The International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation (IPPF; french: Fondation internationale pénale et pénitentiaire, ) 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
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
and holds consultative status at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
.
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
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are impacted by crimes. ...
. This commission later became the International Penal and Penitentiary Commission (IPPC)
[Bolle, P.H. (1995) IPPF: activities of the international penal and penitentiary foundation, in: M.C. Bassiouni (Ed.), The Contributions of Specialized Institutes and Non-Governmental Organizations to the United Nations Criminal Justice Program, pp. 295–304] and is considered the oldest intergovernmental agency in the correctional field. The IPPC was affiliated with the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
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
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 17 December 2015 after a five-year revision process. They are known as the Mandela Rules in honor of the former Sout ...
), which were adopted by the League of Nations in 1934 and approved in 1955 at the first
.
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
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
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
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...
, and the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
. It provides recommendations and advice on safeguarding
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
and improving treatment under the penal system.
[United Nations (1991) The United Nations and Crime Prevention. p.p 3-4.] 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.
Organs
Council of the Foundation (IPPF Board)
The Council is the supreme body of the IPPF and is responsible for its administration. The Council also represents the Foundation with respect to third parties. It is composed of five members:
*
Phillip Rapoza Phillip Rapoza is a retired American judge. He was chief justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court until his retirement in 2015. He was appointed to this court in 1998 and became the Chief Justice in 2006. He has worked internationally, serving o ...
, President
* Dr. Piet Hein van Kempen, Secretary-General
* Dr. Manon Jendly, Treasurer
* Dr. Warren Young, Vice President
* Dr. José Luís Díez Ripollés, Vice President
Committees
The work of the IPPF is split among three committees whose members are persons who have distinguished themselves in the field of crime prevention and the treatment of offenders. The Committees are as follow:
The Principal Committee (1st Committee)
* This Committee comprises 75 seats and plays an advisory and consultative role with respect to the Council on the activities of the Foundation
* Members of this Committee must come from one of the 25 Member States that were represented on the IPPC (see below)
* There can be a maximum of three members from each member state on this Committee
The Associates Committee (2nd Committee)
* This Committee comprises not more than 75 seats and plays an advisory and consultative role on subjects submitted to it by the Council related to the Foundation's activities
* Members of this Committee are: a) from a non-member country; or b) are affiliated with a public or private international organisation that is relevant to the field of crime prevention and the treatment of offenders
* There can be a maximum of three members from each non-member country or organization on this Committee
The Fellows Committee (3rd Committee)
* This Committee comprises an unlimited number of seats and plays an advisory and consultative role on subjects submitted to it by the Council relative to the Foundation’s activities
* Members of this Committee are former members of the Principal or Associates Committees who have expressed a wish to stay involved in the work of the Foundation
Auditing body
The Council appoints this external and independent body to audit the accounts of the Foundation and the submit a detailed report to the Council for its approval. This body has the authority to report any defects it discovers to external surveillance authorities if the Council does not rectify them in a reasonable time.
Members
The following countries were original members of the IPPC, and as such are granted the right to be represented in the First Committee:
References
External links
Official website* Records o
the International Penal and Penitentiary Commission (1872-1955)at the United Nations Archives
{{Authority control
International law organizations
Organizations established in 1950
Foundations based in Switzerland