Shows
Women Beyond WallsLegal Aid is a Right, Not a Privilege, with Nicolás LainoToday Lawyer and human rights advocate Nicolás Laino discusses how poverty, violence, and inequality contribute to women’s criminalization. He shares stories from his work as a public defender in Argentina, the importance of early, gender-sensitive legal aid, and how lawyers and policymakers can better support women behind bars. Nicolás also highlights global efforts to train legal professionals and include people with lived experience in shaping justice.To learn more about some of the issues touched upon in this episode, visit womenbeyondwalls.org/nicolasPhoto essay - women in prison in A...
2025-11-0424 min
Women Beyond WallsWomen Are Paying the Price for the War on Drugs, with Marie NougierWomen are the fastest-growing prison population worldwide, often locked up for low-level drug offenses tied to poverty, coercion, or survival. In this minisode, Marie Nougier from the International Drug Policy Consortium talks about moving beyond punitive drug laws that harm women and what compassionate, evidence-based alternatives could look like.Learn more about the International Drug Policy Consortium: idpc.net10-point plan: Gender-sensitive drug policies for women (2021):www.penalreform.org/resource/10-point-plan-gender-sensitive-drug-policies-for-women“No One Believed Me”: A Global Overview of Women Facing the Death...
2025-10-0725 min
Women Beyond WallsFrom Poverty to Punishment with Olivia RopeFrom unpaid fines to laws that punish women for surviving violence, the system is locking up women who are simply trying to survive. Instead of addressing root causes, we’re criminalising poverty.In this minisode, Olivia Rope, Executive Director of Penal Reform International, challenges us to go beyond the surface, to really listen to women’s stories and even question the system itself.We also talk about what’s working, including the community-based alternatives to prison, as well as the bold leadership and investment we need from the women’s rights movements to really make change h...
2025-08-1225 min
Why We Do What We DoWar on DrugsThe saga continues as we explore the historical policy blunder that was the "War on Drugs." What lead to the development of this idea? We review the distinction between what was stated and what actually happened, and, of course, who won the war? spoiler it was drugs. RecommendationsAbraham: Speechify App (https://speechify.com/?source=fb-for-mobile&via=nguyen-linh-nam&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiMmwBhDmARIsABeQ7xRZ-vEPaqs8c7IAr7jeYUXdDNtP0Wgtf92Chyk99jyGJIJ9V8rSv1QaAtWbEALw_wcB)Shane: Amber Brooke Farms (https://amberbrookefarms.com/blueberry-festival/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiMmwBhDmARIsABeQ7xR6jxy-33SjkhqahM3-YTrIh3z-c_FCR06EM3mfz9E...
2024-04-171h 07
The Real StateJails Next door : How jail expansion in the community impact design and way of life.In today’s episode of The Real State, we explore the intersection between real estate and how Jails add value to the communities that embrace them. Today’s guest is Dr. Marayca Lopez, a corrections analyst, planner, and researcher with extensive education and background as a penologist and criminologist. Marayca is an authority on correction matters with a deep understanding of correctional facility operations, and functional and architectural programming. Marayca holds a Masters in Criminal Justice from Rutgers and a masters in criminology and a doctorate in law in criminal justice and corrections from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, where she...
2022-08-0233 min
Architecture Off-CentreOn the Smart Prison Project in Finland / Pia PuolakkaThere are splitting views in the design profession on the role of architects in the perpetuation and even existence of prisons, which stems from an ethical and a professional belief that incarceration is not the most optimum solution to crime and that the very design of prisons creates conditions that subject the inmates to inhuman living conditions. While in the previous episode we focused an alternate method of seeking justice, for this one, we wanted to look at what is happening in the world of prison reforms. Pia Puolakka trained as a forensic psychologist and has been...
2022-04-0731 min
Nem azért, de...Rácsok mögött: mi a baj a börtönökkel?Mik a mai börtönrendszer hiányosságai? Milyen alternatív módszerek léteznek a büntetés-végrehajtásra? Ezekre a kérdésekre keresi a választ a Nem azért, de… podcast mai adása. Szót ejtünk a for-profit, privát börtönök problémájáról, a prison-industrial complexről, a nők és LMBT személyek elleni diszkriminációról a börtönökben, a börtönök eltörléséért indított prison abolition mozgalomról, és az alternatív, valódi rehabilitációt célzó programokról is.
Tartsatok velünk, és ah...
2021-04-1939 min
LawPodEpisode 1 - Incarceration with Prof Phil ScratonPodcast Notes
On today’s episode, Professor Phil Scraton discusses the implications of mandatory life sentencing and the failures of the modern penal system. Professor Scraton’s research profile can be found here. His new book, ‘Women’s Imprisonment and the Case for Abolition: Critical Reflections on Corston Ten Years On’ co-edited with Linda Moore and Azrini Wahidin, is out now.
For more information about the recent inspection reports on HMP Liverpool and HMP Nottingham, as well as the results of a 2015 report on Maghaberry Prison, please visit the following links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42310501
http://www.independen...
2018-02-0137 min
PenalReformCalifornia’s prison gang problem: the role of prison sizeGang rule or ‘extra-legal governance’ in US prisons is linked to ever larger facilities. One way to make prisons safer and reduce the influence of gangs is therefore to make prisons smaller.
This blog is by David Skarbek, Senior Lecturer in Political Economy at King's College London.
This is part of PRI's expert guest blog series. Read a text version of this blog at www.penalreform.org
2016-11-2409 minPenalReformCalifornia’s prison gang problem: the role of prison sizeGang rule or ‘extra-legal governance’ in US prisons is linked to ever larger facilities. One way to make prisons safer and reduce the influence of gangs is therefore to make prisons smaller.
This blog is by David Skarbek, Senior Lecturer in Political Economy at King's College London.
This is part of PRI's expert guest blog series. Read a text version of this blog at www.penalreform.org
2016-11-2409 min
PenalReformThe Dutch experience: innovating practice to support foreign national prisonersWorldwide more than a half a million foreign nationals are detained abroad. While entitled to assistance under international law, in practice only a few countries provide assistance to their nationals. One of these is The Netherlands. However, uniquely, as well as assistance provided by diplomatic staff, Dutch citizens detained abroad can also receive regular visits from ex-patriate volunteers in a scheme run by the Dutch Probation Service.
Femke Hofstee van der Meulen, Director of Prison Watch, evaluated the impact of the volunteer programme as her PhD and summarises her findings here in an expert blog for Penal Reform International.
Visit...
2016-03-2409 minPenalReformThe Dutch experience: innovating practice to support foreign national prisonersWorldwide more than a half a million foreign nationals are detained abroad. While entitled to assistance under international law, in practice only a few countries provide assistance to their nationals. One of these is The Netherlands. However, uniquely, as well as assistance provided by diplomatic staff, Dutch citizens detained abroad can also receive regular visits from ex-patriate volunteers in a scheme run by the Dutch Probation Service.
Femke Hofstee van der Meulen, Director of Prison Watch, evaluated the impact of the volunteer programme as her PhD and summarises her findings here in an expert blog for Penal Reform International.
Visit...
2016-03-2409 min
PenalReformHow to build a prison compliant with human rights normsTo fill the gap between international norms and the relative lack of information on how to build a compliant prison in difficult circumstances, UNOPS recently developed a Technical Guidance for Prison Planning document that facilitates a human rights-based approach in the development of prison infrastructure. This blog post by Gordon Nuttall and Pedja Jurisic (UNOPS) is adapted from the manual, which was updated in 2016 to reflect the recent adoption of the Mandela Rules, and outlines some common ‘mistakes’ in prison design, and three key principles to keep in mind.
2016-02-2508 min
PenalReformNourish: thinking about food in prisonIn many countries, prison food is insufficient in quantity and quality. Budgets are low (less than 0.5 USD per prisoner per day according to data recently gathered by PRI) and there have been cases where prisoners have died from starvation. In higher-income countries, food is more available but still may not be ‘of nutritional value adequate for health and strength, of wholesome quality and well prepared and served’, as prescribed by the newly revised Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe recently published a new report, Food Systems in Correctional Settings, which exam...
2016-01-2510 min
PenalReformThe European Supervision Order for transfer of defendants: why hasn’t it worked?Foreign national prisoners often suffer disproportionately in the criminal justice system. They may have to negotiate prison life whilst contending with a different culture, language and without the regular family contact or visitors other prisoners may enjoy. As the number of foreign nationals in prison is considerable in many countries, the issue of the transfer of convicted prisoners has been high on the agenda in recent years. Conversely, little recognition has been given to the possibility of transfer of non-custodial alternatives imposed on nationals of other countries either pre-trial or following conviction. However, the European Union made a first attempt...
2015-12-0207 min
PenalReformNo prison is an island – the role of civil society in post-conflict penal reformRestoring the justice and prison systems back to working order is an essential and often urgent task for post-conflict states. In this expert blog for PRI, Terry Hackett, Warden of Pacific Institution in British Columbia (BC), Canada, draws on his recent research into civil society action in justice and correctional reform in Rwanda after the genocide of the early 1990s, to demonstrate the potential value that civil societies can bring to correctional reform processes in a post-conflict setting.
Terry's qualitative research is based on 22 interviews of government officials and former and current NGO staff members involved in correctional reform since...
2015-11-2508 min
PenalReformPreventing infectious diseases in prisons: a public health and human rights imperativeThe spread of infectious diseases is a serious problem in prison systems worldwide, with prisoners often many times more likely to be living with Tuberculosis, HIV or hepatitis than a person in the community. Alongside the generally poor and unsanitary conditions prevalent in prisons, one major route to infection is unsafe injecting drug use. Yet very few jurisdictions permit or provide harm reduction services (such as clean needles) in prisons. In this blog, Gen Sanders, Human Rights Research Analyst at Harm Reduction International, says that states have both a public health duty and a human rights obligation to tackle the...
2015-10-2305 minPenalReformPreventing infectious diseases in prisons: a public health and human rights imperativeThe spread of infectious diseases is a serious problem in prison systems worldwide, with prisoners often many times more likely to be living with Tuberculosis, HIV or hepatitis than a person in the community. Alongside the generally poor and unsanitary conditions prevalent in prisons, one major route to infection is unsafe injecting drug use. Yet very few jurisdictions permit or provide harm reduction services (such as clean needles) in prisons. In this blog, Gen Sanders, Human Rights Research Analyst at Harm Reduction International, says that states have both a public health duty and a human rights obligation to tackle the...
2015-10-2305 min
PenalReformIn California’s experience, it isn’t bigger prisons that crime victims want‘Tough on crime’ policies are often justified on the basis that putting people in prison for longer is what victims want and deserve. In 2013, Californians for Safety and Justice, which campaigns for more effective public safety policy − conducted a survey to find out whether this was what victims in California actually did want. The results turned the established narrative on its head.
In this expert blog for Penal Reform International, Lenore Anderson, Executive Director of Californians for Safety and Justice, explains how crime survivors are uniting in California both to improve provision of trauma recovery services for victims and to advoca...
2015-08-2507 min
PenalReformIntroduction to the 'Mandela Rules' with PRI's Andrea HuberOn 22 May 2015, at the UN Crime Commission in Vienna, states agreed on a new set of prison standards – a new and updated version of the well-known and well-used Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMR).
Andrea Huber, PRI’s Policy Director, was involved in the revision process and was present in Vienna when the adoption of the resolution containing the new text was adopted. In this podcast, she explains why the Rules needed to be revised and what the changes could mean for prisoners, prison staff and for prison management.
Length: 20 mins.
2015-06-1518 min
PenalReformFailed drug policies in Latin America: the impact on prisons and human rightsIn Latin America, around one third of all detainees are in jail for drug-related offences. The 'war on drugs' has had a damaging impact both on communities in the region and on the functioning of prison systems.
In this last of our expert guest blogs for our anniversary year, Luciana Pol, Senior Fellow on Security and Human Rights at Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) in Argentina welcomes initiatives in several Latin American countries to start to recalibrate the criminal justice response to drugs and welcomes the inclusion of human rights perspectives into next year’s Special Session of th...
2015-04-3008 min
PenalReformGlobal Prison Trends 2015Sentencing trends ... prison technology - opportunities and threats ... architectural design and offender rehabilitation.
A special podcast to accompany our new Global Prison Trends Report.
Guests include: Alison Hannah (PRI Executive Director), Bryan Stevenson (Director of the Equal Justice Initiative and PRI Board Member), Dr Marayca López (US corrections analyst and justice planner)and Rob Allen (criminal justice expert)
Presented by BBC broadcaster, Paddy O'Connell and produced in partnership with the UK Prison Radio Association which broadcasts to the UK's 85,000 prisoners.
2015-04-1426 min
PenalReformPrisoner consultation can contribute to the smooth running of prisonsDr Kimmett Edgar, Head of Research at Prison Reform Trust (UK) describes how consulting prisoners can lead to more efficient targeting of resources, reduced conflicts, and improved relations with prisoners. Thanks to Lucy Wills for use of her painting.
This is the 11th blog in PRI's expert guest blog series celebrating our anniversary year. Visit www.penalreform.org/blog to find out more.
2015-03-2508 minPenalReformPrisoner consultation can contribute to the smooth running of prisonsDr Kimmett Edgar, Head of Research at Prison Reform Trust (UK) describes how consulting prisoners can lead to more efficient targeting of resources, reduced conflicts, and improved relations with prisoners. Thanks to Lucy Wills for use of her painting.
This is the 11th blog in PRI's expert guest blog series celebrating our anniversary year. Visit www.penalreform.org/blog to find out more.
2015-03-2508 min
PenalReformPrison systems need to acknowledge widespread corruptionIn the ninth of our expert blog series, former UK prison governor and criminal justice expert, John Podmore, says that recognition that corruption is a widespread problem in prison systems – and subsequent action to tackle it – is long overdue.
2015-03-0206 min
PenalReformHow can criminal justice systems address the medical and social care needs of elderly prisoners?The number of older prisoners in prison populations is growing in many countries, in part due to ageing populations and often in part to punitive sentencing policies. However, older prisoners are more likely than their peers in the community to be disabled, to have multiple, costly chronic health conditions, and experience age-related cognitive impairment including dementia, presenting new and pressing challenges to the delivery of healthcare in prison systems.
In the tenth expert blog in our anniversary series, Cyrus Ahalt and Brie Williams, Directors of the Community Ageing Health Project at the University of California, San Francisco, discuss the implications...
2015-02-2715 min
PenalReformTurning recommendations into reality: improving the impact of detention monitoring bodiesThirty years after the entry into force of the UN Convention against Torture, there is still a considerable implementation gap and torture continues to exist worldwide.
One of the most significant developments over the last few years has been the establishment of National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) which have a mandate to carry out regular unannounced visits to places of detention.
In the 8th expert blog in our anniversary series, Moritz Birk of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights in Vienna, argues that the follow up and implementation of NPM recommendations is a weak point and examines how they can...
2014-12-0910 min