Across the world, outdated laws as well as some newer laws are continually used to unfairly target poor and marginalised people because of who they are, rather than what they have done. In parallel, there is an increase in the use of criminal law to suppress activism and quell dissent. This often has a devastating impact on those who are already vulnerable.

In effect, States routinely use the justice system against people for reasons that have little to do with citizen safety, but rather to protect the inherited boundaries of power, wealth, and privilege. This abuse of power has a profound human rights cost, manifesting in discrimination, use of lethal force, torture, excessive imprisonment, inhumane conditions of detention and social, political and economic exclusion.

There is a clear and urgent need to decriminalise laws that treat poverty, status, or activism, as a crime.
The Global Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status is a coalition of organisations from across the world that advocate for the repeal of laws, reform of policies and change in practices, that target people based on poverty, status or for their activism.

Across the world, outdated laws as well as some newer laws are continually used to unfairly target poor and marginalised people because of who they are, rather than what they have done. In parallel, there is an increase in the use of criminal law to suppress activism and quell dissent. This often has a devastating impact on those who are already vulnerable.

In effect, States routinely use the justice system against people for reasons that have little to do with citizen safety, but rather to protect the inherited boundaries of power, wealth, and privilege. This abuse of power has a profound human rights cost, manifesting in discrimination, use of lethal force, torture, excessive imprisonment, inhumane conditions of detention and social, political and economic exclusion.

There is a clear and urgent need to decriminalise laws that treat poverty, status, or activism, as a crime.

The Global Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status is a coalition of organisations from across the world that advocate for the repeal of laws, reform of policies and change in practices, that target people based on poverty, status or for their activism.

themed collections

Over the years, campaign partners have worked collaboratively on specific areas and approaches, such as vagrancy and nuisance-related laws, homelessness, and strategic litigation, compiling collections of resources and strategies that have led to successful law reform. 

recent updates

Campaign members supported recent efforts to decriminalise attempted suicide in Kenya. Watch the short explainer video about this ruling:
Posted: 30 January, 2025
Jennifer Smith, ILF: Over the past year, the ILF has been working with the Campaign to Decriminalize Poverty and Status, civil society organizations, and independent experts around the world to...
Posted: 28 January, 2025
In December of 2024, APCOF, Freedoms Collective Trust and the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights presented a paper titled “Decriminalising public space governance: the role of the police” at the...
Posted: 17 January, 2025
ICJ-Kenya: Nairobi, KENYA – This past week, High Court Judge, Justice Lawrence Mugambi declared Section 226 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes attempted Suicide unconstitutional. The judgment continues to be...
Posted: 14 January, 2025
Mara Kardas-Nelson writes for The Nation: Decades after independence, colonial-era laws have created a mass-incarceration crisis in Sierra Leone as poor citizens are thrown into prison for the smallest offenses....
Posted: 13 January, 2025
FFJC: Des Moines, Iowa — Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court allowed the ACLU of Iowa, the Fines and Fees Justice Center, and Public Justice to file an amicus brief in State...
Posted: 13 January, 2025
Campaign members supported recent efforts to decriminalise attempted suicide in Kenya. Watch the short explainer video about this ruling:
Posted: 30 January, 2025
Jennifer Smith, ILF: Over the past year, the ILF has been working with the Campaign to Decriminalize Poverty and Status, civil society organizations, and independent experts around the world to...
Posted: 28 January, 2025
In December of 2024, APCOF, Freedoms Collective Trust and the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights presented a paper titled “Decriminalising public space governance: the role of the police” at the...
Posted: 17 January, 2025

latest resources

The Global Prison Trends 2024 report is the 10th edition in this flagship series, offering a detailed overview of the major developments and challenges in prison systems around the world. ...
Year: 2025
Prison conditions in Pakistan fall significantly short of international standards, with inmates facing numerous systemic challenges, including severe overcrowding, unhygienic living conditions, insufficient access to clean water, nutritious food, and ...
Year: 2025
It is estimated that more than 1.2 million people are homeless in the European Union, a figure that has risen sharply over the last ten years, due in particular to ...
Year: 2024
This Practitioners’ Guide addresses the global, growing trend towards the wrongful criminalisation of conduct associated with poverty, homelessness and status by presenting a human rights-based approach to criminal law, based ...
Year: 2024

upcoming events

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the stories

Stories gathered by campaign members and other organisations help expose the havoc that the use and abuse of these laws wreak on the lives of the already vulnerable. The campaign uses these stories to communicate to various stakeholders and advocate for systemic change.

All over the world, criminal justice systems misuse overly broad and discriminatory laws that are rooted in the age of empire to criminalize people  for who they are rather than for what they have done and quell dissent. The ‘Residue & Ruin’ photo exhibition, curated by Luvuyo Equiano Nwayose for the Campaign, highlights the impact these laws have on those who fall victim to their abuse.

All over the world, criminal justice systems misuse overly broad and discriminatory laws that are rooted in the age of empire to criminalize people  for who they are rather than for what they have done and quell dissent. The ‘Residue & Ruin’ photo exhibition, curated by Luvuyo Equiano Nwayose for the Campaign, highlights the impact these laws have on those who fall victim to their abuse.

campaign members

Our coalition members are organisations from across the world, working on improving criminal justice systems to ensure that human rights for respected for all. They work collaboratively through legal reform, litigation, advocacy, policy, capacity building and research to make change happen.

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The Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status is a coalition of organisations from across the world that advocate for the repeal of laws that target people based on poverty, status or for their activism.

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