Capacity Building on Human Rights and Correctional Systems for Brazilian Judicial Personnel

Upon request of the Pernambuco State School of Magistrates (ESMAPE), UNICRI develops, on a yearly basis and as part of the continuous professional education offer to the Brazilian judiciary, a tailor-made course for Judges and Prosecutors operating from all over the country. The course, lasting one week, is held at UNICRI’s Headquarters, in the United Nations Campus in Turin.

The training offers a unique opportunity for participants to analyze criminal proceedings and the correction system, including its operational aspects, through the lens of human rights. Following intensive introductory sessions to the global and regional standards and mechanisms for the protection of human rights, the curriculum enables trainees to discuss diverse legal approaches to the criminal procedure, including the aspect of pre-trial detention and execution of the penalty, offering the possibility to draw comparisons between jurisdictions and at international level, particularly between the European and Inter-American systems. The cross-cutting themes of prohibition of torture and detention standards represent a central part of the programme, which is first developed through the analysis of the work of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. This represents the starting point of a more in-depth discussion, also leading to the identification of worldwide best practices that enables participants to tackle the issue on the basis of real cases. Dedicated visits to courts and to a correction institution form integral part of the offer, providing participants with a privileged insight into such establishments. Respectively guided by a Senior judge and the Prison Director, Brazilian members of the judiciary have the possibility to compare to real-life situations the notions presented in class, discuss the various challenges present at operational level, learn about best practices and flaws of the system, and appreciate the overall atmosphere of the institutions where their Italian homologues work.

The training is taught in Portuguese and Italian with professional simultaneous interpretation. The course is implemented in compliance with the principles of adult learning. Faculty comprise UNICRI and other UN staff and renowned national and international lecturers, including Mr. Mauro Palma, former President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Mr. Vladimiro Zagrebelsky, former Judge of the European Court of Human Rights, and Mr. Luca Ferrero, former International Judge of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor.