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New ICPR report describes vast disparities in use of imprisonment in 10 countries around the world

15 Mar 2017

Overcrowding, inhumane and degrading detention conditions and disproportionate harm to marginalised groups are some of the consequences of the rapid, unrelenting growth of imprisonment worldwide, according to Prison: Evidence of its use and over-use from around the world, published today [16 March] by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR), Birkbeck, University of London, and the NGO, Fair Trials.

ICPR intern blogs about Colloquium on Risk and Vulnerability in Prison Populations – a Global Crisis

01 Dec 2016

On 21 October, the Birkbeck Institute for Social Research, in collaboration with the Institute for Criminal Policy Research hosted a colloquium to discuss Risk and Vulnerability in Prison Populations. Carmel Kavanagh, an intern at the ICPR, reflects on the discussion, which you can read here

International Prison News Digest Issue 35

16 Nov 2016

ICPR has produced the thirty fifth issue of the International Prison News Digest, a selection of news items from around the world on prison and the use of imprisonment. The Digest is produced bi-monthly and this issue covers the period from 1 September to 31 October 2016.

In this and future editions of the Digest, we are grouping news items regionally, rather than thematically.

We aim in the Digest to cover all regions of the world and include new developments in policy and practice, as well as information from official and intergovernmental bodies.

By clicking on the hyperlinks, you can access the news articles in their original form.

Policy Press publishes new ICPR book “Imprisonment Worldwide: The Current Situation and an Alternative Future”

29 Jun 2016

Important new publication proposes radical re-think on the use of imprisonment worldwide and offers alternative model for the future.

This book by authors Andrew Coyle, Helen Fair, Jessica Jacobson and Roy Walmsley of the Institute for Criminal Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London, provides a comprehensive account of prison populations around the world and analyses recent trends in the use of imprisonment. 

Imprisonment Worldwide also provides commentary on what is an ethical approach to the use of imprisonment, and how this can be sustained in ever more challenging social, economic and political environments. The authors propose a radical re-think on the use of imprisonment across the globe and offer an alternative vision for the future.

New prison population data on the World Prison Brief

19 Apr 2016

Information on prison population levels prior to 1980 has been added to the World Prison Brief. Such figures are shown for 66 countries; for 21 of these the data goes back to 1950. 

Readers who have access to additional information on pre-1980 levels, including such information for additional countries, are asked to contact us so that we can make available a more comprehensive record of such levels.

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