Founded 1950 Area served Worldwide | Location Switzerland | |
Type International organization Focus Prison reform, prisoners' rights, human rights Method Research, publications, teaching and international meetings | ||
The International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation (IPPF) is an international organisation with quasi-governmental status. It promotes studies on crime-prevention and treatment of offenders, focussing on research, publications and teaching. It has been approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations and holds consultative status at the United Nations and the Council of Europe.
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History
The IPPF can trace its origin to 1872, when the International Prison Commission (according to some sources the International Penitentiary Commission) was set up to make recommendations for prison reform. This commission later became the International Penal and Penitentiary Commission (IPPC) and is considered the oldest intergovernmental agency in the correctional field. The IPPC was affiliated with the League of Nations and organised conferences on crime control every five years.
It produced the first set of minimum rules for the treatment of detainees (the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners), which were adopted by the League of Nations in 1934 and approved in 1955 at the first United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and the Treatment of Offenders.
After World War II, the IPPC was dissolved and its role transferred to the United Nations. The International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation in its current form was established in 1950 as a foundation officially based in Switzerland, and has been approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Current role
The IPPF promotes studies on crime-prevention and treatment of offenders through research, publications, teaching and international meetings. The IPPF's members are experts in penal and penitentiary matters from around the world such as judges, officials in the prison system, and academics.
The IPPF holds consultative status at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and the Council of Europe. It provides recommendations and advice on safeguarding human rights and improving treatment under the penal system. Among its current priorities are a revision of minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners for Latin America and the Caribbean, and prison policy and prisoners' rights.