America
America
Justice
Mental health
United States
The number of Missourians waiting in jail for services from the state’s mental health department continues to rise, with a backlog of more than 500 people with stalled cases.
America
Pre-trial detention
Women
Mental health
Drugs
Overcrowding
Argentina
Prison population grew 7.1% in 2024, with property crimes and short sentences driving overcrowding; five provinces exceed the national incarceration average, authorities warn that tougher laws and short sentences are fuelling sustained rise in numbers.
United States: "recurring failures", system threaten health, safety of staff and incarcerated people
News
America
Health
Material conditions
United States
A state report cites unsafe conditions and operational failures that force correctional officers into prolonged shifts and hazardous working environments.
America
Drugs
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Torture
Activities
Social ties
El Salvador
El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) has become a symbol of President Nayib Bukele’s government propaganda. Folha spent two hours inside the prison complex, which houses around 20,000 incarcerated people—mostly gang members—under extreme conditions.
United States: for those with addiction, going into and coming out of prison can be a minefield
News
America
Health
Mental health
Drugs
United States
At the Ninilchik Community Clinic, patient was there to treat her opioid use disorder – a shot she thought might be her last for a while since there was a warrant out for her arrest. The Alaska Department of Corrections does not provide comprehensive access to this life saving medication.
Ecuador: breaking down the prison crisis
Interview
America
Crises
Health
Drugs
Overcrowding
Torture
Violence
Social ties
Ecuador
Ecuador is facing a penitentiary crisis marked by massacres and the militarisation of its prison system, a combination that has brought the institution to its breaking point. The consequences are disastrous, both within and outside of prisons. Interview.
America
Women
LGBTQI
Access to legal rights
Violence
United States
Handlang has been incarcerated in men’s prisons in Missouri for 11 years. While in prison, she says she has experienced a great deal of violence and discrimination.
America
Rehabilitation
Work
United States
At any given time, nearly 2 million individuals are incarcerated in the United States. Rooted in the legacy of slavery, intensified by the war on drugs, and sustained by deeply embedded racial inequities, the U.S. legal structure has given rise to a sprawling system of mass incarceration.
United States: mystery meat and maggot-infested produce, the disturbing reality of US prison food
News
America
Health
Material conditions
Violence
United States
In Eating Behind Bars, author Leslie Soble details how food is used to further punish incarcerated people in the US. At best you get “mystery meat”. Or “sour-smelling heaps” of macaroni. In the worst cases, it’s undercooked chicken, spoiled milk and maggot-infested produce.
America
Material conditions
Overcrowding
United States
Budget analysts say staff shortages, parole bottlenecks and limited capacity will stress DOC beyond limits by 2026.
America
Elderly prisoners
Health
Facilities
Rehabilitation
United States
There are currently 2,149 incarcerated people aged 65 or older in the state, accounting for 6.7% of the state’s total prison population of 32,265, according to data from Jenni Riehle, the public information officer for the Department of Corrections.
America
Mental health
Drugs
Activities
Social ties
United States
Young men housed in Connecticut’s adult prisons have spent long periods in isolation, receiving almost no programming or mental health services, few visits, little recreation and frequent strip searches.
America
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
United States
The escape of three incarcerated persons from the St. Landry Parish Jail was the result of long-neglected structural failures. The sheriff described the facility as “severely overcrowded” and suffering from years of neglect, moisture damage and unresolved maintenance issues.
Locking up the opposition
Analysis
Africa
America
Asia
Europe
LGBTQI
Access to legal rights
Justice
Material conditions
Torture
In this long-format article, Prison Insider explores how defending human rights can become a reason for incarceration, in every part of the world.
The shadow of colonialism (III)
Analysis
Africa
America
North America
Central America and the Caribbean
South America
Asia
Justice
Facilities
Prison Insider is dedicating a long-format, three-part article to the colonial heritage of prison systems. Part three: Prison, a registered design.
The shadow of colonialism (II)
Analysis
Africa
America
North America
Central America and the Caribbean
South America
Asia
Justice
Facilities
Prison Insider is dedicating a long-format, three-part article to the colonial heritage of prison systems. Part two: post-independence, a sense of unfinished business.
The power of the group (1/6)
Testimonial
America
Europe
Access to legal rights
Torture
Violence
Social ties
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…
The echo of violence (2/6)
Testimonial
America
Europe
Access to legal rights
Mental health
Violence
Social ties
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.