For the first time, the United Nations system has issued a common position on incarceration which was unveiled at an event on the side-lines of the annual UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice last month. It comes after a year where prisons have faced unprecedented challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, but many of which stem from systematic, long-standing problems that have remained unaddressed for decades. In our recently published Global Prison Trends 2021 report, we detail the level of crisis in many prisons globally exposed by the pandemic alongside examples of progress and reform brought by it. Many of the enduring issues in our report that affect the 11 million people in prisons globally, and the many more affected by criminal justice policies, are touched upon in the common position.

With a record number of people in prison globally the weight given to addressing the ‘current overreliance on and implementation of incarceration’ is welcomed, and very much needed. Drivers of the increase in the use of prison cited include the lack of alternatives to imprisonment available to a judge or a reluctance to apply them, ‘zero tolerance’ policies and populist rhetoric calling for stricter law enforcement and sentencing, including the increase in life imprisonment.

The impacts of using prison as a ‘default’ are stated unequivocally, including prison overcrowding – described as an ‘acute’ crisis.

UN system agrees on priorities to tackle global prison issues in their first ‘common position on incarceration’

Olivia Rope was appointed as Executive Director of Penal Reform International in 2020, having joined the organisation in 2012 and previously leading on policy and international advocacy. She is an expert on a range of human rights and criminal justice issues, having authored key publications and training materials for PRI and worked extensively with UN and other institutional actors and partners. Previously, Olivia worked at Amnesty International. She completed her LLM in International and European Human Rights Law at the University of Amsterdam in 2008 and was admitted to the High Court of New Zealand as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2009.

Olivia Rope fue nombrada directora ejecutiva de Penal Reform International en 2020, tras incorporarse a la organización en 2012 y dirigir previamente la política y la incidencia internacional. Es una experta en una serie de temas de derechos humanos y justicia penal, habiendo sido autora de publicaciones clave y materiales de formación para PRI y trabajando ampliamente con la ONU y otros actores y socios institucionales. Anteriormente, Olivia trabajó en Amnistía Internacional. Completó su maestría en Derecho Internacional y Europeo de los Derechos Humanos en la Universidad de Ámsterdam en 2008 y fue admitida en el Tribunal Superior de Nueva Zelanda como 

Olivia Rope a été nommée directrice exécutive de Penal Reform International en 2020, après avoir rejoint l'organisation en 2012 et avoir auparavant dirigé les politiques et le plaidoyer international. Elle est experte sur une série de questions relatives aux droits humains et à la justice pénale, ayant rédigé des publications clés et du matériel de formation pour PRI et travaillé de manière intensive avec les Nations unies et d'autres acteurs et partenaires institutionnels. Auparavant, Olivia a travaillé à Amnesty International. Elle a obtenu un LLM en droit international et européen des droits humains à l'Université d'Amsterdam en 2008 et a été admise à la Haute Cour de Nouvelle-Zélande en tant que 

Olivia Rope

International organisations (Penal Reform International)

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UN system agrees on priorities to tackle global prison issues in their first ‘common position on incarceration’