On 4 June 2026, during the 35th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna, Chontit Chuenurah, Director of the Office for the Bangkok Rules and Treatment of Offenders at the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ), delivered opening remarks at the side event “Global Prison Trends: Progress Made, Challenges Ahead, Trends to Watch.”
The event was co-organized by Penal Reform International (PRI) and TIJ, together with the Permanent Missions of Finland and the United Kingdom to the United Nations (Vienna), United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Legal Foundation, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, and Youth Rise to launch the Global Prison Trends 2026 report—the twelfth edition of TIJ-PRI’s flagship publication.
In her remarks, Chontit highlighted the report’s value as a data-driven resource that supports prison management and criminal justice reform.
“The report provides a global snapshot of prison systems and emerging trends, offering evidence to support informed policymaking at both the national and international levels. Its contribution to discussions at forums such as the CCPCJ and the 15th UN Crime Congress helps ensure that prison reform remains firmly on the international agenda, grounded in human rights standards and guided by evidence-based approaches,” she noted.
The event featured PRI’s presentation of key findings from the report, followed by a panel discussion that explored the situation of women in prison, the experiences of children and youth affected by criminal justice systems, and the importance of using non-stigmatizing and non-discriminatory language when referring to people with lived and living experience of imprisonment.
