Author(s):

RESCALED

Published date:

28/08/2026

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development represented a global commitment to build societies that are more inclusive, equitable and resilient. Through its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the international community recognised that social progress, economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and strong institutions are deeply interconnected. Sustainable development therefore requires approaches that acknowledge the relationships between people, communities, public institutions and the environments in which they operate.

Despite this ambition, one essential public system has remained largely absent from sustainable development discussions: justice. Every year, millions of people experience detention, and the way detention is organised has consequences that extend far beyond the walls of detention facilities. It affects access to education and employment, physical and mental health, housing stability, family relationships, community cohesion, public expenditure and the use of infrastructure. Justice systems therefore do not operate separately from society; they actively shape the social, economic and environmental conditions that underpin sustainable development.

The commitment to leave no one behind necessarily includes people deprived of their liberty. The justice sector should not be considered an isolated sector operating outside broader societal development, but as an integral part of sustainable societies. The question is therefore no longer whether justice is relevant to the SDGs, but how justice systems can actively contribute to achieving them.