Reforming the Standard Minimum Rules (SMRs) for the Treatment of Prisoners

The Standard Minimum Rules (SMRs) for the Treatment of Prisoners was originally adopted by the First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in 1955. These Rules establish the minimum conditions by which a penal institution is considered suitable by the United Nations. The ACLU has participated in inter-governmental expert meetings to review the SMRs and their application, and continues to work with a coalition of civil society organizations on updating them to reflect contemporary international human rights standards.

1. UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
2. First Essex Report
3. 2013 Interim Report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture
4. Join-NGO Briefing on UN SMR Review Process
5. Joint-NGO Oral Statement on UN SMR Review Process
6. Second Essex Report
7. Statement of the ACLU on Solitary Confinement

​The next inter-governmental expert meeting will be held on 2-5 March in Cape Town, South Africa.