Opinion
Middle East
Discipline
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Torture
Violence
Israel
The increase in detained Palestinians in Israeli prisons since 7th October has reportedly resulted in overcrowding, deprivation of medical treatment, and restriction of drinking water and food. NGO and media reports also document violent and degrading arrests.
Mental health
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
World Day Against the Death Penalty is observed every year on 10 October. This year, the day is dedicated to the inherent connection between the death penalty and torture. To mark the occasion, Marie Salphati and Xavière Prugnard described their work for FIACAT on recognising this connection.
Culture
Justice
Health
Material conditions
France
Antoine Lazarus’ dedication to protecting the rights of incarcerated individuals is immeasurable. This year, he chairs the 2023 edition of Concertina: Coming together to explore imprisonment. He sat down with Prison Insider to discuss his experience as a doctor, activist, and silence-breaker. Op-ed…
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.
Africa
Death penalty
Torture
Congo - Kinshasa
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) has written an opinion piece on the limits of moratoriums and the suffering inflicted on people sentenced to death. We reproduce it here.
Pre-trial detention
South America
Justice
Brazil
Brazil, 2022, electoral year. The law provides that prisoners in pre-trial detention are allowed to vote. There is an ongoing legal battle for the right to vote for people in pre-trial detention.
COVID-19: what’s next?
Opinion
United States: inadequate mental health treatment
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Mental health
Material conditions
Suicide
United States
How the prison system respond to the needs of mentally ill prisoners?
Australia: Ageing prisoners
Analysis
Opinion
Coronavirus
Elderly prisoners
Oceania
Health
Alternatives
Australia
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Natasha Ginnivan discusses the ageing prison population in Australia.
United States: addressing the structural inequalities underlying a failing prison health system
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Mental health
Drugs
Material conditions
Suicide
United States
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Homer Venters is a physician and epidemiologist working at the intersection of incarceration, health and human rights…
Coronavirus
South America
Overcrowding
Brazil
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Patrick Cacicedo is a Public Defender based in São Paulo.Patrick holds a PhD from the University of São Paulo (USP),…
Africa: informal governance and healthcare access in prison
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Discipline
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Carole Berrih, a lawyer specialising in public law, focuses on the role of prisoners in the maintenance of order in N…
Africa: health beyond epidemics
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Coronavirus
Health
Material conditions
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Frédéric Le Marcis focuses on epidemic responses in prison environment in different African countries.
Madagascar : The right to health must not be "forgotten behind bars"
Analysis
Opinion
Access to legal rights
Health
Mental health
Overcrowding
Madagascar
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Tamara Léger draws on her previous research experience to highlight the severe impact of prison overcrowding on healt…
Culture
Justice
Mental health
Material conditions
Netherlands
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Michiel van de Wolf discusses the Dutch approach for dealing with those considered as mentally disordered offenders.
Thailand: the overcriminalization of meth, a failed moral crusade
Analysis
Opinion
Asia
Long-term prisoners
Drugs
Overcrowding
Thailand
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Pascal Tanguay discusses the overcriminalization of meth-related crimes in Thailand and its consequences.
United States: there’s an aging crisis in New York’s prisons and we need to solve it
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Elderly prisoners
Long-term prisoners
Access to legal rights
Health
United States
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Rodney Holcombe, New York State Director for Criminal Justice Reform, addresses the New York prison system and the it…
United States: surge in life sentences
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Long-term prisoners
Justice
Death penalty
United States
Ashley Nellis, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Analyst at the Washington DC-based NGO, The Sentencing Project, which has been active in the struggle to reform American law and practice on life sentences. Here, Ashley discusses America’s now commonplace use of life sentences and calls for bolder approach…
Europe
Long-term prisoners
Justice
Overcrowding
Social ties
Rehabilitation
United Kingdom
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Helen Mills discusses the vexed problem of short prison sentences.
Africa: a regional campaign to decriminalise petty offences
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Access to legal rights
Justice
Overcrowding
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Louise Edwards reflects on the works and challenges of the regional campaign to decriminalise petty offences.
Life imprisonment: a sentence in dire need of reform
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Asia
Elderly prisoners
Europe
Oceania
Long-term prisoners
Justice
Health
Mental health
Drugs
Overcrowding
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. In this piece, Olivia Rope, Executive Director of Penal Reform International (PRI), discusses life sentences, a key p…
Europe: towards a binding legal framework for places of detention
Analysis
Opinion
Europe: the long road to human dignity
Analysis
Opinion
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Activities
Social ties
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Here, Maïté de Rue discusses the overuse of pre-trial detention in Europe and its consequences.