Social ties
Canada: close to ordinary violence
Testimonial
North America
Mental health
Violence
Social ties
Canada
Olivia* supports a close schizophrenic friend through his life sentence. She recounts the time spent helping him and understanding his illness. She reveals the shortcomings of the penal system as well as the violence perpetrated by prison staff.
Panama: fighting for my life
Testimonial
Central America and the Caribbean
Women
Health
Material conditions
Social ties
Panama
Yonta J. was incarcerated in a Panamanian prison for three years, from March 2015 to January 2018. She faced hardships that still impact her life today. This is the story of her daily life in prison.
Women
Social ties
Rehabilitation
Canada
Women prisoners encounter more difficulties than their male counterparts when it comes to maintaining ties with family and friends. What kind of problems do these women face? What can be done to help them? An interview with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Quebec.
Europe: "but think of your children!"
Interview
Canada: camping holidays near the prison
Testimonial
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?
A prison called home
Investigations
Social ties
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
Electronic monitoring allows individuals to serve their sentence at home with their family. In practice, however, the experience of electronic monitoring is a difficult undertaking. Can one’s home become a prison? What impact does surveillance have on their loved ones? Investigation.
North America
Activities
Social ties
United States
Missouri Prisons have unleashed a new form of cruelty—banning books sent by friends and family to incarcerated individuals. This is more than just a policy, it’s an attack on freedom and human dignity.
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.
Oceania
Discipline
Social ties
Australia
Tasmania’s Risdon Prison has reportedly been in full or partial lockdown over the past six days, with prisoners allegedly having little or no access to exercise and outdoor activities.The Tasmanian Prison Service confirmed the news on Monday afternoon, adding that the lockdowns had occurred despite…
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.
Oceania
Access to legal rights
Social ties
New Zealand
Close to 700 prisoners at one of the country’s biggest jails will soon be able to receive in-person visits for the first time since the pandemic started.
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.
Ukraine: 107 Mothers
Interview
A prison in the City
Insights
Africa
Coronavirus
Pre-trial detention
Minors
Access to legal rights
Health
Material conditions
Social ties
Togo
What is the response to offences committed by minors? In many cases, it is detention. Civil society actors express concern over the situation of minors in conflict with the law. Three key questions shed light on this issue.
From City to City
Opinion
Facilities
Overcrowding
Social ties
Canada
Walls that move: with every transfer, prisoners in Quebec travel hundreds of kilometres crammed into vans.
Asia
Material conditions
Social ties
Vietnam
Trinh Ba Tu’s father was turned back this week after two unsuccessful trips to the prison last month.
Côte d'Ivoire: the price of freedom
Testimonial
Africa
Justice
Material conditions
Social ties
Côte d’Ivoire
David D. was imprisoned in the Abidjan prison (MACA) for 29 months, and he is still awaiting trial. This is a testimony of an arbitrary detention, amidst uncertainty and corruption.
Argentina: "Aunque ellas estén afuera, las cárceles están sostenidas por mujeres"
News
Women
Social ties
Argentina
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish