Whether it is a secret prison or death row, it is a legal abyss holding the most powerless of individuals. So hated is the prisoner that society either wants to hold him beyond the reach of the law, or ceremonially put him to death. Where there is such hatred, Reprieve believes that our lawyers' duty is to hold up a shield. Therefore we enforce the human rights of those who most need our help: prisoners on death row, and those held beyond the rule of law in America’s secret prisons.

Reprieve is different from other human rights charities in the UK: it provides frontline investigation and legal representation to individual clients. Reprieve investigators are deployed around the world to bring to light the facts that can make a difference in an individual case, or expose the frailties of an entire justice system. Then by litigating these cases, Reprieve works on the frontline to enforce human rights principles just when they are most likely to be cast aside by the courts.