Health
What prison is not
Thematic paper
Access to legal rights
Discipline
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Violence
Activities
Alternatives
Work
Overcrowded facilities or incarcerated people “treated too well”, systemic violence or “five-star prisons”: what do the facts actually say? Find out via four fact-checking articles to combat disinformation on detention conditions.
Europe
Discipline
Health
Material conditions
Violence
Belarus
A Belarusian political prisoner, jailed for criticizing President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has died under unclear circumstances, independent media and human rights groups say.
Crises
Asia
Health
Material conditions
Social ties
Myanmar (Burma)
The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) reported on 19 May that budget reductions in military-controlled prisons are worsening conditions for incarcerated people, with severe food shortages leading to rising malnutrition and health complications, particularly in Myingyan Prison.
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.
Australia: violent assaults, self-harm incidents, use of 'chemical agents' occuring at Darwin prison
News
Crises
Oceania
Discipline
Health
Overcrowding
Violence
Australia
Violent assaults and incidents of self-harm are occurring regularly inside Darwin’s overcrowded prison, with government documents also revealing the use of “chemical agents” by officers.
Middle East
Health
Overcrowding
Violence
Iraq
Justice Ministry dismissed viral footage showing incarcerated person abuse inside Baghdad’s al-Taji prison as “outdated.” “Disciplinary and legal measures were taken against both the inmates and staff involved,” ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi Abdul Hussein stated.
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.
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Justice
Health
Violence
Georgia
A 46-year-old man, Ioseb Gorgadze, died, May 4, after three months of treatment at the Vivamedi clinic, where he was transferred from prison in late January with multiple injuries. His lawyer claims that he was “severely beaten” in custody and alleges abuse by prison staff.
North America
Justice
Health
Violence
United States
The corrections officer, Christopher Walrath, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in exchange for a sentence of 15 years in state prison. Walrath, 36, also had been indicted on a second-degree murder charge. That was dropped as part of his agreement to plead guilty.
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.
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.
Africa
Health
Overcrowding
South Sudan
National Prison Service of South Sudan (NPSSS) and health officials in the Western Bahr el Ghazal State capital, Wau, have confirmed that one incarcerated person died of cholera and at least five are in critical condition after contracting the disease at Wau Central Prison.
Africa
Elderly prisoners
Health
Overcrowding
South Sudan
Health officials in Lakes State have reported cases of chickenpox and suspected measles at Rumbek Central Prison, with 24 infections identified among incarcerated people. State Health Director General said that two elderly were severely infected, while the rest were between 25 and 30 years old.