Pre-trial detention
Pre-trial detention
South America
Women
Minors
LGBTQI
Overcrowding
Argentina
The number of incarcerated people held in Argentina’s federal prisons rose 3.2 percent in September from December 2024, according to new data from the Attorney General’s Office.
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Overcrowding
Rehabilitation
Work
Nigeria
The Federal Government has declared a decisive push to slash the number of incarcerated people languishing in custody without trial, describing the situation as a glaring injustice and a major driver of prison congestion nationwide.
Pre-trial detention
Oceania
Overcrowding
Torture
New Zealand
The UN’s warning about the country’s prison population, high proportion of people held on remand, and the potential impact on Māori and Pasifika comes on the heels of Treasury’s concerns about the associated ballooning costs
Pre-trial detention
Women
Asia
Foreign prisoners
Health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Rehabilitation
India
Karnataka’s prisons continue to face overcrowding. Of the total population, over 76% are undertrials, reflecting the prolonged pendency of criminal cases and slow judicial processes.
Pre-trial detention
Oceania
Mental health
Suicide
Overcrowding
Australia
Overcrowded cells break people — prison suicides linked to worsening mental illness and disrupted sleep are infrastructural failures, writes Gerry Georgatos.
Pre-trial detention
Oceania
Access to legal rights
Justice
Health
New Zealand
New Zealand’s prisons hold about 4,500 men and women who have not been convicted of any crime. They are on remand, by law presumed innocent, awaiting trial.
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Overcrowding
United Kingdom
The number of people in Scotland’s prisons has risen back above the level which sparked the early release of hundreds of incarcerated people to free up space.
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Drugs
Overcrowding
Activities
Social ties
Work
United Kingdom
Staff corruption is a “major problem” at an overcrowded West London prison where over a third of incarcerated people are testing positive for illegal drugs, prison inspectors have found.
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Overcrowding
United Kingdom
Legislation that will include Texas-style scheme to shorten jail time expected to be rolled out this year.
Central America and the Caribbean
Pre-trial detention
Overcrowding
Trinidad & Tobago
General Secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), Lester Logie, is raising an alarm over the country’s prison system, noting that nearly two-thirds of the incarcerated population is made up of remand—individuals awaiting trial who have not been convicted of any crime.
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Nigeria
Prison Fellowship Nigeria (PFN) has advocated the adoption of restorative justice as a critical solution to decongest correctional centres across the country.
Pre-trial detention
Oceania
Health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Australia
Western Australia’s Inspector of Custodial Services has called for an inquiry into the “entirely unacceptable” conditions at Hakea Prison.
North America
Pre-trial detention
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
United States
Twenty-eight people have died in county jails so far this year. The county’s death toll is running alongside the deadliest years on record.
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Overcrowding
Malta
A Council of Europe report on prison populations flagged how Malta was one of 13 countries to see a “significant increase” in prison populations in 2024.
Crises
Pre-trial detention
Minors
Middle East
Torture
Violence
Israel
Israeli prisons are a key element of the colonisation mechanism of the Palestinian people. A roundtable on this topic was held at the Assises pour la Palestine in April 2025, with the participation of Prison Insider. Read the highlights of this discussion.
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Ireland
There are 376 people in Cork prison today, a new overcrowding record and representing 127% capacity, making it the most overcrowded men’s prison in the country.
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Access to legal rights
Religion
China
Hong Kong has proposed tightening its prison rules to restrict inmate visits, including those made by religious leaders and lawyers, if the authorities deem it necessary for national security.
Violent lives
Analysis
Inside Outside
Africa
North America
Pre-trial detention
South America
Asia
Europe
Middle East
Torture
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. Ninth piece: torture.
North America
Pre-trial detention
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Suicide
Overcrowding
Alternatives
United States
Another person has died in Los Angeles County Jails, bringing the county’s number of deaths this year to a staggering 22. LA jails have totaled 99 deaths since the start of 2023.
Pre-trial detention
Foreign prisoners
Overcrowding
South Africa
Within three months, 6,571 more incarcerated people occupied prisons throughout South Africa, bringing the total population to 166,924 as of December 31, 2024.
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Access to legal rights
Justice
Material conditions
Alternatives
Maria Teresa Manuela is the Special Rapporteur on Prisons, Conditions of Detention and Policing in Africa. She shares insights into the African Commission’s efforts to uphold the rights of people deprived of their liberty.
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Social ties
Azerbaijan
Media reports regarding the harsh conditions in pretrial detention centres have intensified following the publication of letters from journalists and activists in prison.