
Social ties
Ukraine: “prisons are left on their own”
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Violence
Social ties
Ukraine
Information about prison is not easily accessible, even less during the war. Prison Insider is seeking to update its information about Ukrainian prisons.
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Argentina: "Aunque ellas estén afuera, las cárceles están sostenidas por mujeres"
News
Women
Social ties
Argentina
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Women
Social ties
United Arab Emirates
Nursery in the women’s section of Dubai Central Jail allows children to be close to their mothers.
Source — The National News
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Sénégal : Blocage des visites carcérales
News
Africa
Social ties
Senegal
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
Middle East
Social ties
Syria
Dozens of Syrians gathered on the streets of Damascus last night, hoping that their relatives would be among a batch of detainees released under a new amnesty.
Families assembled in the “President’s Bridge” area, awaiting the arrival of buses carrying people who have been held for years in Syria’s…
Source — Middle East Eye
Read moreFrance: in search of meaning
Testimonial
Women
Europe
Activities
Social ties
Religion
France
Sakina is a Muslim chaplain in prison. She guides female prisoners in their religious practice. Ramadan, daily organiszation, work on self-esteem… She tells us all about it
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Africa
Coronavirus
Social ties
Togo
As in many African countries, family visits are crucial for many detainees as they allow relatives to bring food, clothing and medicine.
“Parents of detainees as well as friends, members of NGOs and civil society, are allowed (visits) starting on Friday 22 April,” Justice Minister Pius Kokouvi Agbe…
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USA: “the darkness suffocates me at all time”
Testimonial
LGBTI
Violence
Social ties
United States
Britney is incarcerated at Lane Murray Unit, a state prison located in Texas. She tells us how a typical day goes by.
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Sunny Jacobs: Life Outside
Testimonial
North America
Death penalty
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Work
United States
How is life after release? Sunny Jacobs was sentenced to death and spent seventeen years in detention for a crime she did not commit. She tells Prison Insider about the many challenges one faces upon release. She now works actively towards the abolition of the death penalty.
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Africa
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Congo - Kinshasa
Since 2003, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has observed a de facto moratorium on executions. The authorities do not release any information regarding the application of the death penalty in the country.
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Africa
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Mauritania
Mauritania has a moratorium on executions. Figures about the prisoners sentenced to death are scarce, as is information on their detention conditions. These prisoners are under the same detention regime as the rest of the prison population.
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Europe
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Belarus
Belarus is the only European country where the death penalty is applied. Data relating to death sentences and executions are confidential. The time between trial and execution is very short. The country has been condemned several times for failing to respect the right to a fair trial.
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Asia
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Japan
No executions were recorded in Japan in 2020, for the first time since 2011. Reportedly, more than 25% of people sentenced to death are over the age of 70 and two of them have been incarcerated for over 40 years.
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Asia
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Indonesia
No execution has been recorded since 2016. The number of sentences, however, has been on the rise. Since 2014, Indonesia has increased its efforts in the war on drugs after Indonesian President Widodo described it as a “national emergency”.
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Africa
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Cameroon
Since 2014, an anti-terrorism law has led to a sharp increase in death sentences in Cameroon. Official data is lacking and is sometimes inconsistent with figures published by civil society organisations.
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Asia
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Pakistan
In 2015, Pakistan accounted for 20% of executions worldwide. However, 2020 saw a suspension of executions and a decline in sentences. Currently, there are more than 4,000 prisoners sentenced to death awaiting execution.
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Asia
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Malaysia
In 2018, Malaysia had a change in government for the first time since its independence. The new administration has committed to abolishing the death penalty for all crimes. Malaysia has had a moratorium on executions since this date.
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Asia
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
India
Most prisoners sentenced to death in India have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment during their judicial process. This can take several years given the duration of the procedures.
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South America
Social ties
Argentina
El Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones (ENaCom) aprobó un programa de $ 1.000 millones para dar conectividad a las cárceles, en un plazo de dos años, para que los presos puedan participar de audiencias con la Justicia, capacitarse y tener “contacto con familiares y allegados a través de plataformas vir…
Source — Clarín
Read moreAustria: Final destination, Göllersdorf
Investigations
Coronavirus
Europe
Health
Mental health
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Austria
In a tiny village in Lower Austria lies one of the country’s “special institutions for mentally abnormal, unsound offenders”. Journalist Sarah Yolanda Koss dives into the everyday life of those imprisoned in the Göllersdorfer castle.
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Prison & the City
Comparative study
Material conditions
Facilities
Social ties
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
Hidden prison, modern prison, dilapidated prison, “open” prison: wall to wall, Prison Insider investigated the links between city and prison. In partnership with Rescaled, we gave a number of different people a space to share their point of view.
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Coronavirus
Europe
Social ties
Ireland
Justice Minister Helen McEntee confirmed in a response to a parliamentary question by Right to Change TD Joan Collins that while 11,079 children physically visited an adult in prison last year, so far in 2021 the comparable figure is 2,238 children. Physical visits to prisons were suspended for som…
Source — Irish Examiner
Read moreAustria: “Nobody knew how to deal with the virus”
Investigations
Coronavirus
Europe
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Work
Austria
Two years of Coronavirus, two incarcerated men: Journalist Sarah Yolanda Koss dives into the everyday life of two Austrian prisons.
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Togo : Les détenus privés de visite depuis le début de la pandémie de Covid-19
News
Africa
Coronavirus
Social ties
Togo
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French