Analysis, Investigations, Report, Insights, Inside Outside, Interview, Focus, Portfolio, Testimonial, Opinion, Thematic paper, Activity report
Canada: close to ordinary violence
Testimonial
North America
Mental health
Violence
Social ties
Canada
Olivia* supports a close schizophrenic friend through his life sentence. She recounts the time spent helping him and understanding his illness. She reveals the shortcomings of the penal system as well as the violence perpetrated by prison staff.
Panama: fighting for my life
Testimonial
Central America and the Caribbean
Women
Health
Material conditions
Social ties
Panama
Yonta J. was incarcerated in a Panamanian prison for three years, from March 2015 to January 2018. She faced hardships that still impact her life today. This is the story of her daily life in prison.
Belgium: intersecting approaches
Interview
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Rehabilitation
Belgium
Hoogstraten Penitentiary School Centre (PSC) is an open prison operating in a 19th century castle. Kortrijk detention house is a small-scale facility located in an urban environment. Prison Insider examines their similarities and differences.
Can prisons be changed?
Interview
Europe
Discipline
Material conditions
Respect modules, an approach that originated in Spain, and dynamic security approaches aim to improve relationships in prison settings. However, their implementation encounters certain limitations. Valérie Icard, an associate researcher at CESDIP, focuses on these questions. Interview.
Women
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Canada
Women prisoners encounter more difficulties than their male counterparts when it comes to maintaining ties with family and friends. What kind of problems do these women face? What can be done to help them? An interview with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Quebec.
Europe: "but think of your children!"
Interview
Canada: camping holidays near the prison
Testimonial
France: spectating life on the outside
Testimonial
Europe
Social ties
Rehabilitation
France
Ryan* was incarcerated at Fresnes in April 2019. He stayed there for fourteen months. He speaks about being arrested right in front of his daughter, who was four years old at the time, the sadness of visits, and the difficulty of being far away, of feeling powerless and useless.
Outward Bond
Analysis
Thematic paper
North America
Europe
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Maintaining relationships is often seen more as a means than an end: its status as a basic human right has been erased, and instead the prison service has assigned it a role in reintegration. What are the consequences for prisoners and for their loved ones?
A prison called home
Investigations
Social ties
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
Electronic monitoring allows individuals to serve their sentence at home with their family. In practice, however, the experience of electronic monitoring is a difficult undertaking. Can one’s home become a prison? What impact does surveillance have on their loved ones? Investigation.
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Women
Minors
Foreign prisoners
LGBTQI
Long-term prisoners
Access to legal rights
Discipline
Justice
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Suicide
Overcrowding
Torture
Violence
Activities
Social ties
Work
Congo - Brazzaville
All there is to know about Congolese prisons in 2023. Key figures, life in detention, references: discover all the data gathered by Prison Insider.
Norway: bridging the gap
Interview
Europe
Facilities
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Norway
WayBack is a non-profit organisation, whose objective is to help prisoners reintegrate into society. Prison Insider met with Johan Lothe, the director of WayBack Oslo, to discuss his unique perspective on supporting prisoners in their transition to freedom. Interview.
Central African Republic: witchcraft
Interview
Africa
Women
Justice
Torture
Central African Republic
Representations of witchcraft are very prevalent in Central African society. The penal code nevertheless criminalises certain practices of witchcraft and charlatanism. The same people are targeted over and over again: women, especially those who are older and isolated. Interview.
Asia
Access to legal rights
Justice
India
In 1972, the Wildlife Protection Act was established to protect wildlife in India. It has led, however, to the criminalisation of an already marginalised part of the population: the forest-dwelling communities. The CPA project told us what this means in practice.
Kenya: left behind
Interview
Africa
Access to legal rights
Justice
Mental health
Kenya
Misunderstood and excluded by their peers, people with mental health conditions are more likely to end up in prison. Once incarcerated, their ostracization is striking. The NGO Tunawiri addresses this issue by providing training to incarcerated people and prison staff. Interview.
Africa
Overcrowding
Torture
Congo - Brazzaville
Overcrowded prisons, over-use of remand, cases of torture and mistreatment, horrific detention conditions: in the Congo, prisoners’ rights are barely respected. Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), an NGO in the Congo protecting human rights, is pushing for change. Interview…
Justice
Drugs
Death penalty
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, the war on drugs leads to human rights violations against persons accused of drug offences, even for the possession of very small quantities. Petty offences, high stakes: Ambika Satkunanathan explains who is targeted by this policy and what its consequences are. Interview.
Africa
Women
Minors
Rehabilitation
Côte d’Ivoire
Action by the Christians for the Abolition of Torture in Côte d’Ivoire (Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture en Côte d’Ivoire, ACAT CI) published a report on the incarceration of women and minors in the country. What offences land them behind bars? Interview.
Caught in the spiral
Thematic paper
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Access to legal rights
Justice
Drugs
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
What are the human and social costs of the recourse to imprisonment? This series explores the experiences of various civil society organisations, formerly incarcerated people, researchers and policy makers challenging the criminalisation of poverty, status or activism.
Republic of Congo: starting from scratch
Interview
Culture
Justice
Health
Material conditions
France
Antoine Lazarus’ dedication to protecting the rights of incarcerated individuals is immeasurable. This year, he chairs the 2023 edition of Concertina: Coming together to explore imprisonment. He sat down with Prison Insider to discuss his experience as a doctor, activist, and silence-breaker. Op-ed…