Material conditions
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Bulgaria
Minister of Justice Maria Pavlova opened on Friday a new dormitory at the prison in Plovdiv. The poor state of the Hebros dormitories had led to continuous complaints about living conditions from prisoners, Pavlova said. The new building, she said, meets all European and international requirements,…
Europe
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Ireland
The Inspector of Prisons has said the record levels of overcrowding in jails is “deplorable” and that he has been “sounding the alarm” of the crisis since he took up the position in August 2022.Mark Kelly also expressed grave concern at the “undesirable uptick in physical violence” the worsening ov…
Crises
North America
Health
Material conditions
Facilities
United States
Over the past two decades, nearly 13,000 people have perished behind bars during America’s summer months. However, many of these deaths are not typically attributed to heat, the product of poor death-counting practices that have led to an undercount of heat-related deaths for decades. Still, deaths…
"Making every death a public affair"
Interview
Europe
Mental health
Material conditions
Suicide
Deaths occurring in prison are frequent, but often kept quiet. Civil society groups are joining forces to draw attention, advocate for greater transparency and raise awareness of prison deaths. Discussion with two groups: one in France, the other in Switzerland.
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Overcrowding
United Kingdom
Scottish prisons are in crisis and risk breaching inmates’ human rights, according to a new official report. Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee has called on the government to carry out an urgent review of the prison system. It follows recent warnings from within the service about overcrowding and a…
North America
Justice
Material conditions
Work
United States
Forced labor under the threat of punishment. Hourly wages under a dollar an hour. Having to choose between purchasing food or personal items. These are the conditions facing incarcerated New Yorkers that advocates say are why the state should amend its constitution to bar involuntary labor.
North America
Material conditions
Social ties
United States
Connecticut families brought an end to expensive prison communication, providing a lifeline for the voices behind bars. But consistent contact still isn’t guaranteed.
Asia
Justice
Material conditions
Protest
Violence
Myanmar (Burma)
The 13 prisoners have been held in solitary confinement since they were targeted in a crackdown on unrest more than a month ago.
In prison, under bombardment
Portfolio
Crises
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Torture
Activities
Work
Ukraine
Photographer Cory Wright travelled to Ukraine in September 2023. While there, he captured glimpses of life during wartime in the penitentiary centres of Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv and Iziaslav.
The Flowers of the Penal Colony
Interview
Europe
Minors
Justice
Material conditions
Facilities
Prison left an indelible mark on the work of Jean Genet, who experienced prison first hand . His life journey and artistic output, deeply intertwined, serve as a source of inspiration for Patti Smith. An interview with Glória Alhinho and Samuel Tracol.
Asia
Foreign prisoners
Material conditions
Japan
“We don’t really give them special treatment just because they are foreign nationals,” said Atsushi Takada, an official at the prison. “But since the environment and culture in which they were brought up is too different from that of Japan’s, we need to treat them differently.”
Crises
Middle East
Health
Material conditions
Iran
Taleghani Hospital in Tehran declared it can no longer accept dialysis patients from Evin Prison, citing contamination of its facilities with bedbugs.
Crises
Middle East
Health
Material conditions
Torture
Violence
Israel
Strapped down, blindfolded, held in diapers… At a military base that now doubles as a detention center in Israel’s Negev desert, an Israeli working at the facility snapped two photographs of a scene that he says continues to haunt him.
Surviving
Analysis
Inside Outside
Africa
North America
South America
Asia
Europe
Middle East
Material conditions
Prison Insider, represented by Clara Grisot, contributed twelve compositions to the book InsideOutside to articulate, in a few words, the current challenges of prison life. Sixth piece: food
Crises
Middle East
Health
Material conditions
Iran
Detention, interrogation, and incarceration, even under the best and most standardized conditions, foster an environment conducive to contracting various diseases.
Intersection with poverty
Analysis
Inside Outside
Africa
North America
South America
Asia
Europe
Middle East
Justice
Material conditions
Prison Insider, represented by Clara Grisot, contributed twelve compositions to the book InsideOutside to articulate, in a few words, the current challenges of prison life. Fifth piece: Injustice.
Asia
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Violence
Nepal
Prisoners, especially those in judicial custody, face frequent attacks from older inmates.
Türkiye: prisons in 2024
Analysis
Pre-trial detention
Women
Europe
Minors
Foreign prisoners
LGBTQI
Long-term prisoners
Mental health
Material conditions
Facilities
Suicide
Torture
Activities
Social ties
Alternatives
Work
Turkey
All there is to know about Turkish prisons in 2024. Key figures, life in detention, references: discover all the data gathered by Prison Insider.
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).
Europe
Health
Material conditions
United Kingdom
A prisoner who died of malnutrition repeatedly complained that prison food was making his Crohn’s disease symptoms worse, an inquest has heard.
Oceania
Mental health
Material conditions
New Zealand
The discovery that some of Auckland’s most vulnerable prisoners have been locked inside their cells for up to two days at time, for as long as nine months, has alarmed lawyers advocating for the men.
Switzerland: a lack of humanity
Testimonial
Europe
Long-term prisoners
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Switzerland
Iscu V., a Romanian national, has been incarcerated in Switzerland since 2015. In addition to receiving his sentence, Iscu falls under the lifelong incarceration measure set out in the Swiss Criminal Code. He describes incessant noise, frequent prison transfers and difficulty accessing medical care…