The Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners have constituted the universally
acknowledged minimum standards for the management of prison facilities and the treatment
of prisoners, and have been of tremendous value and influence in the development of prison
laws, policies and practices in Member States all over the world. Following an extensive
inter-governmental review process initiated to reflect advances in international law and correctional science, the General Assembly adopted, in 2015, a revised set of the rules as the
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson
Mandela Rules). A truly updated blueprint for prison management in the twenty-first century,
the rules were to be known as the Nelson Mandela Rules in order to honour the legacy of
the late President of South Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, who had to spend 27 years
in prison in the course of his struggle for human rights, democracy and the promotion of a
culture of peace.
Within the United Nations system, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
acts as the custodian of the international standards and norms related to the treatment of
prisoners, including the Nelson Mandela Rules. Accordingly, the General Assembly requested
UNODC to ensure the broad dissemination of the Nelson Mandela Rules, to design guidance material and to provide technical assistance and advisory services to Member States in
the field of penal reform in order to develop or strengthen penitentiary legislation, procedures,
policies and practices in line with the rules. This checklist constitutes a direct response to
this request and forms part of the UNODC Global Programme on Addressing Prison
Challenges, which provides for technical assistance geared at (a) reducing the scope of
imprisonment; (b) improving prison conditions and strengthening prison management; and
(c) supporting the social reintegration of prisoners upon release.
I.
Introduction
1. Context;
2. Purpose; 3. Target group; 4. Characteristics
II.
Thematic areas addressed in the checklist
1.
Basic
principles of treatment; 2. Safeguards; 3. Material conditions of imprisonment;
4. Security, order and discipline; 5. Prison regime; 6. Health care; 7. Prison
staff
III. How to
use the checklist
IV.
Checklist for assessing compliance with the Nelson Mandela Rules
1 1. Basic principles of treatment; 2. Safeguards;
3. Material conditions of imprisonment; 4. Security, order and discipline; 5.
Prison regime; 6. Health care; 7. Prison staff
Annex
UNODC
UNODC (2017). Assessing compliance with the Nelson Mandela Rules – A checklist for internal inspection mechanisms United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Assessing compliance with the Nelson Mandela Rules (unodc.org)
