oip.org

What oip.org does

OIP-SF (Observatoire International des Prisons – Section française) is a French non-profit association founded on 22 January 1996 under the loi 1901, headquartered at 7 bis rue Riquet, 75019 Paris. It operates as an independent advocacy organization with consultative status at the United Nations, coordinating a coalition of more than 40 partner organizations — including LDH, SAF, A3D, CGT Insertion Probation, SNEPAP-FSU, Cimade, Emmaüs France, Médecins du Monde, AIDES, and Fédération Addiction — to monitor conditions of detention, document human rights violations, and pursue penal reform in France. Its primary beneficiaries are detained individuals and their families, with secondary audiences of legal professionals, magistrates, and government officials; the organization has historically engaged with the European Court of Human Rights, securing France's condemnation for structural prison overcrowding.

Its core deliverables include the quarterly magazine Dedans-Dehors (annual subscription €30, individual issues €9.50), an interactive Répertoire des établissements pénitentiaires mapping French prisons, a continuously updated press release archive, a testimony collection platform, analytical articles, and freely usable infographics on overcrowding and detention conditions. The organization procures policy and legal outcomes through référé-liberté filings and coalition litigation, with recent court orders at Condé-sur-Sarthe and the Conseil d'État suspension of the Minister of Justice's instruction on cultural and sports permissions for detainees.

Revenue is generated through membership fees (adhésion), individual donations, legacy bequests (léguer à l'OIP), Dedans-Dehors subscription and single-issue sales, merchandise, and artwork sales processed via the online boutique at boutique.oip.org. GTM is community-led: it relies on public information campaigns, media outreach, legal interventions, research publications, and coalition-building rather than commercial sales motion. The organization maintains local groups across France and an active presence on Twitter/X and Facebook, with a donations page hosted via HelloAsso. No parent company, subsidiaries, or external investment are disclosed.

Name

oip.org

Legal name

Observatoire international des prisons – section française (OIP-SF)

Website

https://oip.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OIP-SF is a French non-profit association founded in 1996 that monitors prison conditions, documents human rights violations, and advocates for penal reform in France, serving detained individuals, families, and legal professionals via publications, legal interventions, and coalition-building.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy / Penal Reform Non-Profit

NAICS

Correctional Institutions (922140), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (9221)

akta.pro primary industry

Adult Corrections (Prisons & Jails) (BPAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE)

Keywords

• Prison rights advocacy
• Human rights monitoring
• Penal reform publications
• Detention conditions reporting
• Criminal justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: OIP-SF relies on membership fees (adhésion), donations (faire un don), and legacies (léguer à l'OIP) from supporters who share the organization's mission of protecting human rights in prisons and reducing incarceration.
2. Publication Sales: The organization sells its magazine Dedans-Dehors (annual subscription 30€, individual issues 9.50€) and other publications through its online boutique.
3. Merchandise and Art Sales: Revenue generated from selling artwork (Acheter une œuvre) and items through the boutique.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OIP-SF monitors conditions of detention in French prisons, collects testimonies from incarcerated individuals and their families, conducts legal interventions before domestic and international courts, and publishes the quarterly magazine "Dedans-Dehors." The association also advocates for penal reform through coalition work with partner associations and submissions to public policy debates.

Product overview

OIP-SF (Observatoire International des Prisons – Section française) is a non-governmental organization with UN consultative status advocating for human rights in detention and reduced imprisonment. The organization operates primarily as an advocacy and publication platform, offering no commercial SaaS products. Its core offerings include the Dedans-Dehors quarterly magazine featuring investigative dossiers and testimonies, an interactive penitentiary establishment directory, a press release archive, a testimonies collection platform, analytical articles, infographics, and an online boutique for publications. The organization's work focuses on monitoring prison conditions, documenting rights violations, and advocating for penal reform in France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dedans-Dehors: The organization's flagship quarterly review magazine covering prison conditions, detention rights, and penal policy in France.

Products and services

• Dedans-Dehors (magazine subscription) Quarterly advocacy magazine published by OIP-SF on conditions of detention and penal reform in France; available by annual subscription (e.g., €30/year) for individual supporters, legal professionals, journalists, and institutional readers.
• Dedans-Dehors (single issue) Single-issue purchase of the quarterly "Dedans-Dehors" magazine (e.g., €9.50 per issue) for casual readers and one-off buyers.
• Adhésion (membership) Membership of OIP-SF, offered in tiered options including a regular tier and a "soutien" (supporter) tier, for individuals who wish to sustain and participate in the association's prison rights advocacy work.
• Artwork sales (Acheter une œuvre) Sale of original artwork and related art objects through the OIP-SF online boutique, with proceeds supporting the association's prison rights mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully filed emergency legal challenges (référé-liberté) resulting in court orders for improved conditions at prisons including Béthune and Condé-sur-Sarthe
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CGT Insertion ProbationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Co-filed emergency legal challenge (référé) with the Conseil d'État against the Minister of Justice's decision to end cultural and sports permissions for detainees, arguing it violates article 723-3 of the code of criminal procedure and is counterproductive to rehabilitation.
• SNEPAP-FSU (Syndicat national des personnels de l'administration pénitentiaire)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Part of the 7-organization coalition filing legal action against suspension of cultural and sports permissions for detainees, representing prison probation staff perspective.
• Syndicat de la Magistrature (SM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Part of the 7-organization coalition opposing the suspension of cultural and sports permissions, representing magistrates' views on judicial application of sentences.
• Ligue des Droits de l'Homme (LDH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Human rights organization co-filing legal challenge against suspension of cultural and sports permissions for detainees, arguing violations of fundamental rights.
• Syndicat des avocat·es de France (SAF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Lawyers' union co-filing legal challenge against suspension of permissions, representing defense lawyers' perspective on detainees' rights.
• A3D (Association des avocats pour la défense des droits des détenus)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Association of lawyers defending detainees' rights, co-filing legal challenge and providing legal expertise in prison conditions cases.
• AIDEScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026HIV/AIDS advocacy organization co-signing the 10-year anniversary appeal demanding implementation of harm reduction policies in prisons, citing 40.5% needle sharing and 6-10x higher HIV/hepatitis rates in prison.
• Fédération AddictioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Addiction treatment federation partnering on harm reduction in prisons, advocating for implementation of 2016 law mandating sterile injection equipment in detention.
• Médecins du MondecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Medical humanitarian organization co-signing the appeal for harm reduction implementation in prisons, documenting health emergencies in detention.
• CRI (Collectif des organisations参与了 the legal challenge)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2025Part of the 7-organization coalition filing two emergency appeals before the Conseil d'État to suspend the circular banning 'ludic or provocative' activities in detention.
• Coalition of 34 organizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 34 associations, unions, and institutions calling for urgent implementation of binding prison population regulation mechanism. Includes ACAT, AIDES, ANJAP, ARAPEJ, Cimade, Emmaüs, FNUJA, LDH, Médecins du Monde, SAF, SNEPAP-FSU, and others.
• Emmaüs FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the broader coalition against the ban on activities in detention, contributing to research showing less than 25% of detainees participate in sociocultural activities.
• Secours Catholique-Caritas FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic charitable organization co-authoring research on prison conditions and advocating for better treatment of detainees.
• La CimademajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman rights organization supporting migrants and detainees, organizing the annual memorial event for people who died in prison.
• Laélia VéronmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversité d'Orléans lecturer and prison educator, co-authored 'Ce que Sarkozy n'a pas dit sur la prison' (What Sarkozy didn't say about prison) published with Gallimard as a response to former president's prison memoir.
• Gallimard (Éditions Gallimard)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublishing house for the tract 'Ce que Sarkozy n'a pas dit sur la prison' by Laélia Véron and OIP-SF, distributing the publication to wider audiences.
• Collectif 'Les mort·e·s de la prison'coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition organizing annual commemorations for people who died in prison (18th edition), including Aumônerie catholique des prisons, Cimade, Le Courrier de Bovet, Farapej, Fédération protestante de France, La Lucarne d'Ariane, OIP-SF, Secours Catholique.
• United NationsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOIP-SF holds consultative status with the UN, allowing participation in international human rights discussions and submissions to UN bodies on prison conditions in France.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Reprieve: UK-based human-rights NGO using strategic litigation and investigation to defend detainees' rights, with a focus on the most vulnerable populations. Comparable to OIP-SF in mission alignment and reliance on legal action to drive reform.
• Fair Trials: International criminal-justice watchdog based in Brussels/UK, pursuing strategic litigation and policy reform to ensure fair trial rights. Comparable to OIP-SF in its combination of legal intervention, evidence gathering, and coalition-based advocacy.
• Howard League for Penal Reform: UK's oldest penal reform charity, combining research, legal interventions, and campaigns on prison conditions. Comparable to OIP-SF in its national-scope advocacy, publication output, and reliance on legal challenges to drive reform.
• Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT): Geneva-based NGO focused on preventing torture and ill-treatment in places of detention worldwide. Highly comparable through its detention-monitoring methodology, international standards advocacy, and engagement with UN/regional human rights bodies.
• Penal Reform International: London-headquartered NGO advocating for prison reform and reduced incarceration globally. Directly comparable mission to OIP-SF at the international level, with analogous testimony-collection, legal-advocacy, and policy-publication activities.

Emerging players

• La Cimade: French NGO advocating for the rights of migrants and refugees, with significant work in detention centers. Partial overlap with OIP-SF through joint coalition activity (e.g., the 'morts de la prison' memorial) and shared focus on conditions of detention.

Broad incumbents

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Humanitarian organization with a long-standing detention-monitoring mandate across dozens of countries. Overlaps with OIP-SF's testimony-collection and confidential reporting work, but operates at far greater scale and broader humanitarian remit.
• Contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté (CGLPL): French independent administrative authority mandated to monitor prisons, police custody, and psychiatric facilities. Operates in the same French detention-monitoring space as OIP-SF but with state mandate and broader institutional remit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/OIP_sectionfr
• Facebookfacebook.com/oipsf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/observatoire-international-des-prisons-section-francaise

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about oip.org