Singapore, 24 September 2025 – Recognizing the importance of evidence-based prison management for ensuring humane, efficient, and accountable correctional administration, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) contributed a session to the 2025 International Correctional Leadership Programme (ICLP) hosted by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS).
The ICLP, a flagship initiative of the Singapore Prison Service, gathers senior correctional leaders across Asia and the Pacific to share knowledge, strengthen leadership, and explore innovative rehabilitation and reintegration practices. This year’s five-day programme featured thematic discussions, leadership exercises, and site visits to key correctional facilities, showcasing Singapore’s throughcare model and its integration of technology, community partnerships, and offender rehabilitation.
As part of the programme, on 24 October UNODC organized a session titled “Evidence-Based Policy Development on Prison Management in Line with International Standards.” The session examined how reliable and disaggregated data can drive effective and rights-based prison reform, in line with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules). The discussion underscored that evidence-based policymaking enables prison administrations to identify systemic challenges, improve transparency, and design rehabilitation strategies that address the root causes of reoffending.
The session was jointly delivered by Aki Okanan, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer at UNODC’s Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ROSEAP); Jiae Park, Statistical Officer at the UNODC–KOSTAT Centre of Excellence (CoE); and Ian Niccolo Tobia, National Programme Officer from UNODC Philippines. Together, they introduced key UN standards and tools, including the Nelson Mandela Rules and the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS), and demonstrated how these frameworks can be applied to strengthen correctional data systems.
Participants engaged actively during the session, sharing their experiences and challenges in prison management, and exploring how data and technology can be leveraged to improve efficiency and uphold human rights. Several participants expressed interest in adopting the ICCS as a tool to enhance prison data management and performance monitoring, highlighting the growing regional commitment to data-informed correctional reform.
In the afternoon, participants visited the Singapore Prison Training Institute, where they observed simulation-based training and leadership development programmes for correctional officers. They also had the opportunity to speak directly with trainees, gaining first-hand insights into their experiences and daily realities. The visit offered a practical look into how correctional officers are trained and how these approaches are applied in real settings.
Through its participation in ICLP 2025, CoE underscored the relevance of the ICCS for the corrections sector and the importance of producing consistent, comparable, and systematic prison-related statistics. Going forward, the CoE will continue to support the strengthening of prison statistics through its collaboration with UNODC ROSEAP, Country Offices, and relevant institutions in the region, reinforcing its commitment to evidence-based correctional reform across Asia and the Pacific.
Further information on the CoE can be found here, X @CoE_UNODC and Facebook @UNODC.KOSTAT.CoE.
