Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

March 10, 2017

Taiwan: ministry mulls correctional facility reform

News

Asia Taiwan

The Ministry of Justice yesterday said that it was considering changes to prison policies, especially those regarding inmates’ families, to better rehabilitate prisoners and facilitate their reintegration into society after their release or parole.

March 10, 2017

Russia’s prison population hits all-time low

News

Asia Europe Russia

The number of people in Russian penitentiary facilities has gone down to the lowest level since collapse of the USSR, the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) told TASS on the eve of the Penitentiary Day, marked on March 12. Back in 1879, Emperor Alexander II established the prison department.

March 6, 2017

Press conference held in Kazakhstan on prison reform: expectations and reality

News

Asia Kazakhstan

On 23 February 2017, Penal Reform International Central Asia, convened a press conference on ‘Prison reform in Kazakhstan: expectations and reality’. It coincided with the 10th anniversary of the UN Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, the UN detention monitoring body.

March 5, 2017

Myanmar: despite calls for reform, prisoners continue hard labour in shackles

News

Asia Myanmar (Burma)

Months after a report on abuses and corruption in prison labour camps prompted calls for reforms and investigations, little has changed.

March 2, 2017

Naked prisoners in Philippine jail cause uproar

News

Asia Philippines

Photos showing hundreds of prisoners in a Philippine jail sitting naked while being searched for contraband have triggered accusations of further rights abuses in President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

February 28, 2017

Thailand : Thai prisons violate human rights, report says.

News

Asia Thailand

Prison conditions contravene UN treaties barring torture and stipulating minimum prisoner rights, group says. Thailand’s prisons fail to meet international standards with inmates routinely shackled, beaten, and stuffed into overcrowded cells, an international human rights group said. Thailand also…

February 28, 2017

Thailand: report calls for urgent prison reforms

News

Asia Thailand

Paris, Bangkok - Thailand’s ongoing failure to enact comprehensive prison reforms has created conditions for human rights violations to be rife in its prison system, FIDH and UCL said in a new report published today. The report, titled “Behind the walls – A look at prison conditions in Thailand aft…

February 28, 2017

Thaïland: rights group says Thai prisons fall short of world standards

News

Asia Thailand

Thailand’s prisons fail to meet international standards, with inmates routinely shackled, stuffed into overcrowded cells and forced to work in harsh conditions, an international human rights group said Tuesday.

February 23, 2017

Cambodia: prison numbers jump 20 percent

News

Asia Overcrowding Cambodia

Cambodia’s already swollen prison population leapt by more than 20 percent last year, according to the Ministry of Interior’s annual report, which acknowledged the influx has caused “serious challenges” with overcrowding, and revealed one-third of inmates are in pre-trial detention.

February 22, 2017

Uzbek dissident released after 18 years in prison

News

Asia Uzbekistan

Uzbek dissident Muhammad Bekjanov, one of the world’s longest-jailed journalists, was released from prison on Wednesday after serving 18 years in prison, his relatives and a local rights group said. Bekjanov, 63, a former editor of the opposition newspaper Erk, was sentenced to 15 years in prison i…

February 20, 2017

Singapore: families of death row inmates need longer notice of execution

News

Asia Death penalty Singapore

Singapore has prided itself on its reputation for being tough on crime. Under our criminal justice system, the harshest and most final punishment meted out to an individual is the death penalty.

February 18, 2017

Pakistan: flawed justice system: 10% of death row convicts children

News

Asia Pakistan

Around 10 per cent of Pakistan’s death row convicts are feared to be juvenile offenders, who have been sentenced to death in a clear violation of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, 2000 (JJSO) and the international obligations.

February 15, 2017

Thailand: behind the wall, a look at conditions in Thailand’s prisons after the coup

News

Asia Justice Thailand

Thailand’s prison population has steadily increased over the years and the country has the dubious distinction of having the largest prison population and the highest incarceration rate among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states.

February 14, 2017

Singapore: number of repeat offenders remains low and stable

News

Asia Singapore

The number of former prison inmates who break the law again within two years of their release has remained low and stable, the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) said on Tuesday (Feb 14).

February 13, 2017

Philippine bid to jail nine-year-olds is 'a great child violation', Unicef says

News

Asia Philippines

Duterte’s allies have been pushing to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to nine.

February 13, 2017

Russia orders prison inmate on hunger strike to pay his own medical costs

News

Asia Europe Russia

Rusia has ordered a prisoner to pay his own medical costs after he went on hunger strike over jail conditions, his lawyer said today, a move that could curb protests against poor treatment of convicts.

February 10, 2017

Japan: justice chief targets Juvenile Law so 18-year-olds can be charged as adults

News

Asia Justice Japan

Justice Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda has consulted an advisory panel about the possibility of lowering the age of criminal adulthood to 18 from 20, a move critics claim could deprive 18- and 19-year-old offenders of the rehabilitation opportunities guaranteed by the Juvenile Law.

February 10, 2017

Japan: justice chief targets Juvenile Law so 18-year-olds can be charged as adults

News

Asia Japan

Justice Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda has consulted an advisory panel about the possibility of lowering the age of criminal adulthood to 18 from 20, a move critics claim could deprive 18- and 19-year-old offenders of the rehabilitation opportunities guaranteed by the Juvenile Law.

February 8, 2017

Taiwan’s first solar power prison

News

Asia Taiwan

Taiwan’s first renewable energy prison is set to begin generating power this year, with an estimated capacity of one million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year.

February 2, 2017

Myanmar: three prisons to double their inmate capacity

News

Asia Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar is expanding its prison capacity in an effort to relieve chronic overcrowding pressures. New wings are set to double the size of three facilities, a prisons department official said.

January 31, 2017

Cambodia: drug campaign nets 1,000

News

Asia Drugs Cambodia

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in the first dozen days of the government’s drug crackdown, in what critics have labelled a heavy-handed campaign that could have unintended consequences.

January 31, 2017

Guerre antidrogue aux Philippines : possible crime contre l'humanité

News

Asia Drugs Philippines

This article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.

January 30, 2017

Thailand separates LGBT inmates, considers segregated prison

News

Asia Thailand

Theerayut Charoenpakdee was terrified when police stopped her outside a mall in Pattaya, a Thai resort famous for its sordid nightlife. A urine test on the spot revealed meth coursing through her veins.

January 30, 2017

Panorama: "Prison, what does it mean to you?"

Insights

North America South America Asia Europe Middle East

We are creating a digital mural showing how people perceive prisons around the world. We invite everyone to produce a one-minute video in reply to this question: “Prison, what does it mean to you?” How to participate Use your smartphone. Film in horizontal format Start recording and count two seco…