In the Dominican Republic, 70 percent of all detainees are behind bars under an order of preventive imprisonment.
The Dominican Republic’s preventive detention crisis is an emergency.
It violates the presumption of innocence.
All accused are innocent until proven guilty. This is a cardinal principle of the criminal justice system in any democratic society.
It violates international standards of human rights.
The Dominican Republic’s preventive detention crisis is a violation of the American Charter of Human Rights, the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It contributes to overcrowding in prisons.
Prisons in the Dominican Republic at 164 percent capacity. Preventive imprisonment exacerbates the desperate situations where public health crises, abuse, and other humanitarian concerns are rampant.
It violates the rights of the accused for a fair trail.
Preventive imprisonment subjects the accused to particularly harsh conditions while they await a trial and inhibits their ability to mount a competent defense.
Read more from the Dominican Justice Initiative
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