Formerly incarcerated individuals are one of the most marginalized populations in the world, facing severe rights violations and exclusion from basic needs upon release. While governments have a clear moral obligation to help reintegrate people into society and safeguard their human rights, there is a striking lack of guidance as to the legal obligations of States.
Our team has partnered with Dream.Org, a U.S. non-profit founded by Van Jones to “reach across political divides to bring justice, and environmental and technological change to underrepresented populations,” and REFORM Alliance, a U.S. NGO focused on reforming domestic laws on probation and parole, to spotlight social reintegration as a critical human rights issue before the UN Human Rights Council and UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Alongside Member States and civil society from every region of the world, we advocate for the development of UN Guiding Principles on Social Reintegration, addressing a gap in international human rights law.
We have further advocated for the elimination of stigmatizing language in UN discourse on crime prevention and criminal justice. We call for the adoption of inclusive, person-centered language as a tangible means of bringing a human rights-based approach to criminal justice.
Our advocacy team with UN Ambassador of Costa Rica at side-event to the UN Human Rights Council
Recent successes include
- Publishing report A Call for Inclusive Language: Advancing a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Justice at the United Nations, which explores the importance of using inclusive, non-stigmatizing language for successful social reintegration and realization of human rights in criminal justice. Report presented at Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights side-event to the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Also hosted a virtual seminar on the report, attended by UN stakeholders in Geneva and Vienna and civil society globally.
- Supporting the development of a UN Human Rights Council resolution 57/9 on social reintegration and human rights, which was adopted by consensus in October 2024. The resolution provided first-ever human rights-based guidance to States on social reintegration and requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a study on the issue and assess the benefits of developing UN Guiding Principles on Social Reintegration.
- Engaging civil society globally to raise awareness and build partnerships; securing the support of 120 NGOs from 49 countries on a Letter addressed to UN country missions in September 2024, expressing support for the resolution and urging Governments to co-sponsor.
- Highlighting social reintegration as a matter of human rights for the first time at the UN Human Rights Council, securing the support of a cross-regional group of 74 States in a Joint Statement presented by the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica in September 2023.
- Securing the support of 91 NGOs from 47 countries on a Letter addressed to UN country missions, expressing support for the September 2023 Joint Statement and urging Governments to co-sponsor.
- Publishing a comprehensive book with REFORM Alliance, Upholding Rights and Unlocking Potential: A Global Approach to Social Reintegration, in Spring 2024, which has been used as a resource by States and civil society. The book explores the complexities of social reintegration as an international human rights issue, the gap in existing international human rights instruments, the benefits of transitional and community-based programming, and a 150-page appendix highlighting emerging effective practices from countries around the world.
- Organizing for REFORM Alliance to personally address the UN Human Rights Council in both September 2023 and September 2024, sharing the widespread support of civil society from every region of the world.
- Co-hosting three educational side-events to the Human Rights Council, as well as a two-hour seminar to launch our book on social reintegration as a human rights issue with recommendations to the Council, tailored for international human rights experts from UN Country Missions and other UN human rights bodies.
Publications
A Call for Inclusive Language: Advancing a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Justice at the United Nations
December 2025
Upholding Rights and Unlocking Potential: A Global Approach to Social Reintegration
Spring 2024
Media Release Announcing REFORM Alliance Supports the Advancement of a Human Rights Approach to Social Reintegration at the United Nations
September 18, 2023