Gender-Responsive Deprivation of Liberty in Criminal Justice Facilities

The webinar will consist in a moderated discussion on gender-responsive approaches in the context of deprivation of liberty. It will highlight policies and practices which can help places of deprivation of liberty - including prisons - achieve their goals while aiming to have a positive effect beyond their own institutions. Among participants will feature experts, including criminal justice practitioners, people with prison experience and civil society

Key issues which will be addressed:

• Gender and the objectives of places of deprivation of liberty
• Gender-responsive approaches: gaps, challenges and lessons learned
• Positive contributions of integrating a gender perspective beyond detention
• Gendered effects of COVID-19 in criminal justice facilities
• National policies and practices that can ensure gender-responsive management of emergencies in deprivation of liberty

Background

Places of detention are just as much part of society as hospitals and schools. Yet, because the public have limited access to them, they are often seen as separate from society - thus not bound to reflect the different needs of men, women, boys and girls.  

While more than 90% of the global prison population is male, the female prison population has been steadily growing and at a consistently higher rate than the male one. The trends have, however, not translated into gender-sensitive policies and practices aimed at responding to the needs and perspectives that women, men, boys and girls in deprivation of liberty have. Furthermore, gendered backgrounds and circumstances associated with offending have not been taken into account.

Gender-neutral or gender-blind approaches - seen in policy, procedure and practice - have run contrary to the final purpose of rehabilitating offenders for their ultimate reintegration into the society. In addition, the traditionally male-dominated spaces of justice institutions usually facilitate a very narrow conception of masculinity. This is often characterized by dominance and violence, and can perpetuate sexual and gender-based violence experienced by women and men while in the custody of the state. This in turn risks perpetuating the trauma experienced beyond the release from detention.

Registration

To register please click here: https://forms.gle/op31HkQfRwkPnK81A​.  

Questions related to the contents of this webinar can be directed to:  

• Sven Pfeiffer (sven.pfeiffer@un.org), Justice Section, Division for Operations, UNODC
• Graziella Pavone (graziella.pavone@odihr.pl), Human Rights Department, OSCE ODIHR