The Nelson Mandela Rules

History of the Rules:

The origin of the rules dates back to the year 1955 when – following the atrocities of two World Wars – the Member States of the United Nations decided to formulate and adopt internationally acknowledged minimum conditions for the treatment of prisoners. In 2015, following a revision process of more than 5 years, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and named them in honour of the late president of South Africa “The Nelson Mandela Rules”. READ MORE

Content of the Rules:

The 122 provisions of the Nelson Mandela Rules represent the universally acknowledged blueprint for prison management in the 21st century. They outline minimum prison conditions, provide guidance, and set clear benchmarks for prison staff on how to uphold safety, security and human dignity. READ MORE

e-Learning Course

Projects and Partners

Group of Friends

UNODC offers a free, self-paced, interactive and certified e-Learning course on the Nelson Mandela Rules.

UNODC provides technical assistance and advisory services to Member States and promotes the Rules with international partners around the world.

More than 30 Member States of the UN have joined the Vienna-based Group of Friends of the Nelson Mandela Rules.

Multimedia

Model Prison Act and Related Commentary based on the Nelson Mandela Rules AR EN ES FR RU NEW!

UNODC, Ghana Prisons Service and US Embassy launch new prison reform project

NMRs will be included in German Prison Staff Training

COVID-19 Guidance Note: Emergency Releases of Prisoners EN, FR, ES NEW!

COVID-19 Guidance Note: Infection Prevention and Control Measures in Prisons EN, FR, ES NEW!

High-Level Meeting of the Group of Friends: Presentation of the UN System Common Position on Incarceration

United Nations System Common Position on Incarceration NEW!

COVID-19 preparedness and responses in prisons - position paper
(PDF; 31 March 2020) - AR | EN | ES | FR | RU | ZH

Ensuring Access to Justice in the Context of COVID-19
(PDF; 20 May 2020) Guidance Note

COVID-19 Prevention and Control among People Living in Prison
(PDF; 6 April 2020)

COVID-19 Prevention and Control among People Working in Prison
(PDF; 6 April 2020)

Resources

United Nations Standards and Norms:

United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (The Nelson Mandela Rules) Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, German, Sinhala, Tamil, Dhivehi

(Preparatory work and background material on the Nelson Mandela Rules English)

United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders with their Commentary (The Bangkok Rules) English, French, Spanish
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (The Tokyo Rules) English

United Nations guidance documents related to incarceration:

United Nations System Common Position on Incarceration English NEW!

UNODC Criminal Justice Handbook Series (prison reform):

Model Prison Act and Related Commentary based on the Nelson Mandela Rules EN NEW!
Handbook on restorative justice programmes (2020) English (1st ed.) French, Farsi, Turkish
Handbook of basic principles and promising practices on Alternatives to Imprisonment English, French, Spanish , Turkish

Handbook for Prison Leaders Arabic, English, French
Handbook on Prisoner File Management English, French, Arabic
Handbook on Prisoners With Special Needs, Arabic, English, Spanish, Turkish
Handbook on Women and Imprisonment English 2nd edition, Arabic 2nd edition, Russian, Turkish, Spanish
Handbook on Strategies to Reduce Overcrowding in Prisons English, Arabic, Indonesian, Spanish, French
HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, Treatment and Support in Prison Settings - a framework for an effective national response English
UNODC Prison Reform Concept Note English
Handbook on the International Transfer of Sentenced Persons English
Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders English (updated), French, Spanish, Russian (updated) , Arabic (updated), French (updated)
Handbook on Dynamic Security and Prison Intelligence English, French, Arabic, Spanish
Handbook on the Management of High-Risk Prisoners English, Arabic
Handbook on the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalization to Violence in Prisons English, Arabic, French, Russian, German
Assessing compliance with the Nelson Mandela Rules: A checklist for internal inspection mechanisms English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Russian, German, Thai
UNODC Roadmap for the Development of Prison-based Rehabilitation Programmes English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Russian
Handbook on Anti-Corruption Measures in Prisons English
Treatment and Care for People with Drug Use Disorders in Contact with Criminal Justice System- Alternatives to Conviction or Punishment English

UNODC Guidance Notes and information material:

COVID-19 Guidance Note: Emergency Releases of Prisoners EN, FR, ES NEW!
COVID-19 Guidance Note: Infection Prevention and Control Measures in Prisons EN, FR, ES NEW!
UNODC Position Paper on COVID-19 Preparedness and Responses in Prisons English, Portuguese
Instructional Placards on the Nelson Mandela Rules Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Brochure on the The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) English Spanish, Russian, Arabic, French, Sinhala, Tamil
Scenario-based e-learning course on the Nelson Mandela Rules English, Spanish, Russian, Arabic , French
Summary of Key Principles and Recommendations of the Handbook on Violent Extremist Prisoners English, Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish, German
Training curriculum on Women and Imprisonment Version 1.0, English, Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Serbian
Afghanistan: Implementing Alternatives to Imprisonment, in line with International Standards and National Legislation English
A Prison Evaluation Checklist for Post-Conflict Settings English
Information note for criminal justice practitioners on non-custodial measures for women offenders English

United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime