Manila, Feb. 15 -- Prisons must embrace transparency in governance and recognize the impact of incarceration on poverty and public health, a United Nations official said during the ASEAN Regional Corrections Conference (ARCC) 2025 held here.

Rafael Souza, crime prevention and criminal justice officer at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), highlighted on Saturday the strong link between poverty and crime.

Souza said the organization is committed to ending poverty in all forms, adding that "incarceration aggravates poverty not just for the inmates but also for their families, especially if the incarcerated is the family's breadwinner."

He also noted that incarceration raises concerns on issues related to inmates' health.

"Througho...