Handbook on the Classification of Prisoners

1 Handbook on THE CLASSIFICATIONOF PRISONERSCRIMINAL JUSTICE Handbook SERIESCRIMINAL JUSTICE Handbook SERIESC over photo: UNODCUNITED nations office ON DRUGS AND crime ViennaHandbook on THE Classification OF PRISONERSCRIMINAL JUSTICE Handbook SERIESUNITED NATIONSV ienna, 2020 united nations , May 2020. All rights reserved, designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the united nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or production: English, Publishing and Library Section, united nations office at present Handbook was written for the united nations office on Drugs and crime (UNODC) by Dr.

2 Andrea Moser, consultant on penal reform and criminal justice issues. The following UNODC staff also contributed to its development: Val rie Lebaux, Alejandro Matta, Muriel Jourdan-Ethvignot, Philipp Meissner and Vera Tkachenko, who also conducted the review of the final Handbook was reviewed at an expert group meeting held in Vienna on 1 and 2 October 2019. UNODC wishes to acknowledge with appreciation the contributions received from the following national experts who participated in that meeting: Mohammed Ouamar Djaoui (Algeria), Facundo Bargallo Benegas (Argentina), Pinga Zongo (Burkina Faso), Muriel Esquivel Carvajal (Chile), Laur line Guillot (France), Barbara Wittman (Germany), Isaac Kofi Egyir (Ghana), Riazuddin Ahmed Mohammed (India), Dai Tanaka (Japan), Shinji Todoriki (Japan), Bekbolat Shakirov (Kazakhstan), Dancan Ogore (Kenya), Mohamed Ben Driss (Morocco), Mariana Martin (Namibia), Baby Noel Pimentel Montalvo (Philippines), Mohammad Saoud Nasser al-Otaibi (Qatar), Abdulrahman Nasser Al Thani (Qatar)

3 , Karam Singh (Singapore), Abduljabbar Tafesh (State of Palestine), Eva hs (Sweden), Hichem Rhimi (Tunisia), Wilson Francis Magomu (Uganda) and Claudia Sturt ( united Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).UNODC also wishes to acknowledge the valuable input provided by the following expert group participants from other united nations entities, international organizations and non- governmental organizations: Martin Gilla ( united nations Development Programme), Ingrid Jeunhomme ( united nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic), Stephen Johnston (International Committee of the Red Cross), Olivia Rope (Prison Reform International), Hans Meurisse (European Organization of Prison and Correctional Services) and Chontit Chuenurah (Thailand Institute of Justice).

4 The following UNODC staff also contributed to the discussions during the expert group meeting: Ousmane Diallo and Bogatyr , UNODC wishes to express its gratitude for the support provided by the Government of Qatar towards the development of the Handbook under the UNODC Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha iiiSummary of key principles and recommendations viiIntroduction

5 11. Who is the Handbook for? 12. What does the Handbook cover? 1I. Importance of prisoner Classification 31. Safety and security of Prisoners , prison staff and the public 52. Humane custody of Prisoners 63. Individualized case and sentence planning 74. Cost-effectiveness of operating prisons 8II. Key issues for the Classification of Prisoners 91. Prisoner separation versus prisoner Classification 92. Legislative frameworks 103. Infrastructure requirements 144. Centralized versus decentralized assessment and Classification 225.

6 External versus internal prisoner Classification 236. Regular Classification reviews 247. Gender, age and culturally informed approaches 258. Prisoners with special needs 289. Other placement considerations 33 III. Research on approaches to the assessment of Prisoners 351. Four generations of assessment tools 352. Risk-needs-responsivity model 383. Good lives model 39IV. Overall principles and components of prisoner Classification systems 411. Prisoner Classification upon admission to the prison service 422. Reclassification during a custodial sentence 603.

7 Release planning and community supervision 61V. Development and implementation of a prisoner Classification system 651. Project planning phases 652. Importance of ongoing monitoring and evaluation 68 Glossary of key terms 73viAnnexes: Additional resources 75 I. Example of basic prisoner intake assessment template: admission and immediate needs 75 II. Other resources: prisoner Classification and assessment approaches, instruments and policies and guidelines 81 III. Examples of factors to assess for Classification purposes at intake to a correctional system 82 IV.

8 Example outline of case and sentence management plan (convicted Prisoners ) 84 V. Example outline of assessment for reclassification purposes 86 VI. Example outline of standard operating procedures for prisoner assessment and Classification activities 89viiSummary of key principles and recommendationsChapter I. Importance of prisoner Classification Classification refers to the placement or allocation of Prisoners to one of several custody or supervision levels in order to match the Prisoners individual risks and needs to correctional resources and the appropriate supervision well-designed and managed Classification process is a cornerstone of an effective prison system , fundamental to the protection of human rights.

9 The ability to individualize case and sentence planning and the efficient use of limited correctional has a direct impact on many aspects of prison management, including the safety and security of Prisoners , prison staff and the general public, the humane custody of Prisoners and the ability to individualize case and sentence planning. It also increases the cost- effectiveness of operating a prison system by minimizing overclassification and therefore preventing resources from being expended on high-security prisons, restrictive conditions and other measures that may not be II.

10 Key issues for the Classification of Prisoners Classification is distinct from the separation of Prisoners based on the core factors of age, gender and the legal reason for their detention. Specifically, separation according to such defined groupings does not in itself constitute a Classification process. Classification entails a structured and individualized assessment of the risks and needs of each prisoner to assist in decision-making regarding the most appropriate placement and interventions. The legislative framework of a country plays a determining role in decision-making regarding the security Classification of Prisoners .