April 5, 2017

Prisoner rehabilitation: Prisoner rehabilitation: Uju Agomoh, UNODC Nigeria (Part 1)

Prison-based rehabilitation is a complex issue: while prisoners typically face a range of social, economic and personal challenges that may complicate their social reintegration into society, prisons often lack sufficient infrastructure, programmes, and resources, and may even exacerbate these problems.

In order to reduce re-offending, therefore, it is crucial to actively prepare prisoners for their successful re-settlement in society.

With this in mind, UNODC are hosting Expert Group Meetings and workshops to bring together a number of experts in a bid to encourage a comprehensive, rehabilitative approach to prison management.

We spoke with Uju Agomoh, National Project Coordinator with UNODC in Nigeria about the main benefits of rehabilitation programmes in prisons during one of these meetings.

April 5, 2017

Prisoner rehabilitation: Prisoner rehabilitation: Uju Agomoh, UNODC Nigeria (Part 2)

Prison-based rehabilitation is a complex issue: while prisoners typically face a range of social, economic and personal challenges that may complicate their social reintegration into society, prisons often lack sufficient infrastructure, programmes, and resources, and may even exacerbate these problems.

In order to reduce re-offending, therefore, it is crucial to actively prepare prisoners for their successful re-settlement in society.

With this in mind, UNODC are hosting Expert Group Meetings and workshops to bring together a number of experts in a bid to encourage a comprehensive, rehabilitative approach to prison management.

We spoke with Uju Agomoh, National Project Coordinator with UNODC in Nigeria about the main benefits of rehabilitation programmes in prisons during one of these meetings.

April 3, 2017

Prisoner rehabilitation: Minette Plaatjies, Department of Correctional Services, South Africa

Prison-based rehabilitation is a complex issue: while prisoners typically face a range of social, economic and personal challenges that may complicate their social reintegration into society, prisons often lack sufficient infrastructure, programmes, and resources, and may even exacerbate these problems.

In order to reduce re-offending, therefore, it is crucial to actively prepare prisoners for their successful re-settlement in society.

With this in mind, UNODC are hosting Expert Group Meetings and workshops to bring together a number of experts in a bid to encourage a comprehensive, rehabilitative approach to prison management.

We spoke with Minette Plaatjies, Director in the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa during one of these meetings to find out her thoughts.

March 29, 2017

Prisoner rehabilitation: Kumsa Gutteta, Initiative for Improving Standards of Prisons, Ethiopia

Reflected in the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), the importance of a rehabilitative approach to prison management is acknowledged as key in ensuring that prisoners are both willing and able to lead law-abiding and self-supporting lives upon release. The rules explicitly highlight that the primary purposes of a sentence of imprisonment - the protection of society from crime - can only be met if the period of imprisonment is itself used to assist in this cause.

With this in mind, UNODC are hosting Expert Group Meetings and workshops to bring together a number of experts in a bid to encourage a comprehensive, rehabilitative approach to prison management.

We spoke with Kumsa Gutteta, Director of the Initiative for Improving Standards of Prisons in Ethiopia during one of these meetings to find out his thoughts.

March 29, 2017

Prisoner rehabilitation: Laurence Louis Motiuk, Department of Correctional Services, Canada

Prison-based rehabilitation is a complex issue: while prisoners typically face a range of social, economic and personal challenges that may complicate their social reintegration into society, prisons often lack sufficient infrastructure, programmes, and resources, and may even exacerbate these problems.

In order to reduce re-offending, therefore, it is crucial to actively prepare prisoners for their successful re-settlement in society.

With this in mind, UNODC are hosting Expert Group Meetings and workshops to bring together a number of experts in a bid to encourage a comprehensive, rehabilitative approach to prison management.

We spoke with Laurence Louis Motiuk, the Assistant Commissioner of Policy, Department of Correctional Services in Canada during one of these meetings to find out his thoughts.

April 17, 2015

Beautiful products made by prisoners

Globally, at any given time, some 10 million people are incarcerated.

Overcrowding, poor conditions, lack of economic and human resources, lack of healthcare, and violence are some of the key concerns regarding prisons.

In 1955, the first UN Crime Congress adopted the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

Rehabilitation and proper reintegration programmes are vital in improving the prison system, as well as allowing further social development and boosting society through the avoidance of recidivism.

Providing prisoners with useful skills gives them opportunities for a future without crime and helps reduce the high rates of re-offending.

This video shows some examples of products made by prisons from across the globe.

April 14, 2015

1955 - 2015: 60 years of the UN Crime Congress

For 60 years, the United Nations has held congresses to strengthen international cooperation in support of criminal justice and against the global threat of crime.

The United Nations Crime Congress is the world's largest and most diverse gathering of governments, civil society, academia and experts in crime prevention and criminal justice. 

This video showcases 60 years of achievements, stretching from the 1955 Congress held in Geneva through to the most recent in 2015 in Doha.