Death Row, Life and Long-Term Sentences: Humane Management, Detention Conditions, and the Role of Lived Experience in Abolition-Focused Reform (PID057)

11am – 11.30am GMT, 26 October 2026 ‐ 30 mins

Room: Meeting Room 2A (Level 3)

Parallel Workshops

This panel discussion examines the treatment and prison conditions of individuals serving life sentences, long-term imprisonment, and death sentences. The discussion is situated within the global trend towards abolition of the death penalty, with over 113 states having abolished it in law or practice as of December 2024, alongside growing reliance on life and other long-term sentences as alternative sanctions.

The discussion highlights the severe conditions associated with death row and certain life imprisonment regimes, including prolonged isolation, uncertainty, and restricted access to family contact, legal assistance, and rehabilitation. Such conditions are identified as causing significant psychological harm, particularly where legal processes are delayed or sentences lack meaningful review mechanisms. A key distinction is drawn between life sentences that offer genuine prospects of review and release, and those that effectively amount to imprisonment for the remainder of a person’s natural life, raising concerns regarding proportionality, rehabilitation, human dignity, and the right to hope.

The panel further considers the practical challenges of managing long-term prison populations, including risks of institutional neglect, deteriorating mental health, and limited reintegration opportunities, with compounded vulnerabilities for women and marginalised groups.

Central to the discussion is the importance of incorporating lived experience into penal reform processes, recognising its value in shaping humane and effective alternatives to capital punishment. The session also underscores the need for improved research and disaggregated data to ensure that reforms are evidence-based and grounded in both international human rights standards and lived realities.

Speakers

Jérôme Mangelinckx

Technical Advisor, Council of Europe Development Bank, France

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Olivia Rope

Executive Director, Penal Reform International, Netherlands

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Jérôme Mangelinckx

Technical Advisor, Council of Europe Development Bank, France

Jérôme is Global Policy Manager at Penal Reform International. He draws on extensive experience in drug policy reform, penal and penitentiary reform, and human rights. He co-founded the Research Centre on Drugs and Human Rights (CIDDH), an NGO dedicated to safeguarding the human rights of those most affected by the impacts of the war on drugs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Among other responsibilities, he developed legal aid training for women imprisoned for drug offences.

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Olivia Rope

Executive Director, Penal Reform International, Netherlands

Olivia Rope was appointed as Executive Director of Penal Reform International in 2020, having joined the organisation in 2012 and previously leading on policy and international advocacy. She is an expert on a range of human rights and criminal justice issues, having authored key publications and training materials for PRI and worked extensively with UN and other institutional actors and partners. Previously, Olivia worked at Amnesty International. She completed her LLM in International and European Human Rights Law at the University of Amsterdam in 2008 and was admitted to the High Court of New Zealand as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2009.