Testimonials
Interviews
Prison Insider reaches out to individuals with expertise on prison. This section offers untold insights and specialist opinions exploring various prison-related issues.
Lebanon: from bad to worse
Interview
Crises
Pre-trial detention
Women
Middle East
Foreign prisoners
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Lebanon
Prisoners are suffering the consequences of the socio-economic crisis: access to medical care, food and water is no longer guaranteed. The proportion of people in remand detention far exceeds the global average and contributes to prison overcrowding. Interview.
South Africa: eyes on the system
Interview
Africa
Health
Material conditions
Violence
South Africa
The Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) is the oversight body responsible for supervising South Africa’s prison service. Prison Insider met with Edwin Cameron, the Inspecting Judge, and the JICS executive team to discuss prison conditions in the country.
Women
Europe
Mental health
Material conditions
Facilities
Rehabilitation
United Kingdom
In 2022, a new type of detention facility was introduced into the Scottish prison system: Community Custody Units (CCUs). Through trauma informed principles, their aim is to empower women to manage their sentence plans and support their community integration. Interview.
DRC: tackling the death penalty head-on
Interview
Africa
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Congo - Kinshasa
The death penalty is still in force in the DRC. Death sentences continue to be imposed despite a de facto moratorium on executions. ACAT-DRC is performing long-running advocacy work to achieve abolition. Interview.
Belgium: intersecting approaches
Interview
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Rehabilitation
Belgium
Hoogstraten Penitentiary School Centre (PSC) is an open prison operating in a 19th century castle. Kortrijk detention house is a small-scale facility located in an urban environment. Prison Insider examines their similarities and differences.
Can prisons be changed?
Interview
Europe
Discipline
Material conditions
Respect modules, an approach that originated in Spain, and dynamic security approaches aim to improve relationships in prison settings. However, their implementation encounters certain limitations. Valérie Icard, an associate researcher at CESDIP, focuses on these questions. Interview.
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
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.
Central African Republic: witchcraft
Interview
Africa
Women
Justice
Torture
Central African Republic
Representations of witchcraft are very prevalent in Central African society. The penal code nevertheless criminalises certain practices of witchcraft and charlatanism. The same people are targeted over and over again: women, especially those who are older and isolated. Interview.
Asia
Access to legal rights
Justice
India
In 1972, the Wildlife Protection Act was established to protect wildlife in India. It has led, however, to the criminalisation of an already marginalised part of the population: the forest-dwelling communities. The CPA project told us what this means in practice.
Kenya: left behind
Interview
Africa
Access to legal rights
Justice
Mental health
Kenya
Misunderstood and excluded by their peers, people with mental health conditions are more likely to end up in prison. Once incarcerated, their ostracization is striking. The NGO Tunawiri addresses this issue by providing training to incarcerated people and prison staff. Interview.
Africa
Overcrowding
Torture
Congo - Brazzaville
Overcrowded prisons, over-use of remand, cases of torture and mistreatment, horrific detention conditions: in the Congo, prisoners’ rights are barely respected. Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), an NGO in the Congo protecting human rights, is pushing for change. Interview…
Justice
Drugs
Death penalty
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, the war on drugs leads to human rights violations against persons accused of drug offences, even for the possession of very small quantities. Petty offences, high stakes: Ambika Satkunanathan explains who is targeted by this policy and what its consequences are. Interview.
Africa
Women
Minors
Rehabilitation
Côte d’Ivoire
Action by the Christians for the Abolition of Torture in Côte d’Ivoire (Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture en Côte d’Ivoire, ACAT CI) published a report on the incarceration of women and minors in the country. What offences land them behind bars? Interview.
Republic of Congo: starting from scratch
Interview
Africa
America
Asia
Europe
Oceania
Justice
In March 2023, formerly incarcerated people from around the globe met at the Incarceration Nations Network (INN) hub in Cape Town for the first edition of the Global Freedom Fellowship. Khalil Chait, who spent 10 years in prison in the Netherlands, was one of them. Interview.
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.
USA: disaster in prison
Interview
Crises
North America
Facilities
Work
United States
J. Carlee Purdum is the director of the Prisons and Disasters Risk Network, which aims to inform the public about the growing impact of disasters on prisoners. She discusses with us how prison labour is embedded in emergency disaster response. Interview.
Côte d'Ivoire: a game-changing assist
Interview
Africa
Health
Activities
Rehabilitation
Côte d’Ivoire
Does sport improve living conditions and help prisoners reintegrate into society? That is the hope of the organisation La Balle aux Prisonniers (LaBAP). Its founders are convinced that sport can be a vehicle for social inclusion, integration and equal opportunity. Interview.
Building bridges through education
Interview
South America
Europe
Activities
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
Many initiatives are emerging as alternatives to the traditional prison, focusing on education rather than security. What is meant by education? How does it lead to change? Sergio Grossi answers our questions.
Belgium: "a key voice"
Interview
Europe
Justice
Health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Belgium
Marc Nève is a lawyer and President of the Central Prison Monitoring Council in Belgium. He sat down with us to discuss the work of the Council, as well as the main issues facing the Belgian prison system today. Interview.