Material conditions
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
United Kingdom
The head of the Scottish Prison Service Teresa Medhurst has said the jails are too full and she may soon have to say “enough is enough, we cannot take any more”.
Asia
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Torture
Pakistan
Pakistan’s prisons remain terribly overcrowded and under-resourced, and nascent efforts at progressive reform are stymied by ingrained attitudes of discrimination, including against religious and ethnic minorities.
Asia
Access to legal rights
Health
Material conditions
North Korea
“There’s not much space inside the cells for each crew, so prisoners sleep very close together, with one person’s feet brushing against another’s head,” a source told Daily NK.
Africa
Health
Material conditions
South Sudan
Dozens of inmates at the Wau Central Prison in Western Bahr el Ghazal State are suffering from an unknown disease outbreak. Inmates at the facility said they have been suffering from the mysterious disease, characterized by itching and body pains, since December last year.
North America
Health
Material conditions
United States
Decarceration advocates are fighting to free older inmates as temperatures soar to deadlier heights.
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
Belgian prison staff walked out on strike for 24 hours as part of a joint trade union front, citing overcrowding and “deplorable conditions” for prisoners.
Belgium: diverging pathways
Interview
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Belgium
In recent years, authorities have followed a policy of constructing new ‘mega-prisons’. At the same time, the prison estate has welcomed the creation of smaller facilities. The simultaneous development of these opposing approaches raises a number of questions.
North America
Justice
Material conditions
Canada
Over the past year, records indicate that at least 24 offenders had their incarceration time reduced due to frequent lockdowns, pest infestations, and other harsh treatment at the Toronto South Detention Centre in Etobicoke, near Kipling Avenue and the Gardiner Expressway.
Africa
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Senegal
Senegal’s prisons are old, overcrowded and cannot manage the thousands incarcerated for petty crimes. In response, the country has launched a pilot scheme to release hundreds of inmates under electronic supervision.
Asia
Justice
Material conditions
Rehabilitation
India
The Telangana Congress government should review prison practices for a fair and transparent system that promotes prisoners’ reintegration.
Middle East
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Israel
The Knesset National Security Committee voted unanimously to extend Israel’s “incarceration emergency” until mid-January, allowing the country’s correctional system to continue housing prisoners in what would otherwise be considered illegally cramped conditions.
Lebanon: from bad to worse
Interview
Crises
Pre-trial detention
Women
Middle East
Foreign prisoners
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Lebanon
Prisoners are suffering the consequences of the socio-economic crisis: access to medical care, food and water is no longer guaranteed. The proportion of people in remand detention far exceeds the global average and contributes to prison overcrowding. Interview.
Women
Middle East
Material conditions
Violence
Israel
Palestinian women released from Israeli jails over the weekend warned of “brutal” conditions in jails since 7 October.
Asia
Minors
Material conditions
Overcrowding
India
Despite several directions from the Supreme Court on the subhuman conditions in prisons across the country, jails continue to remain in a miserable condition. The latest figures show that Delhi and Uttarakhand have the worst situation, with almost twice the capacity of inmates in cells.
Middle East
Material conditions
Social ties
Turkey
“Due to economic reasons and the exorbitant prices set by PTT, I am sending this letter through regular mail. I hope it reaches you intact and without censorship. Sending guaranteed letters such as registered or APS has become economically challenging,” says a prisoner.
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Malta
Compared to the Corradino Correctional Facility of 15 years ago, Prisoner Welfare Commissioner Steve Libreri said that there has been a “considerable” improvement in supportive services, the prison environment, as well as a change in the culture of correctional officers, leading to a prison facilit…
Antigua and Barbuda: prospects dwindle for new prison facility as retrofitting remains priority
News
Central America and the Caribbean
Material conditions
Antigua & Barbuda
National Security Minister Sir Steadroy Benjamin revealed that the government currently lacks the necessary funds to undertake the construction of a new prison facility.The ongoing retrofitting efforts aim to address concerns related to overcrowding and outdated infrastructure that have adversely i…