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TheWorld Prison Brief at PrisonStudies.org is anonline database providing free access to information on prison systems around the world. It is now hosted by theInstitute For Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR),^[1]Birkbeck College,University of London.^[2][3]

It was previously hosted by theInternational Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS). It was a research centre at theUniversity of Essex. It was launched at theHouse of Lords on 4 April 2011. Between 1997 and 2010 ICPS was based inKing's College London and was launched formally byHome SecretaryJack Straw in October 1997. In July 2010 the International Centre for Prison Studies incorporated and registered as a charity with the Charities Commission of England and Wales. From the outset the Centre was independent of governmental and intergovernmental agencies, although it would work closely with them.

The Centre is self-funded and a number of charitable trusts gave grants which allowed the Centre to start work. The centre seeks to assist governments and other agencies to develop appropriate policies on prisons and the use of imprisonment. It carries out its work on a project or consultancy basis for international agencies, governmental and non-governmental organisations.

It aims to make the results of its academic research and projects widely available to groups and individuals, both nationally and internationally, who might not normally use such work. These include policy makers, practitioners and administrators, the media and the general public.

In November 2014 the International Centre for Prison Studies merged with the Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London.

The founding director isAndrew Coyle. The current director is Dr Jessica Jacobson.Baroness Stern is a senior research fellow at the centre.

• Incarceration
• List of countries by incarceration rate

• Core Publications of the World Prison Brief. Such as the World Prison Population List, and the World Female Imprisonment List.
• World Prison Brief - Highest to Lowest. A main portal of the World Prison Brief. Compare many nations. Select from menu: prison population total, prison population rate, percentage of pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners within the prison population, percentage of female prisoners within the prison population, percentage of foreign prisoners within the prison population and occupancy rate. Click on any country link for detailed info.

• Birkbeck, University of London
• King's College London
• University of Essex
• Prison-related organizations

• Use dmy dates from April 2022
• Articles needing additional references from October 2024
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