Petty offenses, major consequences

Haiti CSO has engaged discussion with Bureau des droits humains en Haiti (BDHH) and Haiti bars Federation to work together as local partners of the project, particularly in the field survey mapping the country’s South and the organization of 2 workshops to present and discuss with key actors the results of the whole project.

Research report

This report presents the findings of an empirical investigation into criminalization of poverty in Haiti. The research, conducted by the Center for research and exchange on security and justice (CRESEJ) in collaboration with the Bureau of Human Rights in Haiti (BDHH), uses a mixed methodology (quantitative and qualitative), combining analysis of prison data and field surveys, to provide a precise portrait of the prevalence of minor offenses in the Haitian penal system. The findings reveal over-incarceration for minor offences, exacerbating social and economic inequalities by affecting mostly poor and vulnerable populations, with devastating impacts on individuals and their families. The report calls for judicial and legislative reform to address these inequities and recommends decriminalization of minor offenses in Haiti.