Material conditions
Crises
North America
LGBTQI
Justice
Material conditions
Death penalty
Alternatives
United States
Since taking office, the Trump administration has taken actions to eviscerate due process and the rule of law, make prison and jail conditions worse, expand the use of extreme sentences and harsh law enforcement tactics, eliminate oversight, undermine solutions that reduce incarceration.
Crises
Women
Middle East
Health
Material conditions
Violence
Israel
Israeli occupation authorities are reportedly holding two Palestinian women, both five months pregnant, under harsh conditions at Damon Prison, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported.
Crises
North America
Discipline
Justice
Health
Material conditions
United States
The MacArthur Justice Center filed a class-action case on behalf of six incarcerated people at Algoa Correctional Center. All of them are especially sensitive to heat due to their age or underlying medical conditions, or have spent time in solitary confinement.
Pre-trial detention
Middle East
Health
Material conditions
Libya
Libyan Crimes Watch has revealed the death of Faisal Awad Abshish, detained at the Garnada military prison, at the hospital in the city of Al-Bayda after his health deteriorated due to medical negligence during his detention.
El Salvador: anguished families are losing hope as they can’t reach loved ones sent to mega-prison
News
Crises
Central America and the Caribbean
Material conditions
Torture
Violence
Social ties
El Salvador
Carmen Bonilla has barely slept for nearly two months, her mind filled with terrifying thoughts about what might be happening to her son, whose dream to go to the United States for a better life has turned into a waking nightmare.
Europe
LGBTQI
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Turkey
Gökalp, a member of the LGBTI+ commission of the Socialist Party (SOLDEP), was arrested on May 2 in İzmir and sent to prison. Gökalp’s lawyer, Deniz Can Aydın, called for her immediate release, citing serious health concerns and claims of harassment in prison due to her gender identity.
Crises
Women
Middle East
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Torture
Violence
Social ties
Religion
Iran
Blood runs down prison corridors. Sewage seeps beneath cell doors. Drugged women drift in and out of consciousness. The women’s ward of Sepidar prison, in southern Ahvaz, houses around 400 women, mostly Arab, denied even the most basic human dignities afforded elsewhere in Iran’s penal system.
Africa
Health
Material conditions
Protest
Violence
Nigeria
Shocking details have emerged from within the Jos Custodial Centre in Plateau State, revealing a disturbing pattern of neglect, abuse, and systemic deprivation being endured by incarcerated people at the facility.
Europe
Health
Mental health
Drugs
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Ireland
The number of incarcerated people who died in custody increased by 55% last year - up from 20 in 2023 to 31 last year. However, Chief Inspector of Prisons said the “increase is even higher” when the figures are broken down.“If we look purely at deaths in prisons, they’ve actually gone up by 90%”.
Crises
Minors
Middle East
Health
Material conditions
Israel
Several Palestinian advocacy organizations have issued an urgent call to the World Health Organization (WHO), raising alarm over what they describe as a growing health and humanitarian crisis inside Israeli prisons.
Central America and the Caribbean
Minors
Justice
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Violence
Trinidad & Tobago
A High Court judge awarded more than $3 million in compensation to a brother and sister after ruling that their constitutional rights were violated when they were unlawfully detained in adult prison facilities while they were still minors.
Crises
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Foreign prisoners
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Facilities
Torture
Violence
Social ties
Russia
Russia is holding an estimated 16,000 civilians in arbitrary detention at 180 separate facilities. Taganrog was the most notorious.
Europe
Discipline
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
United Kingdom
The number of people dying in prison in Scotland surged to a record number of 64 in 2024, a 60 per cent increase on the previous year, prompting grave concern from experts who warned that the nation’s prison mortality rate is among the highest in Europe.
Women
Europe
Drugs
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Ireland
The prison population across Ireland exceeds 5,000 in a system with bed capacity for over 4,600, leaving the Irish Prison Service operating at 14% over capacity.
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Women
Material conditions
Overcrowding
South Africa
Female and remand people in prison are enduring massive overcrowding at Cape Town’s Pollsmoor correctional facility, parliamentarians discovered during an oversight visit.
Europe
Mental health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Rehabilitation
Belgium
Overcrowding in Ghent prison reached alarming proportions in 2024, according to a new report by the Inspection Committee. The number of complaints from incarcerated people about living conditions in the prison has risen sharply.
Tunisia: relentless harassment
Testimonial
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Women
Access to legal rights
Health
Material conditions
Violence
Social ties
Tunisia
Sonia Dahmani is a lawyer who has made the defence of women’s rights her personal crusade. She was violently arrested over a comment made during a media appearance, and immediately imprisoned. Her sister, Ramla, has become her voice. This is her account.
Africa
Women
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Rehabilitation
Sudan
The authorities at Wau Central Prison said they released 31 incarcerated people, 4 men and 27 women, after a local company called Lukluk paid off their fines.
Crises
North America
Justice
Health
Material conditions
United States
United States District Judge Robert Pitman called the lack of air conditioning in incarcerated people facilities “plainly unconstitutional,” but he stopped short of requiring action.
Europe
Material conditions
Social ties
United Kingdom
HM Inspectorate of Prisons has identified the issue as one of those which frustrate incarcerated people’s efforts to resolve everyday issues such as requests for extra toilet rolls for a cell, making an appointment to speak to staff in another department and applying for courses or prison jobs.
Crises
Asia
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Torture
Violence
Social ties
Myanmar (Burma)
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), more than 2,000 political prisoners have died in Myanmar’s prisons since the country was plunged into conflict by a military coup more than four years ago.
Crises
Pre-trial detention
Women
Minors
Middle East
Foreign prisoners
Health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Rehabilitation
Lebanon
Based on 2024 statistics from the Directorate of Prisons in the Ministry of Justice, there are approximately 8,500 imprisoned people in various prisons across Lebanon, with 83% of them being detained without trial.
Pre-trial detention
Oceania
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Suicide
Overcrowding
Activities
Social ties
Australia
Incarcerated people at a men’s remand prison have limited access to fresh air, excessive lockdowns and unhygienic cells infested with pests, a scathing report from a jails’ watchdog says.