The Thailand Institute of Justice (PRI) is an independent (TIJ) is a public organisation This document is co-published and non-governmental organisation established by the Government produced with financial assistance that develops and promotes of Thailand in 2011 and officially from the Thailand Institute of Justice fair, effective and proportionate recognised by the United Nations (TIJ). It is the fourth edition of Penal responses to criminal justice Office on Drugs and Crime as Reform International’s Global Prison problems worldwide. the latest member of the United Trends series. Nations Crime Prevention and We promote alternatives to prison that This report was authored by Criminal Justice Programme support the rehabilitation of offenders, Olivia Rope and Frances Sheahan. Network Institutes in 2016. and promote the right of detainees Penal Reform International to fair and humane treatment. We One of the primary objectives of (PRI) would also like to thank campaign for the prevention of torture the TIJ is to promote and support Harvey Slade for his contribution and the abolition of the death penalty, the implementation of the United to the report, as well as Javier and we work to ensure just and Nations Rules for the Treatment of Sagredo and Phiset Sa-ardyen appropriate responses to children and Women Prisoners and Non-custodial (TIJ) for contributing to the Special women who come into contact with Measures for Women Offenders Focus section. The authors the law. (the Bangkok Rules). drew on information provided by contributors to PRI’s expert We currently have programmes in In addition, the TIJ strives to serve as guest blog series available at the Middle East and North Africa, a bridge that transports global ideas www.penalreform.org/blog and Central Asia, the South Caucasus to local practices with an emphasis information kindly provided by and Sub-Saharan Africa, and work on fundamental issues including partner organisations. The report with partners in South Asia. interconnections between the rule was edited by Martha Crowley. of law and sustainable development, To receive our monthly e-newsletter, human rights, peace and security. Its contents are the sole please sign up at responsibility of PRI. www.penalreform.org/keep-informed. For more information, please visit www.tijthailand.org This publication may be freely Penal Reform International reviewed, abstracted, reproduced Head Office Thailand Institute of Justice and translated, in part or in 1 Ardleigh Road GPF Building 15th–16th Floor whole, but not for sale or for use London N1 4HS Witthayu Road, Pathum Wan in conjunction with commercial United Kingdom Bangkok 10330 purposes. Any changes to the text of Thailand this publication must be approved by +44 (0) 207 923 0946 PRI. Due credit must be given to PRI, Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] the TIJ and to this publication. Twitter: @PenalReformInt www.tijthailand.org Facebook: @penalreforminternational Enquiries should be addressed to [email protected]. www.penalreform.org ISBN: 978-1-909521-60-5 First published in May 2018. © Penal Reform International 2018 Graphic design by Alex Valy. (www.alexvalydesign.co.uk) Cover photo © Karla Nur 2014. CONTENTS Contents Foreword 5 Introduction 6 1. Crime and imprisonment 7 Crime rates and the use of imprisonment 7 Prison overcrowding 8 2. Trends in the use of imprisonment 10 Pre-trial justice 10 Pre-trial detention 11 Sentencing 11 Life imprisonment 12 Death penalty 13 Drugs and imprisonment 14 3. Prison populations 16 Women 16 Children 18 Elderly people 19 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people 20 People with disabilities 21 4. Prison management 22 Security and violence 22 Prison staff 23 Health 25 Solitary confinement 26 Contact with the outside world 27 Rehabilitation and reintegration 28 Violent extremism in prison 28 Fragile and conflict-affected states 31 Corruption in prison 32 5. Role and use of technologies 33 6. Alternatives to imprisonment 36 25 Key recommendations 39 Endnotes 41 CENTREFOLD Special Focus 2018 (pull-out section) The rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders in the era of sustainable development Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice | Global Prison Trends 2018 | 3 FOREWORD [The] trend of over-incarceration and punishment of people who use drugs is seen on every continent © Oliver de Ros, 2017 4 | Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice | Global Prison Trends 2018 FOREWORD Foreword Every year, Global Prison Trends This trend of over-incarceration and we call for these commitments to by Penal Reform International (in punishment of people who use drugs be implemented, taking account of collaboration with the Thailand Institute is seen on every continent. The deep the fact that over-incarceration as of Justice) provides us with a global impact it has on prison systems a result of out-of-date drug policies view on the state of prisons. And, and on people in prison and their stalls progress on implementing the every year, this report is, unfortunately, communities has sparked the current Sustainable Development Goals, hardly a surprise – we read about global debate on drug policy reform. In notably for Goal 3 on health, Goal the degrading conditions in which recent years, more and more countries 5 on gender equality, Goal 10 on people are imprisoned, and about have been introducing amendments reducing inequality, and Goal 16 on their growing number. Yet the level to their drug laws; for example, by peaceful societies. of crime in most societies is constantly decriminalising the use of drugs Drug policies need reforms, and there decreasing. The question that remains in Norway and Colombia, and by are two urgent ones to enact. First, we unanswered, therefore, is why our replacing prison terms with monetary need to accept that behaviours and societies focus their response to fines in Ghana and Tunisia or with actions of others that are not aligned unlawful behaviours so often on community service, as envisaged with our own moral perspectives do prison? Where is the proportionality in Senegal. Other countries have not need to be turned into criminal in sentencing when we punish non- gone even further. Ecuador gave an offences. Second, we need to violent offences with lengthy prison amnesty to drug couriers and released introduce proportionate sentencing sentences? Is this the only response thousands of prisoners. Countries and alternatives to imprisonment for we can offer? that have traditionally adopted harsh minor drug supply-related offences. stances on drugs, such as Malaysia The chapter on drugs and This will ease pressure on prison and Iran, are reviewing their death imprisonment in this report highlights systems so that they can fulfil their penalty policies for drug offences, that a high number of prisons in the purpose as set down in the UN Nelson and removing people from death row. world are overcrowded due to the Mandela Rules: to play a rehabilitative incarceration of people for drug-related These changes and reforms are role and focus on social reintegration, offences, in particular non-violent being discussed and implemented and to distance from the criminal offences involving use and possession in a global environment that remains justice system those who should not for personal use. This directly highly stigmatising, where drugs are be subject to it, including people who reflects our contemporary addiction still considered ‘evil’ and prohibition use drugs. to punishment and showcases the approaches prevail. They are therefore Rt Hon Helen Clark disproportionality of punishment in born out of a real need – the need for relation to the offence. The use of societies to stop exposing their citizens Member of the Global Commission on harsh prison sentences for people to greater risks from arrests related to Drug Policy; Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1999–2008; Former Administrator who use drugs or for those who play drug use than come from the act of of the United Nations Development a minor role in the drug trade also using drugs. Programme (UNDP), 2009–2017. shows the inefficiency, limitations and The need for reforms was also perverse effects of current drug control highlighted at the UN General policies. Not only are punishment Assembly Special Session on Drugs and incarceration becoming the sole held in 2016. In their decisions there, instruments used to enforce the law, member states called for more but also they are serving to implement proportionate sentencing and for moral norms which have no link with alternatives to incarceration. At the the reality of the offence that they are Global Commission on Drug Policy, supposed to punish. Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice | Global Prison Trends 2018 | 5 INTRODUCTION Introduction Global Prison Trends 2018 is the fourth All of these factors have contributed In addition to chapters on edition in Penal Reform International’s to prison overcrowding at crisis levels, sentencing, prison populations, annual series, published in collaboration and although some countries have prison management, the role and with the Thailand Institute of Justice. made efforts to reduce their prison use of technologies and alternatives The report analyses trends in criminal populations, many have resorted to to imprisonment, this year’s report justice and the use of imprisonment unsustainable ‘quick fixes’ such as takes a closer look at pre-trial justice and, as in previous years, these show amnesties or building new prisons. issues. Part two covers developments that while overall crime rates around in safeguarding rights for people Criminal justice policies affect nearly the world have declined, the number arrested and suspected of a criminal every aspect of the 2030 Sustainable of people in prison on any given day offence, as well as new research on Development Goals (SDGs), including is rising.