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.
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.
South Africa: sounding the alarm
Interview
Africa
Coronavirus
Crises
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.
Argentina: not crazy or dead
Interview
America
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.
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.
Coronavirus
America
South America
Material conditions
Protest
Torture
Argentina
The country has the third largest prison population on the South American continent.
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?
Mapping the 'Blind Spots'
Interview
Africa
America
North America
Women
Asia
Death penalty
What are maps for? How are they produced?
Africa: the impossible confinement
Interview
Africa
Coronavirus
Crises
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?
Brazil: disregard for life
Interview
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.
Brazil: drugs, walls and being a woman
Interview
America
Women
Access to legal rights
Drugs
Brazil
Ranked as the world’s third-highest prison population, its number of imprisoned women is rising increasingly.
Unclear fates behind bars
Interview
Africa
America
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?
Türkiye: a life in isolation
Interview
Europe
LGBTQI
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 prison…
Italian prisons: facing the crisis
Interview
Coronavirus
Crises
Europe
Justice
Health
Violence
Italy
Mutinies after the suspension of family visits had a heavy toll on prisoners: 12 prisoners died in March. Prison Insider interviewed Antigone association about the management of the crisis by the authorities.
France: a prison without bars?
Interview
Europe
Long-term prisoners
Facilities
Work
France
Casabianda is currently the only prison without bars on French soil. Guillaume Massart filmed a documentary La liberté (In the Open).
France: reintegration is everyone’s business
Analysis
Interview
Europe
Justice
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
France
With more and more prisoners and a substantial recidivism rate, prison does not succeed in protecting society. Although reintegration is one of the missions of the prison administration, it is not considered to be of vital importance. Why?
Women in prison: a "tough place"
Interview
Women
Europe
Health
Mental health
Women and girls make up 7% of the global prison population, in various proportions. While they represent 3% in African countries, it goes up to 8 % in the Americas, and 6 % in Europe. The highest proportions are found in Hong Kong-China (21%), Laos (18%) or Qatar (15%).
Europe
Justice
Alternatives
France
In France, restorative justice is a complementary practice to the criminal punishment for an offence. Maiana Bidegain is the codirector of Meeting my aggressor, a documentary that recounts the steps she took to meet the man who raped her when she was a child. We asked her three questions.
“Parodies of justice” in Iraq
Interview
Middle East
Foreign prisoners
Justice
Death penalty
Torture
Violence
Iraq
The Iraqi justice system has some flaws – quick trials, non-existent legal assistance and judgements based on confessions rather than the evidence. Yet several countries have declined to repatriate their citizens who are accused of terrorism, putting them at risk of torture or the death penalty.