The essential role of prison staff in protecting the human rights of detainees was the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on 10 October 2023, on the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.
"The Nelson Mandela Rules are the gold standard to protect the human rights of prisoners. It provides reliable guidance to prison staff and prison administrations," said Tea Jaliashvili, ODIHR First Deputy Director. "Our new trainer's manual on the practical implementation of the rules is a great achievement that will help countries across the OSCE region make them a reality."
Rooted in adult learning principles, the Trainer's Manual was developed by ODIHR and Penal Reform International (PRI), and addresses real-life needs and concerns of trainers about the details of prison administration. It also helps trainers tackle their own biases and stereotypes, increasing their understanding of the human rights approach as part of the international framework that protects the rights of every individual. The training material integrates a gender perspective, and highlights the potential vulnerablility of specific groups of detainees.
The side event brought together experts from ODIHR, PRI, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Swedish Prison and Probation Service and the Training Centre of the Prison System and Probation Directorate in Zagreb. The discussion reflected on the difficult but crucial role that prison staff play in the life of prisoners and in their succesful rehabilitation and reintegration for the benefit of society as a whole.
"The trainer's manual is a hands-on tool that helps practitioners like myself in my conversations with prison staff on sensitive yet important topics, such as prisoner classification, incident prevention and disciplinary sanctions," said Smiljka Baranček of the Croatian Justice Ministry. "I attended an excellent ODIHR train-the-trainer courseearlier this year and I definitely plan to integrate sections of the manual into our own training curriculum."
In 2020, participating States reaffirmed that all persons deprived of their liberty "will be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person", including by taking into consideration the implementation of the the Nelson Mandela Rules.
The Trainer's Manual is part of ODIHR's continuous efforts to prevent torture and other ill-treatment, and improve the treatment of people deprived of liberty in the OSCE region.
