The conference is arranged on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. The year 1998 is proclaimed as a Human Rights year in
accordance with the decree of the President of Russia. This year coincides with the decade
of activity of MCPR (which is the oldest non-governmental
organization of the new Russia) in the field of Human Rights protection, prison and legal
reforms. On the last day of the conference, the 9th of December.
The conference will be held from 7th to 9th of December of 1998. Experts (jurists,
criminologists, penologists, economists etc.) from Russia and other countries,
representatives of native, western and international non-governmental organizations (NGO),
federal and regional bodies of executive, judicial and legislative power, social and
political figures will take part in it.
The high population of prisoners is one of the reasons for the critical situation in
the system of criminal justice and execution of sentence: by the rate of prisoners per one
thousand (over 700 prisoners) Russia takes the first place in the world. Keeping one and a
half million army of prisoners and penitentiary personnel became one of the most severe
problems of the country a long ago. Russia can’t provide not only the implementation of
international standards of prisoners rights, but also basic living conditions. The
employees of the penitentiary system who work in an extremely arduous conditions in the
slender subsidized institutions have become hostages of that situation.
The analysis of the above-mentioned problems and searching the way out of the crisis is
the main subject of the conference. Studying good experience in the field of the criminal
policy and practice, stored in Russia and other countries, could be an important part of
the conference. The draft program on reducing prison population along with the other
proposals on the way out of the crisis are to be discussed at the conference.
More detailed information concerning these arrangements and the project is represented
in the magazine “Human Being and Prison” and also on our server www.prison.org, starting from mid-August.
The characteristic feature of the conference “Criminal
Policy and Prison Reform – New Approaches” is, that it isn’t limited to the
mentioned three days’ period, the discussions devoted to a number of problems, listed
below, have been held within the frames of this project since May of 1998 and, as we hope,
they will continue after the formal conclusion of the conference. You may get acquainted
with their contents as well as the other materials of MCPR archive,
and also join the discussion of the matters you are interested in applying to our address:
Organizing committee of the conference
“Criminal Policy and Prison Reform – New Approaches”;
Room 24, House 4, Luchnikov lane, Moscow, 101000, Russia
Phone: 206-8684
Fax: 206-814
E-mail: sodeistvie08@gmail.com |
