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.
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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Mapping the 'Blind Spots'
Interview
Africa
North America
Women
Asia
Death penalty
CartONG and Planète Réfugiés-Droits de l’Homme (PRDH) united since September 2019 to create maps aimed at raising awareness about the situation of people on death row worldwide. Nine maps have been produced to date. On March 8th, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, the two organisations…
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Africa: the impossible confinement
Interview
Africa
Coronavirus
Health
Material conditions
In Africa, the COVID-19 epidemic is evolving differently compared to Europe or America. Is the lockdown a solution to the spread of the epidemic?
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Brazil: disregard for life
Interview
Coronavirus
South America
Health
Violence
Brazil
With more than 700,000 prisoners, the ailing prison system has been thrown into turmoil by the ongoing political disorder and the health crisis caused by Covid-19. What is the future for prisons in Brazil, and what are the main challenges at present?
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Africa
Access to legal rights
Justice
Protest
Rehabilitation
Tunisia
Better conditions of imprisonment, effective prison administration and security: a new face for Tunisian prisons. Yasmine Bouagga, sociologist, answers our questions.
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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.…
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Unclear fates behind bars
Interview
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Europe
Middle East
Oceania
“Since 2000, the overall number of pre-trial detainees has increased by 30%”. They are now up to three million people to be held awaiting trial around the world. What is the purpose of pre-trial detention? How it is used around the world?
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Turkey: a life in isolation
Interview
Europe
LGBTI
Middle East
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Facilities
Turkey
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) prisoners represent a minority. Their protection is not ensured at all levels and their specific needs are neglected. Hilal Basak Demirbas works at the Society in the Penal System association. She regularly exchanges letters with LGBTI prisoners…
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