Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

October 12, 2019

UK: prison officers told to knock on cell doors to make youth detention "child friendly"

News

Europe United Kingdom

Prison officers have been told to knock before entering the cells of young inmates in order to make youth detention centres “more child friendly”.

October 12, 2019

Mexico: reclusas en San Luis Potosí demandaron a empresas maquiladoras por explotación laboral

News

Central America and the Caribbean Mexico

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

October 11, 2019

South Africa: pollsmoor most overcrowded prison in the Western Cape

News

Overcrowding South Africa

Cape Town - Pollsmoor prison has been pinpointed as the most overcrowded prison in the Western Cape. Medium B, which houses males, is more than 200% overcrowded.

October 11, 2019

USA: California now has the nation’s strictest private prison ban

News

North America United States

The law prohibits any for-profit lockups—including immigration detention centers.

October 11, 2019

USA: how a prison play goes on Tour (photos)

News

North America United States

Thirty Colorado inmates staged “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” for nearby prisons. For some, it was the first time in years they were outside 20-foot walls and razor fences.

October 10, 2019

Brazil: el escándalo de torturas que Bolsonaro considera una “tontería” y Moro, “un “malentendido”

News

South America Torture Brazil

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

October 10, 2019

UK: self-inflicted deaths rise in prisons in England and Wales

News

Europe United Kingdom

Watchdog also finds drug use continues to plague jails despite agreed action plans.

October 10, 2019

Smell — 5/12

Inside Outside

North America South America Women Asia Europe Long-term prisoners

Each month, the photographer Bertrand Gaudillère creates an image or chooses one from his archives. Prison Insider sends it to a dozen participants, prisoners around the world.They are in Argentina, in the United States of America, in France, in Switzerland, in Guatemala, in Ukraine, in Colombia, i…

October 10, 2019

Turkey: prison board not have authority to block letters on rights violations according the Constitutional Court

News

Europe Turkey

Two inmates’ letters to parliamentarians on rights violations in the prison were not sent by the prison administration.

October 10, 2019

France: comment l'administration scrute les surveillants radicalisés

News

Europe Religion France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

October 10, 2019

Japan: ”her present fate is to rot in solitude”

Testimonial

Women Asia Death penalty Japan

C. Hayashi has been visiting his mother on death row for 16 years. He talks about her conditions of detention.

October 10, 2019

Iran: a child of the gallows

Testimonial

Middle East Death penalty Iran

Homan was born in prison. Both his parents were executed. He then spent three years in prison. This is his story.

October 10, 2019

Belarus: “we’re still wondering where he is buried…”

Testimonial

Europe Death penalty Belarus

Aliaksandra Y.’s father was sentenced to death and executed in 2016. She was not notified of the execution. This is her story.

October 9, 2019

Venezuela: tortura en el reñidero de Maduro sobre detenidos desnudos en el suelo

News

South America Torture Venezuela

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

October 9, 2019

Pakistan: letters from death row; life after prison

News

Asia Pakistan

A man who survives two decades on death row struggles to build a new life after prison.

October 8, 2019

Italy: Europe court says Italy's hard prison regime breaches human rights

News

Europe Italy

ROME (Reuters) - A European court ruled on Tuesday that Italy’s tough prison regimes for mobsters and convicted terrorists who refused to cooperate with the justice system violated human rights and needed to be changed.

October 8, 2019

Syria: boys, men held in inhumane conditions

News

Middle East Torture Syria

A Kurdish-led armed group backed by the United States-led coalition against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) is detaining thousands of Syrian and foreign men and boys in severely overcrowded informal detention centers in northeast Syria, Human Rights Watch said today.

October 8, 2019

Mexico: la prison la plus incontrôlable du pays fermée pour devenir un musée

News

Central America and the Caribbean Mexico

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

October 7, 2019

Chad: l'armée reprend le contrôle de la prison d’Abéché après une mutinerie

News

Africa Protest Violence Chad

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

October 7, 2019

Belgium: la prison de Saint-Gilles sous haute tension

News

Europe Belgium

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

October 7, 2019

Turkey: Loup Bureau, une plume libre dans une prison

News

Europe Turkey

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French, Spanish

October 7, 2019

Iran: Sepideh Qoliyan said she was tortured, now she’s serving an 18-year prison sentence

News

Middle East Torture Iran

Sepideh Qoliyan is currently serving an 18.6-year prison sentence in Iran’s Gharchak Prison for women after being arrested at workers’ rights protests in the city of Shush, Khuzestan Province, and publicly stating that she and fellow detainees had been tortured in the custody of the Intelligence Mi…

October 7, 2019

Detention conditions for inmates on death row: a lack of basic rights

Analysis Opinion

Death penalty Violence

20,000 inmates are currently subject, or condemned to the death penalty.

October 7, 2019

Madagascar: out of sight

Interview

Africa Women Material conditions Activities Social ties Madagascar

Elise Maillot is 30 years old. She has been visiting prisons for the last two years. She was in Madagascar, her home country, at the end of 2018. There, she visited the Manjakandriana prison for women. Prison Insider asked her three questions.