Drugs

April 1, 2021

Brazil / USA: female mass incarceration

Analysis

North America South America Women Long-term prisoners Drugs Brazil

Despite many differences at the legal, social and economic levels, Brazil and the United States have commonalities in their use of female incarceration. The Instituto Terra, Trabalho e Cidadania (Land, Labour and Citizenship Institute, ITTC) undertook a comparative investigation to identify recurrent…

Source — The Instituto Terra, Trabalho e Cidadania (ITTC)

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March 1, 2021

Ecuador: prison riots leave 79 dead, including 34 in Cuenca. Gang wars result in beheadings, dismemberments

News

South America Drugs Protest Violence Ecuador

According to Ecuador’s interior ministry, the number of inmates killed in gang warfare in Cuenca, Guayaquil and Latacunga prisons was at least 79. Earlier Tuesday, the ministry said that 62 had died but said later that it had discovered additional bodies and body parts. The death count early, by prison,…

Source — Cuenca high life

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February 18, 2021

Ireland: €3.7m spent on medicine for prison inmates over the last two years

News

Europe Health Drugs Ireland

More than €3.7m has been spent by the Irish Prison Service on medications for inmates over the past two years. The bill at a single prison can be in excess of €50,000 a month, according to the data, with costs highest at the Midlands Prison in Co Laois. The Irish Prison Service said many of those sent…

Source — Irish examiner

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February 12, 2021

Salvador: inside a prison cell for gay former gang members

News

Culture Central America and the Caribbean LGBTI Drugs Violence Religion El Salvador

In April 2019, Carlos Martinez was visiting a prison for gang members in El Salvador, having gained rare access to help with a photography project. A reporter for national newspaper El Faro, Martinez, 41, was used to dealing with the gangs that have over decades made his country one of the most violent…

Source — Time

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February 2, 2021

Luxembourg : vers l'élimination des drogues en prison

News

Europe Drugs Luxembourg

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

February 2, 2021

Guyana: government tables bill to remove prison time for small amounts of cannabis

News

South America Justice Drugs Guyana

Under the legislation, the offence would be punishable by mandatory counselling “for a period to be determined by the counsellor”. Currently, possession of 15 grams or less could attract a trafficking charge with a prison sentence between three to five years, and a fine of no less than GUY$30,000 (US$144).…

Source — The Gleaner

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November 5, 2020

France : faim, manque d’hygiène et chantage, le calvaire des pauvres en prison

News

Coronavirus Women Europe Health Drugs Material conditions Social ties France

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

October 5, 2020

Argentina: por qué son cada vez más las mujeres presas por vender drogas

News

South America Women Justice Drugs Argentina

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

September 29, 2020

France: supervising, not banning, alcohol consumption

Interview

Coronavirus Europe Health Drugs France

“Alcohol is a legal substance, so why is its consumption permitted in society but banned in prison?” The ban on alcoholic substances even extends to hand sanitizer, despite the ongoing pandemic. Read more

September 7, 2020

Brazil: drugs, walls and being a woman

Interview

Women Access to legal rights Drugs Brazil

Brazil’s prison population tripled in 20 years, resulting to a total of 770,000 inmates in 2,600 prisons. This is due to an increased recourse to detention. The incarceration rate of 133 in 2000 has grown to 466 in nearly two decades. The narration of women imprisonment seems to follow the same trajectory.… Read more

July 29, 2020

Australia: Hepatitis C outbreak ignites debate on needle exchange in Queensland correctional centres

News

Oceania Health Drugs Australia

Pressure is mounting on the Queensland Government to implement Needle and Syringe Programs (NSPs) in the state’s correctional centres amid an outbreak of hepatitis C at a Far North Queensland prison.

Source — ABC net

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June 23, 2020

UK: "A day in the life of a Prison Nurse"

News

Europe Health Mental health Drugs United Kingdom

My day starts at 07.30am, when we receive handover in a multipurpose room off one of the wings. It’s a Victorian prison: space is tight. A lone cockroach scuttles back into the safety of darkness. At night only cell doors are locked and it’s always odd to walk through open gates. After the night nurse’s…

Source — Nursingnotes

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June 17, 2020

Uruguay: 8 de cada 10 presas consumen drogas según una encuesta relevada en 17 cárceles

News

South America Drugs Uruguay

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

June 11, 2020

Cambodia: reforms to tackle prison overcrowding ‘must go further and put human rights at the core of drug policy’

News

Asia Drugs Overcrowding Cambodia

At the beginning of the year, Cambodia’s largest prison facility exceeded 9,500 prisoners – which is 463% over its maximum capacity of 2,050 Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch want reforms to be deepened and made permanent, through the review and amendment of the Law on Drug Control ‘Cambodia’s…

Source — Amesty International

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May 20, 2020

Spain: el coronavirus acaba con las muertes por sobredosis en las cárceles

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Drugs Spain

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

April 14, 2020

Belgium: "les prisons sont au bord de l’explosion, on risque le drame"

News

Coronavirus Europe Access to legal rights Health Drugs Violence Social ties Belgium

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

March 26, 2020

Spain: el síndrome de abstinencia agita las cárceles

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Drugs Spain

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

March 26, 2020

Spain: la situación en las cárceles de Sevilla sin vis a vis y menos drogas

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Drugs Spain

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

February 27, 2020

UK: psychoactive drugs linked to 95% of jail's ambulance callouts

News

Europe Health Drugs United Kingdom

Paramedics were called 200 times in six months to a prison in West Yorkshire to deal with medical incidents linked to drugs like spice, an inspection has revealed.

Source — The Guardian

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November 28, 2019

United States of America: cheese on a trap

Testimonial

North America Long-term prisoners Justice Drugs United States

Qwantay will be released in 2034. Prison Insider asked him what his first day in prison was like. This is what he told us. Read more

November 19, 2019

Indonésia: dans la prison de Serge Atlaoui, condamné à mort

News

Asia Drugs Death penalty Violence Indonesia

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

August 19, 2019

Spain: se duplican las muertes por consumo de drogas en las cárceles

News

Europe Drugs Violence Spain

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

July 30, 2019

Brazil: "les prisons sont devenues stratégiques pour l’organisation du trafic de drogues"

News

South America Drugs Brazil

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

July 22, 2019

Philippines: 'Worse than prison': Abuses in Philippine youth homes

News

Asia Minors Drugs Violence Philippines

Officially called “Houses of Hope”, proponents in the Philippines say such facilities are places for reformation and education, but critics slam many of them as “hellholes” where children are treated like caged animals.

Source — Le Point

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