The Nelson Mandela Rules

The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules

for the Treatment of Prisoners

2011 1955

2015
Review process United Nations Standard Minimum
2011-2014 Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners

First United Nations Congress Mandate for revision Consensus on Endorsed and approved by Adoption by
on Crime Prevention and General Assembly, 2011 all revisions the Commission on Crime the General
Prevention and Criminal Assembly
Criminal Justice Cape Town, 2015
Justice and the Economic
Geneva, 1955 – Adoption of the
and Social Council
Standard Minimum Rules for the
Treatment of Prisoners

Nelson Mandela
“It is said that no one truly
knows a nation until one has been
inside its jails. A nation should not be
judged by how it treats its highest
citizens, but its lowest ones.”
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

18
July
To honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela International Day
Promote humane conditions of imprisonment
Nelson Mandela, who spent
27 years in prison, the rules Raise awareness about prisoners being a
continuous part of society
are known as the
Value the work of prison staff as an
Nelson Mandela Rules. important social service

Prisoners’ inherent
Staff dignity as human beings
training
Vulnerable groups
of prisoners
Terminology
122 rules
35% revised Medical
and health
Complaints in 9 thematic services
and
inspections
areas
!
Restrictions,
discipline and
! sanctions
§
Access to legal Investigations of deaths
representation and torture in custody

A crisis in prisons
A large number of prison systems
around the world are at a stage of crisis,
with serious effects on prisoners, their
families and societies as a whole.
The ultimate purpose of imprisonment –
the protection of society from crime – is
undermined in prisons which are
overstretched and poorly managed.

Prison overcrowding
115 countries: >100% of capacity
79 countries
>120% = critical
of capacity overcrowding

51 countries
>150% = extreme
of capacity overcrowding
198 countries
Source: United Nations, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, E/CN.15/2016/10, 2016.

Core challenges

! ! !
continuous severe failure to
growth of (financial and socio- ensure safe, secure and
prison populations and economic) costs of humane custody of
prison overcrowding imprisonment prisoners

Global Prison Challenges Programme

As custodian of the Nelson
Mandela Rules, UNODC is
Focus areas
UNODC will focus its technical Reducing the
mandated to provide technical assistance on three
scope of
imprisonment
assistance to Member States in strategic areas: and preventing
crime

the field of penal reform.

In order to further enhance its Strengthening
prison
management
technical assistance following the and improving
prison conditions
adoption of the Nelson Mandela
Rules, a new
Global Programme on Supporting the
social reintegration

Addressing Prison
of offenders and
preventing
recidivism

Challenges
has been launched.

Crime
“In our efforts to make
Social reintegration
prevention,
in particular societies more resilient to
and recidivism youth crime
prevention crime and to promote social
Sentencing
Prisoners with
policies and cohesion…, we cannot
alternatives to
special needs, e.g.
foreign prisoners,
imprisonment disregard those in prison.
drug users KEY AREAS
TO ADDRESS THE We must remember that
PRISON CRISIS
prisoners continue to be part
Women
Access of society, and must be treated
to justice
offenders
and women
and legal aid
with respect due to their
prisoners
inherent dignity as
Prison
Children
in conflict management human beings.”
with the law

Yury Fedotov, Executive Director, UNODC

V.16-00403