Interview
"Faire de chaque décès une affaire publique"
Interview
Europe
Mental health
Material conditions
Suicide
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
Iran: spreading fear
Interview
Middle East
Justice
Death penalty
Violence
Iran
More than 800 people sentenced to death in Iran were executed in 2023. The authorities have resumed carrying out death sentences in public, using it to instil fear in the population. The NGOs Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) shed light on capital punishment in Iran to…
Türkiye: a struggle for control
Interview
Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Facilities
Turkey
Turkish prisons underwent significant transformations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The historical background to this development reflects a conflict between political groups and authorities. Interview with Arda İbikoğlu (Altinbaş University).
Türkiye: lawyers in danger
Interview
Europe
Access to legal rights
Justice
Social ties
Turkey
The Anti-Terror Law is used by the State to imprison lawyers who defend opponents. The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) has been specifically targeted on several occasions. One of its members, Güçlü Sevimli, explains why and under what conditions they are being held.
Badinter, "a beacon of light in the mist”
Insights
Interview
Europe
Access to legal rights
Justice
Material conditions
Death penalty
France
Robert Badinter, a leading figure in the abolition of the death penalty in France, passed away on 9 February. Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan, director of Together Against the Death Penalty, became close with the former minister over time through their mutual cause. Here’s the story.
Africa
Middle East
Mental health
Suicide
Morocco
A study based on collaboration between the Moroccan prison administration and DIGNITY has been carried out on suicide and self-mutilation in the country’s prisons. How was this research conducted? What impact does it have on prison policies? Interview.
Africa
Crises
Asia
Europe
Middle East
Access to legal rights
Justice
Material conditions
Facilities
Torture
Alice Jill Edwards was the first woman to be appointed as UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Prison Insider met with her to find out more about what she has to say to justice systems and prison administrations around the world.
Belgium: diverging pathways
Interview
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Belgium
In recent years, authorities have followed a policy of constructing new ‘mega-prisons’. At the same time, the prison estate has welcomed the creation of smaller facilities. The simultaneous development of these opposing approaches raises a number of questions.
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