Material conditions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
United States: inadequate mental health treatment
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Mental health
Material conditions
Suicide
United States
How the prison system respond to the needs of mentally ill prisoners?
Ukraine : Un ancien détenu d’une prison secrète du Donbass raconte
News
Europe
Material conditions
Torture
Ukraine
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
Middle East
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Bahrain
Use of the death penalty has increased by 600% in the last decade. Many of those sentenced to death are political prisoners. Torture and the death penalty are allegedly used as strategic tools against political opponents.
Material conditions
Facilities
Alternatives
Work
France
Does having a prison in a region represent a money-making venture? Does it generate jobs? Does it increase the total amount of funds granted to a municipality? The point of view of Isabelle Leroux.
Prison & the city
Thematic paper
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.
France: place for security
Interview
Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
France
The increase in resources allocated to the prison administration is mainly focused on creating new prison places, to the detriment of reintegration. Organisations are outraged by this.
Burkina Faso: Humiliation of LGBTQI+ Prisoners
Testimonial
Africa
LGBTQI
Material conditions
Torture
Violence
Burkina Faso
LGBTQI+ prisoners are sometimes deprived of food and water while incarcerated.
Africa
Health
Material conditions
Suicide
Overcrowding
Congo - Kinshasa
The Congolese Prison Observatory published a report in December 2019. It reported six deaths and one suicide attempt that year within this prison.
Coronavirus
Asia
Health
Material conditions
Myanmar (Burma)
Former detainee says dismal conditions led to rare protest by prisoners and lingering trauma after release.
Myanmar : Insein, le visage carcéral de la junte birmane
News
Asia
Foreign prisoners
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Myanmar (Burma)
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
Rejection of LGBTQI+ people in Burkina Faso
Testimonial
Africa
Pre-trial detention
LGBTQI
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Burkina Faso
Karel tells us about detention conditions in Ouagadougou’s central police station and the treatment of incarcerated LGBTQI+ individuals.
France: for moral sociology in prison
Interview
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Rehabilitation
France
How can we consider prison critique? What tools can be used to adapt the role of prisons and the meaning of sentences? Is there hope for a successful outcome?
Africa
Access to legal rights
Justice
Material conditions
South Africa
Derrick Thulani Ndlovu discusses South Africa’s justice system and prison conditions with Danielle Louw, of Ndifuna Ukwazi (‘Dare to know’), a social justice activism group based in Cape Town.
Global Prison Trends 2021
Report
Africa
Coronavirus
Women
Asia
Europe
Minors
Middle East
Oceania
Health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Death penalty
More than eleven million people are imprisoned around the world. Of this number, 70% are awaiting trial, a percentage that has been continuously increasing since 2000.
Venezuela: reo muere de tuberculosis en cárcel
News
South America
Health
Material conditions
Venezuela
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish