Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

May 5, 2020

Estonia: Coronavirus crisis exit strategy launched in prisons

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Estonia

TALLINN – Estonian prisons on Wednesday launched the strategy for exiting the emergency situation resulting from the spread of coronavirus, the Ministry of Justice said. The five-day shifts of prison officials were concluded as of Wednesday and the scheduled treatment of prisoners will continue bot…

May 5, 2020

Hungary: Tight measures in a closed system

Report

Coronavirus Europe Health Material conditions Social ties Hungary

The Hungarian penitentiary institutions have become even more closed and less transparent since the COVID-19 outbreak. On 5 April 2020, a Government Decree introduced tighter measures for prisons. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee updates us on the situation.

May 4, 2020

France: Nicole Belloubet, "le taux d’occupation moyen des prisons est inférieur à 100 %"

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Overcrowding France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

May 4, 2020

Peru: mutinerie dans une prison, trois morts

News

Coronavirus South America Health Protest Peru

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

May 4, 2020

France: "le confinement en détention, c’est la prison dans la prison"

News

Coronavirus Europe Health France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

May 4, 2020

France: Maïtena Biraben, "ce qui nous horrifie dans les Ehpad devrait nous horrifier dans les prisons"

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Social ties France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

May 4, 2020

France: vers un monde (presque) sans prison ?

News

Coronavirus Europe Health France

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

May 4, 2020

El Salvador : imposes maximum security prison lockdowns after homicide spree organised from behind bars

News

Coronavirus Central America and the Caribbean Health El Salvador

El Salvador president Nayib Bukele ordered a 24-hour lockdown of prisons containing gang members, and said their leaders would be sent into solitary confinement after a sudden spike in homicides. The remarkable announcement was made last Friday, after a series of grisly incidents were reported to h…

April 30, 2020

Mexico: centros penitenciarios, los olvidados en México

News

Coronavirus Central America and the Caribbean Health Mexico

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

April 30, 2020

Argentina: Alejandro Slokar, “las cárceles son hoy una bomba con la mecha encendida”

News

Coronavirus South America Health Overcrowding Argentina

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

April 30, 2020

Chile: los motines también se propagan

News

Coronavirus South America Health Protest Violence Chile

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

April 30, 2020

Spain: interior inicia la desescalada en el aislamiento de las cárceles

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Work Spain

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

April 30, 2020

France: "They’ve put us back in prison"

Testimonial

Coronavirus Europe Health Rehabilitation Work France

Samy is detained on partial release in the west of France, in Le Mans. It is normally possible for these prisoners to go out during the week, notably to seek employment. Faced with the coronavirus pandemic and to limit social contact, those who are on partial release have been placed in detention.…

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April 30, 2020

Central African Republic: a woman and a prison director

Testimonial

Africa Women Justice Health Central African Republic

Training, life in prison, lack of staff and budget, security, armed conflicts: Gisèle explains, based on her own experience, how incarceration is managed in a country where resources are scarce, and demands are abundant.

April 29, 2020

Map of the coronavirus in prisons

News

Africa Coronavirus North America Central America and the Caribbean South America Asia Europe Middle East Oceania Health

Prison Insider is partnering with Justice Project Pakistan on its collaborative map to report the number of confirmed cases and deaths among prisoners worldwide.

April 29, 2020

Colombia: van 324 contagios confirmados y tres muertes

News

Coronavirus South America Health Colombia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

April 28, 2020

Belgium: près de 42.000 masques de protection fabriqués par les détenus

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Work Belgium

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

April 28, 2020

Belgium: les détenus et leurs proches sont en colère et se sentent oubliés

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Social ties Belgium

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

April 28, 2020

El Salvador: where social distancing is impossible

News

Coronavirus Central America and the Caribbean Health Overcrowding El Salvador

Latin America has some of the most overcrowded jails in the world. With prisoners crammed into tiny cells by the dozen, social distancing is impossible and poor medical facilities mean any outbreak of coronavirus would spread like wildfire. The United Nations has urged governments to do more to pro…

April 24, 2020

Afghanistan: prison chief laments conditions in country's jails

News

Asia Health Protest Torture Violence Afghanistan

In unusually frank comments on April 21, Afghanistan’s new prison chief Ahmad Rashid Totakhail complained to journalists about widespread abuses in the country’s prison system. Totakhail described problems ranging from the lack of a comprehensive database on the length of detainees’ sentences to se…

April 24, 2020

Russia: penitentiaries in the pandemic

News

Coronavirus Europe Health Russia

Russian officials say coronavirus hasn’t infected a single inmate, but COVID-19 has undeniably changed life behind bars in big ways Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries around the world have begun releasing large numbers of inmates to curb the spread of the disease behind pri…

April 24, 2020

Cambodia: exclusive footage reveals deplorable prison conditions

News

Coronavirus Asia Health Overcrowding Cambodia

Amnesty International is releasing shocking footage providing first-hand evidence of the inhumane conditions and extreme overcrowding inside one of Cambodia’s prisons. The organization recently called the country’s detention facilities a “ticking time bomb” for a potentially disastrous coronavirus…

April 23, 2020

Egypt: un agujero negro en tiempos del coronavirus

News

Africa Coronavirus Health Egypt

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

April 23, 2020

Colombia: a un mes de tragedia en La Modelo, 73 casos de covid-19 en cárceles

News

South America Health Protest Colombia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish