Hanoi (Viet Nam), 16 November 2023 – Issues surrounding prisons and the treatment of offenders vary from one country to another, yet many common challenges exist. From 13 to 16 November, more than 200 correctional officers and experts gathered in Hanoi, Viet Nam, to discuss these common challenges and ways to address them at the 41st Asia-Pacific Corrections and Correctional Administrators Conference (APCCA).
Delegates included high-level officials and prison frontline staff from 25 countries across Asia and the Pacific, as well as representatives from several international organizations, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Every year, APCCA brings together heads of corrections departments from across the region to find synergies in tackling the challenges they share in prisons — including prison overcrowding, excessive pretrial detention, inequality, and discrimination against ex-offenders.
“Addressing the complexities of prison management involves a myriad of factors from both inside and outside prison systems, such as social and cultural backgrounds, budget constraints and human resource shortages,” said Aki Okanan, prison reform expert at UNODC’s Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, who participated in the 41st APCCA. “To solve these obstacles, operational improvements and, at times, innovations at the policy and social levels need to happen.”
The conference allowed experts to share their practices, initiatives and challenges, learn from the experiences of other countries, and exchange views to foster innovation.
One common concern identified among countries in the Asia-Pacific region was the management of offenders with unique needs, such as mental health problems, behavioural disorders, physical disabilities, or drug problems. Discussions centred on finding ways to ensure prisons provided a safe and secure environment for prisoners with these needs while delivering an effective treatment.
Participants also focused on how to reduce recidivism — the tendency of a convicted criminal to repeat the offense — through reintegration programmes in prisons and communities. Engaging with the private sector and not-for-profit organizations to provide vocational training and other rehabilitation programmes was one solution. Experts also shared their initiatives for future-ready correctional systems, including improved infrastructure, technologies and training in custody, as well as community corrections.
UNODC technical assistance
UNODC supports the correctional sector in Southeast Asia and the Pacific by providing countries with technical assistance. This assistance includes capacity development, policy advice and legislative consultation, awareness-raising among the general public, and the provision of equipment to ensure the management of prisons and the treatment of offenders are aligned with human rights principles and United Nations standards and norms, such as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandera Rules.
The challenges and obstacles in prison management and offender treatment identified during the 41st APCCA conference will be further examined and will inform how UNODC provides future technical assistance to Member States with the aim of improving policies and implementing measures that align with UN standards and norms.
“Using the correctional system properly and effectively is vital to protect inmates’ human rights, but also crucial from a social and security perspective as it helps prevent recidivism and the creation of more victims,” Ms. Okanan said.
More information:
Click here to learn more about UNODC’s work in prison management in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Click here to access the Nelson Mandela rules.
Click here to access the United Nations System Common Position on Incarceration.
Click here to access UNODC publications on prison reform.
