Prison Reform

Prison reform debated at the UN General Assembly: “We cannot afford to look away”

New York, United States of America, June 2025 – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director Ms. Ghada Waly has addressed the General Assembly in New York, warning of the challenges facing the world’s prisons.

“Without urgent and sustained investment, we risk turning prison systems into conveyor belts of injustice, where neglect breeds despair, despair breeds recidivism, and recidivism breeds reincarceration.”

This address was given on Friday 13 June at a high-level debate convened by the President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Philémon Yang, in collaboration with UNODC, to mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners – known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, which provide a universally-recognized blueprint for sound, effective and humane prison management. As their custodian within the UN system, UNODC works worldwide to make them a reality.

Global prison challenges

UNODC data shows there are now 11.5 million people imprisoned globally. The majority of Member States are struggling with overcrowded prisons, with 27% of surveyed countries operating prison systems at a level of at least 150% of their official capacity. Meanwhile, some 3.5 million prisoners have not yet been convicted, languishing in pre-trial detention, often for months or years. At the same time, the proportion of women in prison has risen by 57 per cent over the last 20 years – almost triple the rate of male imprisonment – held in systems that lack the capacities to cater to their specific needs.*

Yet prison management continues to be underfunded, underprioritized, and undervalued in national and global policy discussions. “This is not sustainable,” Ms Waly said. “It is not safe. And it is not humane.”

Ms Waly was joined by other speakers, including Ambassador José Antonio Zabalgoitia (Mexico), Chair of the 34^th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and Judge Edwin Cameron, Inspecting Judge of Correctional Services and former Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, in calling for renewed attention to be given to the world’s prisons.

H.E. Mr. Philémon Yang, President of the General Assembly

“We must ensure practical pathways for reintegration that reduce the risk of reoffending. These pathways should be built on education, vocational training and psycho-social support, and grounded in policies that uphold equality and human dignity for all, everywhere.”

H.E. Mr. José Antonio Zabalgoitia, Chair, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

“As custodian of these standards, UNODC continues to be entrusted by the CCPCJ and the General Assembly with the delivery of technical assistance in support of PPR worldwide. This support has shown to be an indispensable ingredient in requesting Member States’ efforts to close the gap between standards and practice.”

Judge Edwin Cameron, Inspecting Judge of Correctional Services, Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa

“Restraining human beings from exercising their fundamental capacities including their movement and their decision-making autonomy constitutes a stark and terrible inhibition that should be inflicted with deep caution… Imprisonment is particularly hard to defend when it is not specifically tailored for effective containment, effective prevention, and effective rehabilitation.”

Ms. Ghada Waly, Executive Director, UNODC

“At this critical time for justice systems around the world, we are more committed than ever to joining hands with Member States, civil society, and all partners and stakeholders, for prisons and institutions capable of delivering true justice. And we need your voices and your partnership, to keep this issue high on the international agenda and to attract the necessary resources.”

“Failures in prison management and in the treatment of offenders compromise not only safety and security within prisons, but also progress on broader goals such as human rights and public health,” said President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Philémon Yang (Cameroon), highlighting the essentiality of prison reform for Sustainable Development Goal 16. “These failures also hinder successful reintegration, with serious consequences for communities beyond prison walls.”

Speakers also highlighted the need to make greater use of community-based alternatives to imprisonment in line with the Tokyo Rules on non-custodial measures, and to make greater efforts to prevent recidivism – a timely call, following the recommendation for adoption of the UN Model Strategies on Reducing Reoffending (the Kyoto Model Strategies) last month.

The debate’s high-level segment attracted support and interest from many Member States, with interventions from representatives of South Africa, Kyrgyzstan, the European Union, Bahrain, Peru, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Algeria, Colombia, Myanmar, Saudi-Arabia, Cuba, Germany, Armenia, Mexico, Burkina Faso, the United States, Rwanda, Estonia, Ukraine, Thailand, the Russian Federation, Argentina, Tunisia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ghana, Azerbaijan, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Egypt.

The debate also included an interactive panel discussion addressing the need for prison and penal reform, with panellists from civil society, national authorities and academic institutions. Find out more.

While the debate highlighted the major challenges facing the world’s prisons, it also revealed a major reason for hope: “Momentum for change is building,” said Ms Waly.

UNODC’s role

Appearing at a ministerial side event focussed on transforming the theory of UN standards on offender management into practice the same day, the Executive Director was joined by the Minister of Correctional Services of South Africa and the Minister of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic as well as representatives from the Philippines, Ghana and Brazil, all of whom have delivered transformative prison and penal reform programmes with the support of UNODC.

Moreover, the reach of UNODC’s e-learning course on the Nelson Mandela Rules is getting close to 100,000 certified users worldwide. Most people completing the scenario-based course work in prisons, and the course is designed to promote immediate adaptations that will improve prison life.

Ms Waly has previously emphasised the key role that prison and penal reform will play in UNODC’s upcoming strategy 2026-2030.

From theory to action: case studies

H. E. Mr. Ayaz Baetov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers / Minister of Justice / Director of the National Institute of Strategic Initiatives of the Kyrgyz Republic

The cornerstone of the country’s progress on prison and penal reform, Mr. Baetov said, has been a significant reduction of the country’s prison population, driven by initiatives including the advancement of probation as an alternative to incarceration, as well as digital innovation. Minister Baetov noted that the latter is only a tool, which must be used with a thorough grounding in evidence and with a deep commitment to human rights.

Minister Baetov described the long-term, productive partnership between the Kyrgyz Republic and UNODC, including the agency’s involvement in the development of Kyrgyzstan’s probation service, now five years old, since its planning stages. He highlighted the Just4All programme, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UNODC, as “one of the most impactful rule of law initiatives in Central Asia at the moment.”

At a side event at last month’s session of Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice organised by the Kyrgyz Republic, speakers including UNODC’s Executive Director Ms. Ghada Waly had already explored the country’s experience as an example of impactful penal reform in Central Asia. Read more.

Ms. Michelle Ann Lapuz, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Justice, The Philippines

Ms Lapuz highlighted the ongoing transformation of the prison system in the Philippines, which has been made possible as a result of “clear vision, tenacious leadership and strong partnership support from organisations like UNODC.” Discussing this vital partnership, Ms Lapuz pointed to several key initiatives that are helping to reduce the serious overcrowding of prisons in the Philippines, including:

-The Good Conduct Time Allowance Calculator, which computes time served and time allowances earned through good conduct and educational engagement, ensuring that prisoners who qualify for early release are identified and released on time.
Compassionate release and medical parole
Bail reform to increase its affordability

These are just three of a suite of UNODC-supported initiatives that are reviving “the true spirit of what the corrections sector must be.”

Ms. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Ministry of Interior, Ghana

“In many parts of the world, a prison sentence means the end of dignity. In Ghana, we believe it can be the beginning of redemption.” Ms Baffoe-Bonnie emphasised that Ghana’s prison reform history reflects both the possibility and the challenges of making UN standards a reality. UNODC has worked in close partnership with Ghanaian authorities on a programme to strengthen compliance with the Nelson Mandela Rules, implementing prisoner classification systems and enhancing access to rehabilitation opportunities. In particular Ms Baffoe-Bonnie highlighted successes in prisoner education, with prisoners completing national exams, vocational training and even university education, preparing them for self-supporting lives on release.

“Reform is not easy,” Ms Baffoe-Bonnie said, “But neither is it optional.”

Mr. Rafael Pacheco, President, National Council of Secretaries of State of Justice, Citizenship, Human Rights and Penitentiary Administration / Secretary of Justice, Espírito Santo, Brazil

Mr. Pacheco underlined the complexity of Brazil’s context, while celebrating the “nationwide, unprecedented” effort to reform prisons. UNODC began working on prison and penal reform in Brazil in 2021, forming a close and productive partnership with the National Secretariat of Penal Policies that also aims at addressing the challenged posed by prison-based criminal organizations. Work has focused on three key areas: staff training, prison intelligence and classification.

UNODC is the custodian of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Nelson Mandela Rules; these international standards provide a comprehensive framework for prison reform in Brazil, while UNODC’s tools and handbooks serve as valuable resources and help ensure that prisons not only maintain security but also respect human rights and foster rehabilitation.

The side event also heard from:

H.E. Dr. Pieter Groenewald, Minister of Correctional Services, South Africa – the home country of late President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and a leading force in the promotion of the Nelson Mandela Rules worldwide;
H.E. Mr. Vathayudh Vichankaiyakij, Deputy Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations. Thailand is a champion of the Bangkok Rules and leading force in the adoption of the resolution calling for continued action in the field of prison and offender management during the 34^th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice;
H.E. Mr. Umetsu Shigeru, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations. Japan championed the development of a new landmark UN standard on recidivism prevention, the Kyoto Model Strategies on Reducing Reoffending;
H.E. Mr, Andreas von Uexküll, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Thomas Zahneisen, Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations; and
Ms. Delphine Schantz, Representative, Liaison Office in New York, UNODC, who moderated the event.

H.E. Dr. Pieter Groenewald, Minister of Correctional Services, South Africa

“It is time to move decisively from the theory of reform to the practice of fair, effective offender management. These documents are not theoretical ornaments. They are robust blueprints for… upholding the rights of every human being – yes, including those behind bars.”

H.E. Mr. Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia, Chair, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

“I wish to pose some questions: Why is it that the most vulnerable groups are those most likely to go to prison? Why are the people who go to prison getting younger and younger? Why is it that minorities have a larger possibility, in many countries, to go to prison?... And why are the Nelson Mandela Rules not yet universal?”

H.E. Mr. Umetsu Shigeru, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations

“We reaffirm our active and unwavering commitment to supporting the implementation of the Kyoto Model Strategies on Reducing Reoffending.”

H.E. Mr, Andreas von Uexküll, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations

“The UN Common Position on Incarceration is something we are fully behind. We reiterate the importance of co-ordinated and joint UN corrections interventions to advance the implementation of the Nelson Mandela Rules.”

H.E. Mr. Thomas Zahneisen, Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations

[Discussing the lack of support given to Member States struggling with prison management in the past] “What has changed over these 30 years is that we now have a normative framework… We have guidance, we have leadership in most countries on the issue, and we have a UN that is able to provide support. Technical support, conceptual support and concrete work… We are at the point where the UN can really be a true partner… [As we approach UN80] we must make sure that prisons do not fall between the gaps.”

H.E. Mr. Vathayudh Vichankaiyakij, Deputy Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations

“The challenges [still facing prisons worldwide] remind us of the need for the international community to recommit to international standards in offender treatment… Therefore to mark this anniversary year Thailand tabled a resolution titled ‘Celebrating the Nelson Mandela Rules and Bangkok Rules: a call for continued action in the field of prisoner and offender management’ at the 34^th session of the CCPCJ in May which was adopted by consensus with close collaboration of Member States.”

What next?

The clear message given by all speakers at the debate was simple: action is needed on the world’s prisons – and it is needed now. In addition to the tenth anniversary of the Nelson Mandela Rules, 2025 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules). This double anniversary offers the perfect opportunity for Member States, national authorities, the United Nations system, civil society organisations and donors alike to redouble efforts on prison and penal reform. While challenges continue and others emerge, the will for change grows. This will must be matched by properly resourced action.

As Ms Waly summed up: “In too many parts of the world, this crisis is out of sight and out of mind. But we cannot afford to look away.”

*All figures taken from the 2024 UNODC Prison Matters report