United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the
Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules)
A/RES/70/175
Mindful that, in the Salvador Declaration on Comprehensive Strategies for
Global Challenges: Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Systems and Their
Development in a Changing World, 3 Member States recognized that an effective,
fair, accountable and humane criminal justice system was based on the commitment
to uphold the protection of human rights in the administration of justice and the
prevention and control of crime, and acknowledged the value and impact of the
United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice in
designing and implementing national crime prevention and criminal justice policies,
procedures and programmes,
Taking into account the progressive development of international law
pertaining to the treatment of prisoners since 1955, including in international
instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,4 the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights4 and the
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment5 and the Optional Protocol thereto,6
Recalling the United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and
criminal justice related to the treatment of prisoners and to alternatives to
imprisonment adopted since 1955, in particular the procedures for the effective
implementation of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners,7 the
Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or
Imprisonment, 8 the Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, 9 the United
Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules)10
and the basic principles on the use of restorative justice programmes in criminal
matters, 11
Bearing in mind the need for vigilance with regard to the specific situation of
children, juveniles and women in the administration of justice, in particular while
they are deprived of their liberty, as called for in the United Nations Standard
Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (the Beijing Rules),12 the
United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (the Riyadh
Guidelines),13 the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of
their Liberty14 and the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners
and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules),15
Recalling the United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and
criminal justice adopted since 1955 that provide additional guidance on the
treatment of prisoners, including the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement
_______________
Resolution 65/230, annex.
See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
5 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1465, No. 24841.
6 Ibid., vol. 2375, No. 24841.
7 Economic and Social Council resolution 1984/47, annex.
8 Resolution 43/173, annex.
9 Resolution 45/111, annex.
10 Resolution 45/110, annex.
11 Economic and Social Council resolution 2002/12, annex.
12 Resolution 40/33, annex.
13 Resolution 45/112, annex.
14 Resolution 45/113, annex.
15 Resolution 65/229, annex.
3
4
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