Criminal justice

Publications1 January 1970

'Disrupt and vilify': The war on immigrants inside the US war on drugs

The Drug Policy Alliance and Human Rights Watch presents recommendations on immigration and drug laws that disproportionately affect migrants

Publications11 December 2025

Drug policy stasis and hegemonic narratives of cannabis in Nigeria

Klantschnig et al. show how dominant state narratives suppress community perspectives, reinforce prohibition, and marginalise livelihoods, revealing why meaningful change remains elusive.

News11 December 2025

Fiji’s HIV epidemic escalates: New rapid assessment highlights urgent gaps in access to safe injecting equipment, HIV prevention, and stigma-free care among people who inject drugs

The lack of harm reduction services is accelerating one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics, underscoring urgent needs for sterile drug use equipment, community-led outreach, and an evidence-based national response.

News11 December 2025

Dance for freedom: Rave revolution in front of the Hungarian Parliament

On 6 December, thousands gathered on Kossuth Square for Dance for Freedom—a joyful, defiant rave protesting Hungary’s escalating police harassment of musicians, clubs and young people. What began as a reaction to punitive drug enforcement became a powerful celebration of culture, community and civil liberties.

News3 December 2025

U.S. lethal strikes in Caribbean expose the failures of punitive drug war

A wave of lethal U.S. airstrikes in Latin America and the Caribbean has sparked international outrage over their legality, human cost, and troubling escalation of punitive drug control.

News5 November 2025

Brazil: Civil society releases a “Manifesto for Citizen Public Security in Rio” in response to police massacre

Fiocruz and allied organisations denounce the lethal police operation in Rio, condemn militarised security and necropolitics, and demand citizen-centred policies that protect rights and life.

News26 October 2025

Open letter: Executive overreach regarding extrajudicial killings in international waters and militarized responses in U.S. communities

IDPC joins over 100 national and international organisations urging the US Congress to investigate President Trump’s unlawful military strikes in the Caribbean and growing militarisation of domestic response.

News23 October 2025

Weaponising the drug war: Police raid opposition candidate in Budapest

A recent search of the home of Hungarian political candidate Alexander Horváth highlights how drug-related accusations can be used as a tool for political intimidation.

News15 October 2025

Human rights abuses, corruption rampant at Zimbabwe’s shady drug rehabilitation centres

Unlicensed drug rehabilitation centres are sites of arbitrary detention, cruel punishment, corruption and human rights violations.

News14 October 2025

Women are paying the price for the war on drugs - Women Beyond Walls podcast with Marie Nougier

Marie Nougier exposes how punitive drug laws devastate women’s lives, fueling mass incarceration and inequality — and calls for feminist, humane, evidence-based drug policies rooted in care, not punishment.

Publications14 October 2025

Safer drug laws for Aotearoa New Zealand - Pragmatic, evidence-based recommendations for safer drug laws

The New Zealand Drug Foundation urges reform of outdated drug laws, calling for decriminalisation, Māori-led health approaches and investment in harm reduction to build safer, fairer, evidence-based policies for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Blog8 October 2025

The Human Rights Council asserts its role in drug policy at a time of global change

The Human Rights Council’s latest resolution on drug policy marks a turning point, reaffirming that drug control is a human-rights issue, and calling for person-centred, inclusive, and accountable approaches.

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