Testimonials
Interviews
Prison Insider reaches out to individuals with expertise on prison. Researchers, members of associations and institutions, decision-makers, stakeholders and individuals called to intervene in prisons: they all offer diverse viewpoints on imprisonment. This section offers untold insights and specialist opinions exploring various prison-related issues.
Global prison crisis
Interview
Africa
Coronavirus
Asia
Europe
Middle East
Oceania
Overcrowding
The world prison population is still increasing. How does the COVID-19 crisis differ from other ongoing or future crises? Are prison environments doomed to be in perpetual crisis?
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France: a deceptive protection
Interview
Women
Europe
Justice
Violence
France
The proliferation of surveillance systems and an increased reliance on incarceration are meant to curb violence. But what are the implications of this kind of security? Françoise Vergès is a feminist, anti-racist author. Her most recent work, entitled Une théorie féministe de la violence. Pour une politique…
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Coronavirus
South America
Social ties
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’. Maria Teresa dos Santos is the chair of the Associação de Amigos e Familiares de Pessoas em Privação de Liberdade (Association…
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Considering penal abolitionism
Interview
North America
Europe
Discipline
Justice
Alternatives
The abolitionist movement is not well-known in France. Three texts, recently translated into French, have been assembled into one book on the subject.
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Women
Europe
Long-term prisoners
France
As of January 2020, women represent 3.6% of the total incarcerated population. Across 187 French correctional facilities, only three exclusively house women. Yet more women than men are sentenced to prison terms exceeding ten years.
What role does gender-based violence play in the incarceration of these…
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Belgium: what is Haren ?
Interview
Europe
Facilities
Overcrowding
Belgium
One billion euros have been invested in the construction of Haren, a massive prison complex located on the outskirts of Brussels.
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Italy: “political action is powerless"
Interview
Coronavirus
Europe
Health
Protest
Overcrowding
Italy
The second wave of the pandemic hit prisons with overwhelming force. What can the authorities do?
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UK: different sides of a shared story
Interview
Coronavirus
Europe
Mental health
Material conditions
Social ties
United Kingdom
As the pandemic hit the UK, researchers were banned from entering prisons. The Prison Reform Trust remotely mobilised about 800 prisoners to share how the measures were affecting them. Prison Insider asked them three questions.
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Ireland: social distress in prison
Interview
Europe
Discipline
Mental health
Material conditions
Ireland
After a significant reform in Irish prisons, the CPT remains concerned about the conditions of detention in segregation cells and for mentally ill prisoners. A member of the monitoring body told us what she observed.
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France: indiscriminate surveillance
Interview
Pre-trial detention
Europe
Facilities
France
There are 1,500 individuals who are identified as “radicalised” prisoners. How are they evaluated? By whom? What is their pre-trial detention like?
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Coronavirus
Europe
Health
Mental health
Overcrowding
Social ties
France
The average prison occupancy rate fell below 100% in May. The country then had more places available than people incarcerated, fulfilling the wishes of many human rights organisations that had sought this for decades. What is the situation today? Is this decrease of the prison population a long-term…
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Can prisons serve to empower women?
Interview
Women
Access to legal rights
Justice
Social ties
Alternatives
France
Are tougher criminal penalties the solution to ending violence against women? Gwenola Ricordeau says no.
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Religion and prison: higher things
Interview
Europe
Access to legal rights
Mental health
Social ties
Religion
France
Managing prisons (Latin America); providing spiritual care for inmates (Europe); practical support (Africa) – the role of prison chaplains varies from country to country.
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Europe
Long-term prisoners
Access to legal rights
Justice
Scattered throughout France and Spain, Basque prisoners are, at times, subject to particularly harsh prison conditions. Some have been in prison for over 30 years and are now gravely ill.
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South Africa: sounding the alarm
Interview
Africa
Coronavirus
Justice
Health
Material conditions
Social ties
South Africa
“The numbers kept going up, and up, and up and up…”. More than 2,700 South African prisoners are infected with the coronavirus. We have asked three questions to the NGO Sonke Gender Justice.
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Argentina: not crazy or dead
Interview
South America
Access to legal rights
Justice
Material conditions
Torture
Argentina
The treatment meted out to political prisoners during the military dictatorship sought to completely destroy them. Sergio Ferrari was one of these prisoners. We spoke with him.
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France: dealing with helplessness
Interview
Europe
Health
Mental health
Work
France
The incarceration of mentally ill people leaves prison staff helpless in situations that they find difficult to cope with. Training aims to remedy this.
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Coronavirus
South America
Material conditions
Protest
Torture
Argentina
The country has the third largest prison population on the South American continent.
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France: "escaping the prison diktat"
Interview
Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Activities
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
France
The number of prisoners is increasing, short sentences are numerous, the recidivism rate is high. How can the entire prison system be rethought?
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