Prison Insider, the information platform on prisons in the world

Headlines News

June 12, 2026

Ethiopia : sleeping in turns

Kumsa Gutteta spent more than twelve years behind bars in Ethiopia. Today, Director of the Centre for Justice, he describes a prison system marked by extreme overcrowding, years of armed conflict and the absence of alternatives to imprisonment.

May 26, 2026

Cuba: “If there’s one thing that’s rampant in Cuban prisons, it’s hunger."

In this testimonial published by the Cuban Prison Documentation Center, Carlos Michael Morales, incarcerated after 11J protests, shares his experience as a prisoner in Cuba.

May 12, 2026

Scotland: “A state of permanent hyperawareness”

John has been incarcerated for nearly twenty years since the age of 16. Now a husband, a father, and a PhD researcher, he shares his story with us — from his time behind bars to how prison still impacts him today. Interview.

March 17, 2026

Chin up! Let’s escape!

Prison Insider, represented by Clara Grisot, contributed twelve compositions to the book InsideOutside to articulate, in a few words, the current challenges of prison life. Twelfth piece: prison break.

March 4, 2026

Mexico: Cefereso No.16, the "cemetery of the living"

Designed as a maximum security facility, Cefereso No. 16 is Mexico’s only federal women’s prison, and concern over its living conditions is rising. Interview with Algaraza.

Testimonials

Prison narratives

May 26, 2026

Cuba: “If there’s one thing that’s rampant in Cuban prisons, it’s hunger."

In this testimonial published by the Cuban Prison Documentation Center, Carlos Michael Morales, incarcerated after 11J protests, shares his experience as a prisoner in Cuba.

May 12, 2026

Scotland: “A state of permanent hyperawareness”

John has been incarcerated for nearly twenty years since the age of 16. Now a husband, a father, and a PhD researcher, he shares his story with us — from his time behind bars to how prison still impacts him today. Interview.

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October 23, 2025

The power of the group (1/6)

Hearing the voices of relatives of incarcerated people in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Mexico and the UK reveals one key finding: the group brings enough strength to build resistance. Coming together offers a space for dialogue, mutual support, and the ability to build concrete responses to d…

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October 23, 2025

The echo of violence (2/6)

How are the lives of relatives affected when someone they love is deprived of liberty? Feelings of powerlessness, dehumanisation, daily life disruption — prison affects not only the incarcerated people but also, often invisibly, those left on the outside.

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Press Review

June 22, 2026

Colombia: presidential candidate De La Espriella proposes mega-prisons, crime crackdown

Abelardo De La Espriella, a lawyer and businessman with no political experience, is seeking to become Colombia’s next president on Sunday, challenging both the left and the traditional right with a promise to crack down on illegal armed groups, drug trafficking and crime.

June 19, 2026

South Sudan: children wait years for trial in juvenile prison

June 19, 2026

Turkey: violations in Black Sea prisons: absolute isolation has spread to all prisons

June 19, 2026

Canada: how Dorchester penitentiary's book club works

June 19, 2026

United States: how federal prisons stonewall grievances and deny care for years

June 18, 2026

England : deaths within two weeks of release

June 18, 2026

India : Supreme Court Judge visits Bengaluru Central Prison, launches skill development and mental health initiatives

More news

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Investigations

January 6, 2026

Investigation into “suspicious” deaths in Europe

Despite the prison authorities’ assurances that European standards are respected, some deaths in prison remain unexplained. An investigation into these “suspicious” deaths in European prisons.

Investigations

January 6, 2026

Investigation into the overlooked suicides in Europe

Between doctor shortages, insufficient psychological monitoring and the adverse effects of imprisonment, Europe has failed to contain the wave of suicides in its prisons. An investigation into France, Romania and Hungary.

Interview

October 15, 2025

Nordic prisons, human prisons?

Nordic prison systems are often held up as models of respect for human rights and rehabilitation. Is this really the case, or do they mainly benefit from an idealised image? Answers.

Analysis

December 1, 2025

Locking up the opposition

In this long-format article, Prison Insider explores how defending human rights can become a reason for incarceration, in every part of the world.

Insights Testimonial

October 7, 2025

Connecting Stories Beyond Bars

‘Connecting Stories Beyond Bars - The invisible impact of prison on relatives’ is a six-episode docuseries produced with Acifad (Argentina), Amparar (Brasil), Relais Famille (Canada), OIP-SF (France), Documenta (Mexico) and POPS (UK).

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