Europe
France: spectating life on the outside
Testimonial
Europe
Social ties
Rehabilitation
France
Ryan* was incarcerated at Fresnes in April 2019. He stayed there for fourteen months. He speaks about being arrested right in front of his daughter, who was four years old at the time, the sadness of visits, and the difficulty of being far away, of feeling powerless and useless.
Outward Bond
Analysis
Thematic paper
North America
Europe
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Maintaining relationships is often seen more as a means than an end: its status as a basic human right has been erased, and instead the prison service has assigned it a role in reintegration. What are the consequences for prisoners and for their loved ones?
Europe
Mental health
Suicide
Italy
Norway: bridging the gap
Interview
Europe
Facilities
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Norway
WayBack is a non-profit organisation, whose objective is to help prisoners reintegrate into society. Prison Insider met with Johan Lothe, the director of WayBack Oslo, to discuss his unique perspective on supporting prisoners in their transition to freedom. Interview.
Europe
Mental health
Torture
United Kingdom
Inspectorate calls for urgent improvements, particularly in treatment of prisoners with mental health problems.
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Bosnia & Herzegovina
The construction of the prison complex on Igman is a project that has been announced for decades.
Africa
Asia
Europe
Oceania
Justice
In March 2023, formerly incarcerated people from around the globe met at the Incarceration Nations Network (INN) hub in Cape Town for the first edition of the Global Freedom Fellowship. Khalil Chait, who spent 10 years in prison in the Netherlands, was one of them. Interview.
Ireland: adverse motherhood experience
Interview
Women
Europe
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Ireland
The number of women incarcerated throughout the world is steadily increasing. Many of these are mothers. What is the impact of mothers’ imprisonment? The IPRT recently examined the experiences of mothers imprisoned in Ireland and of their children. Interview.
Building bridges through education
Interview
South America
Europe
Activities
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
Many initiatives are emerging as alternatives to the traditional prison, focusing on education rather than security. What is meant by education? How does it lead to change? Sergio Grossi answers our questions.
Changing the scale
Thematic paper
South America
Europe
Facilities
Social ties
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
New insights are arising concerning alternative forms of detention that are integrated into the community, small-scale and focused on the needs of individuals. This series explores experience from the field, ideas that remain on paper and the potential limits of “small-scale” detention.
Europe
Material conditions
Ireland
“The prison service has changed hugely in the last 10 years or so, and the case of locking prisoners up and throwing away the key is gone,” Ger Manley, governor of Cork Prison, told The Echo in an interview at the prison.
“Nowadays we’re looking at rehabilitating prisoners through our workshops, th…
Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Ireland
The Irish Prison Service has confirmed that prisons have reached capacity and are now overcrowded, following a temporary dip during the Covid-19 pandemic
Belgium: "a key voice"
Interview
Europe
Justice
Health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
Marc Nève is a lawyer and President of the Central Prison Monitoring Council in Belgium. He sat down with us to discuss the work of the Council, as well as the main issues facing the Belgian prison system today. Interview.
Filming the obscurity
Interview
Africa
Asia
Europe
Facilities
Overcrowding
Violence
Rehabilitation
The Netflix documentary series “Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons” gives viewers a visual representation of what daily life is like for prisoners around the world. Prison Insider met its host, Raphael Rowe. Interview.