Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

May 18, 2020

Fiji: ex-officers accuse Fiji's prison commissioner of ordering staff to beat inmates

News

Oceania Violence Fiji

Exclusive: Four former prison officers seeking asylum in Australia claim Francis Kean, brother-in-law of Fiji’s PM, ran a brutal campaign of intimidation

May 14, 2020

Coronavirus: distintos países del mundo descongestionan las cárceles

News

Africa Coronavirus North America Europe Middle East Oceania Justice

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

May 6, 2020

New Zealand: Auckland prisoners confined to cells for up to 29 hours at a time

News

Coronavirus Oceania Health New Zealand

Women at an Auckland prison have been routinely confined to their cells for periods of up to 29 hours at a stretch - well outside the law, which says they should get at least one hour out of their cells a day. RNZ took evidence of the lockdown hours including a recently released prisoner’s diary, t…

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 23, 2020

Death penalty 2019: les chiffres les plus bas de la décennie

News

Africa Asia Europe Middle East Oceania Death penalty

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

April 9, 2020

Australia: prison radicalisation and deradicalisation

News

Oceania Australia

A number of people who have committed acts of terrorism were radicalised in prison. Examples include Richard Reid (the 2001 ‘shoe-bomber’), some individuals involved in the 2004 Madrid bombing, and the attackers who committed the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris in 2015. Studies of European and US j…

April 6, 2020

Australia: 'urgent action' needed over high proportion of Indigenous women in prison, report says

News

Women Oceania Australia

The number of Indigenous women in custody has been called “one of the most challenging human rights issues facing Australia”. Research out today has shed new light on Indigenous women in the criminal justice system in New South Wales. It found the number of women in NSW jails between March 2013 and…

March 26, 2020

Australia: women released from prison are at much greater risk of violence

News

Women Oceania Violence Australia

Violence against women is rarely out of the news in Australia. We are now ten years into the National Action Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women (2010-2022), but there is still a long way to go. Our research shows this is particularly true for women who have been to prison. The considerable chall…

March 26, 2020

Covid-19: l’ONU s’inquiète des risques de contamination dans les prisons et réclame des mesures d’urgence

News

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

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

March 18, 2020

Oceania: coronavirus, prison fever

News

Coronavirus Oceania Health Material conditions Protest

The Covid-19 does not stop at prison gates. Prisoners often live in overcrowded cells and unsanitary contexts, sharing cells. What measures are taken to guarantee the safety of all prisoners and prison staff? What are the consequences of the pandemic on the living conditions in prisons? — Update 11…

March 9, 2020

Australia: WA's overcrowded prison system is a 'ticking time bomb'

News

Oceania Overcrowding Australia

A former inmate describes conditions inside the prison system as a “ticking time bomb”, with staff and prisoners under increasing stress

February 27, 2020

Australia: do people in prison matter less in an emergency than those who are free?

News

Oceania Australia

There is one image from the bushfire crisis that I am still not able to shake. It has led to night terrors where I wake in a sweat, feeling embers on my face and a desperate need to walk outside and look at the sky.

January 2, 2020

Australiia : Christmas in prison: How female inmates cope and support each other a "sad and lonely" time

News

Women Oceania Australia

December 25th can be a chaotic mix of cheer and stress, but above all, it is a time of year dedicated to family. While most celebrate with their loved ones, for those in prison, Christmas is a complicated matter. “It has a bit more of an impact on the women,” said Superintendent Julie Steineuer fro…

January 1, 2020

Coronavirus: Prison Fever / 2021

News Thematic paper

Africa Coronavirus North America Central America and the Caribbean South America Asia Elderly prisoners Europe Middle East Oceania Health Mental health Material conditions Activities Social ties

The virus has not stopped at prison gates. What measures are taken to guarantee the safety of all prisoners and prison staff? What are the consequences of the pandemic on the living conditions in prisons? Here is an overview. — Update 31/12/2021

September 25, 2019

Australia: atados y amordazados, la realidad de los menores en las cárceles

News

Oceania Australia

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

September 10, 2019

New Zealand: measles lockdown - prisoners isolated, babies quarantined over fears disease has hit women's prison

News

Women Oceania Health New Zealand

Prisoners have been isolated and babies put into quarantine at Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility over fears of a measles outbreak. On Tuesday night, Corrections informed Newshub there were concerns three female prisoners had been exposed to measles. They will remain isolated until their…

September 5, 2019

Australia: a third of the prison population has Hepatitis C, ice inquiry hears

News

Oceania Australia

NSW prison inmates who had been previously cured of Hepatitis C were being reinfected up to three times, the ice inquiry has heard.

August 19, 2019

New Zealand: Hōkai Rangi, the plan to reduce Māori in prison from 52 percent to 16

News

Oceania New Zealand

The Department of Corrections has launched a major new strategy focused on treating prisoners with respect and giving them more access to whānau.

August 17, 2019

Australia: where do you go when you leave jail?

News

Oceania Australia

Picture this: You’ve just walked out of jail in a country town. You’re given one change of clothes, about $275 and two nights at a motel. What would you do?

August 6, 2019

Australia: mums in prison or whose babies are in care need breastfeeding support too

News

Oceania Australia

Australian women want to breastfeed but many struggle. And the most disadvantaged face the biggest challenges.

July 29, 2019

New Zealand: measles in Mt Eden prison

News

Oceania New Zealand

A case of measles has been confirmed at the Mt Eden Corrections Facility.Deputy National Commissioner Andy Milne said on Saturday evening one prisoner was confirmed as having measles after showing symptoms the day prior.

July 29, 2019

Australia: juvenile prison guards strip searches cause mental health problems, former inmates claim

News

Oceania Health Mental health Australia

Children as young as 10 years old are being routinely strip searched in juvenile detention in NSW with minimal or no contraband found, according to new data.

July 5, 2019

Australia: Queensland government accepts prison overhaul after scathing report

News

Oceania Australia

The Queensland government has agreed to support 33 recommendations from a scathing report that found the state’s prison system was rife with overcrowding and corruption.

July 1, 2019

Australia: the biggest and most expensive jail sparks concerns in Grafton

News

Oceania Australia

Australia’s biggest and most expensive jail is being built near the New South Wales north coast town of Grafton, and locals are increasingly worried about the impact it will have on their region.