Violence
Europe
Mental health
Drugs
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
United Kingdom
An unannounced inspection to a prison found it was being targeted by organised crime gangs. It found that drones were being used to get large quantities of drugs and contraband into the prison.
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Violence
Activities
Social ties
Ireland
An incarcerated man left without a toothbrush or toothpaste for months, a sports hall used for spin-bike classes for officers but closed to imprisoned people, and a violent incident in a shared cell leaving a man with life-changing injuries were among concerns noted by inspectors at Cork Prison.
Europe
Facilities
Violence
United Kingdom
Figures released by HM Prison and Probation Service showed that in 2025 there were 2,546 cell fires. A prison-by-prison breakdown showed that Sodexo-run Forest Bank had the most cell fires last year, with 94. It was followed by Woodhill (88), Lowdham Grange (78) and Swaleside (77).
Europe
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Social ties
Ireland
An unannounced inspection of Mountjoy Prison found that incarcerated people were being subjected to “degrading treatment” in conditions that did not meet minimum human rights standards.
Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Ireland
The State’s human rights commission and the prisons’ inspector are to discuss legal concerns over potential breaches of European laws caused by the prison overcrowding crisis.
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.
Investigation into the overlooked suicides in Europe
Investigations
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.
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Belgium
The prison oversight commission has declared the Nivelles prison no longer compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights due to overcrowding and poor conditions.
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.
Women
Europe
Mental health
Violence
United Kingdom
Women’s prisons are so dangerous they are actually “incapable” of adequate reform according to new research which examines recent deaths in the women’s estate.
Europe
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Violence
Ireland
The Irish Prison Service is fighting a “losing battle” against overcrowding, with the current system at “breaking point”, penal reformers have said.
Central America and the Caribbean
Women
Access to legal rights
Drugs
Material conditions
Torture
Violence
Social ties
El Salvador
Former incarcerated people recount arbitrary arrests and months of torture, while families of current ones demand answers.
Crises
Women
Europe
Health
Material conditions
Violence
Social ties
Belarus
A former political prisoner, who was recently released, spoke about the detention conditions. She also discussed the pressure faced by political prisoners, healthcare in the penal colony, and the reason behind the disappearance of historical books from the library.
Women
Europe
Health
Mental health
Suicide
Violence
United Kingdom
The number of people dying in prisons in Wales and England has reached its highest total for a 12-month period this century, figures show.
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.
The mechanics of punishment (5/6)
Testimonial
America
Europe
Minors
Access to legal rights
Justice
Violence
Social ties
Alternatives
Prison is not only a place of punishment; it is also a reflection of social divides. Rather than repairing damage, it accentuates inequalities and perpetuates discrimination. To combat this, associations of relatives are establishing themselves as spaces of resistance.