Material conditions
Africa
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Alternatives
Senegal
Senegal’s prisons are old, overcrowded and cannot manage the thousands incarcerated for petty crimes. In response, the country has launched a pilot scheme to release hundreds of inmates under electronic supervision.
Asia
Justice
Material conditions
Rehabilitation
India
The Telangana Congress government should review prison practices for a fair and transparent system that promotes prisoners’ reintegration.
Middle East
Justice
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Israel
The Knesset National Security Committee voted unanimously to extend Israel’s “incarceration emergency” until mid-January, allowing the country’s correctional system to continue housing prisoners in what would otherwise be considered illegally cramped conditions.
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.
Women
Middle East
Material conditions
Violence
Israel
Palestinian women released from Israeli jails over the weekend warned of “brutal” conditions in jails since 7 October.
Asia
Minors
Material conditions
Overcrowding
India
Despite several directions from the Supreme Court on the subhuman conditions in prisons across the country, jails continue to remain in a miserable condition. The latest figures show that Delhi and Uttarakhand have the worst situation, with almost twice the capacity of inmates in cells.
Middle East
Material conditions
Social ties
Turkey
“Due to economic reasons and the exorbitant prices set by PTT, I am sending this letter through regular mail. I hope it reaches you intact and without censorship. Sending guaranteed letters such as registered or APS has become economically challenging,” says a prisoner.
Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Malta
Compared to the Corradino Correctional Facility of 15 years ago, Prisoner Welfare Commissioner Steve Libreri said that there has been a “considerable” improvement in supportive services, the prison environment, as well as a change in the culture of correctional officers, leading to a prison facilit…
Antigua and Barbuda: prospects dwindle for new prison facility as retrofitting remains priority
News
Central America and the Caribbean
Material conditions
Antigua & Barbuda
National Security Minister Sir Steadroy Benjamin revealed that the government currently lacks the necessary funds to undertake the construction of a new prison facility.The ongoing retrofitting efforts aim to address concerns related to overcrowding and outdated infrastructure that have adversely i…
North America
Material conditions
Facilities
United States
Additional inmate housing units and an outdoor recreation area along with access to Native American religious leaders must be implemented as part of a settlement with dozens of inmates.
United States: private equity is using prison phone, food and health systems to rack up profits
News
North America
Material conditions
Facilities
United States
Private equity firms are capturing systems people in prison use and making them even more brutal and unaccountable.
Europe
Mental health
Material conditions
Violence
United Kingdom
HM Inspector of Prisons says that conditions at HMP Bedford have deteriorated so sharply that they’ve had to issue an urgent notification for improvement.
South Africa: resonating stories
Testimonial
Africa
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Facilities
Activities
South Africa
Five former prisoners share their experiences in South African prisons. Incarcerated for different lengths of time, at different periods and in different facilities, these diverse perspectives highlight the challenges faced by prisoners in South Africa.
South Africa: prisons in 2023
Analysis
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Women
Minors
Foreign prisoners
LGBTQI
Long-term prisoners
Mental health
Material conditions
Facilities
Suicide
Death penalty
Torture
Activities
Social ties
Alternatives
Work
South Africa
All there is to know about South African prisons in 2023. Key figures, life in detention, references: discover all the data gathered by Prison Insider.
Crises
Middle East
Discipline
Health
Mental health
Material conditions
Overcrowding
Torture
Violence
Israel
The increase in detained Palestinians in Israeli prisons since 7th October has reportedly resulted in overcrowding, deprivation of medical treatment, and restriction of drinking water and food. NGO and media reports also document violent and degrading arrests.
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.
South America
Discipline
Material conditions
Violence
Venezuela
The system that delegated power in Venezuela’s prisons to pranes, or criminal leaders, seems to be ending after a series of military takeovers of jails by President Nicolás Maduro.
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.