Incarceration is the response that States often impose on unwanted behaviours. In many countries, criminal law and prison are used to target those who have been excluded, who do not...

Below is a summarised version of the Cape Declaration that the participants of the convening of the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, drafted in Stellenbosch, South Africa between 27...

The participants of the convening of the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, held in Stellenbosch, South Africa between 27 and 29 September 2022 gathered to discuss strategies to address...

Francophone members of the Campaign and other organisations kickstarted ther advocacy efforts with the Organisation de la Francophonie, with the launching of the Djerba Declaration at the 18th Summit de...

On 4 December 2020, the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights (the Court) rendered a landmark Advisory Opinion on the consonance of the Vagrancy Laws with the African Charter on Human...

Across the world, vagrancy offenses criminalize vaguely defined, heterogeneous forms of misconduct loosely associated with idleness. A court attempting to apply such laws has noted that “[t]he punishment . ....

For centuries, and across the world, penal laws have been used to regulate urban spaces, with a cruel focus on relegating poor and marginalized groups from such spaces. Criminal laws,...

The Pan African Parliament (PAP) approved a model law intended to transform the Police services in Africa from what they termed as oppressive to one that respects and promotes democracy...

This factsheet highlighted alternative options that a prosecutor can agree to with regard to petty offences. The factsheet advocates that diversion options embedded in the restorative justice approach are wellsuited...

Detention is not the appropriate sanction for the contravention of petty laws. This fact sheet provides an overview of non-custodial sanctions or orders a court can impose against petty offenders...

Alternatives to arrest and detention Petty offences are generally minor, non-violent and victimless. Interventions by the criminal justice system should always be kept to the minimum level needed to protect...

The criminal justice system in many African countries is characterized by widespread criminalization and punishment of petty offenses through arbitrary arrests which provides a basis for the violation of human rights of...

Evidence and Arguments for the Decriminalisation and Declassification of Petty Offences The Ouagadougou Declaration and Plan of Action on Accelerating Prison and Penal Reform in Africa of 20031 endorsed recommendations...