United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

global · founded 1997 · HQ Austria

Verified 21 May 2026 · Data dated 21 May 2026

Fresh · 8d ago

UN agency that publishes global crime and prison data and provides technical assistance on penal reform.

UNODC develops international standards (the Nelson Mandela Rules, the Bangkok Rules for women prisoners, the Beijing Rules for juveniles), runs prison reform programmes in member states, and produces global data on prison populations through its Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (UN-CTS).

Focus areas

alternativesconditionstorture preventionstandards

Visit

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/justice-and-prison-reform/

Reports published by UNODC

Handbook on Strategies to Reduce Overcrowding in Prisons2013
Still the most-cited UN technical guide on cutting prison populations. Covers pre-trial detention alternatives, diversion programmes, sentencing reform, and early release — with case studies from Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.