Brasilia, 3 January, 2022 - UNODC Brazil opened registration for its online course on the Mandela Rules, translated into Portuguese and with content adapted to the Brazilian context. The training seeks to disseminate the application of these guidelines as the standard for detention units.
The initiative is supported by the Fazendo Justiça program - an ongoing partnership between the National Council of Justice (CNJ) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the National Penitentiary Department (DEPEN), to address challenges in the field of deprivation of liberty. The partnership, established in 2019, relies on UNODC's support in strengthening pre-trial detention hearings in all 27 Federative Units of Brazil.
The e-learning course on the Nelson Mandela Rules has a course load of 200 minutes, divided into seven modules. Each module consists of theory and practice sections, with concrete cases of prison management in the form of interactive videos. Resources available throughout the course also provide references to more in-depth technical guidance materials.
Designed primarily as a practical training tool for prison officers and professionals working in prisons, the training is also relevant for prison monitoring and oversight bodies and entities working in the sector. In 2016, the CNJ published a Portuguese translation of the rules.
The course is free of charge and enrollment is open on UNODC's e-learning platform.
