Justice

January 19, 2024

United Kingdom: pregnant woman’s jail sentence quashed in ‘landmark’ ruling

News

Women Europe Justice United Kingdom

The court of appeal has quashed the prison sentence of a heavily pregnant woman so that she can give birth safely, in a case hailed as a landmark by campaigners.

Source: The Guardian

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January 12, 2024

Malta: government proposes rehab instead of prison term for persons already jailed over drugs

News

Europe Justice Drugs Malta

The Ministry for Justice has launched a public consultation process on a Bill which proposes that persons who were found in possession of drugs in jail, and in the meantime have already served a prison sentence and have rehabilitated themselves, can qualify to be tried by the drugs court.

Source: Malta Independent

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January 11, 2024

United States: 2 families allege bodies of prisoners were returned missing organs

News

North America Justice Health United States

Two families have claimed that when the Alabama Department of Corrections returned the bodies of their loved ones who died in prison, they were found to be missing one or more internal organs, court documents show.

Source: CNN

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January 11, 2024

Canada: sentences reduced in Toronto's “Guantanamo South” due to poor conditions

News

North America Justice Material conditions Canada

Over the past year, records indicate that at least 24 offenders had their incarceration time reduced due to frequent lockdowns, pest infestations, and other harsh treatment at the Toronto South Detention Centre in Etobicoke, near Kipling Avenue and the Gardiner Expressway.

Source: Rebel News

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January 10, 2024

United States: Alabama prison fast food slave labor allegations are headed to court

News

North America Justice Work United States

A federal court has set a Feb. 8 hearing on a lawsuit accusing Alabama state prisons of using slave labor.

Source: Alabama Media Group

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January 9, 2024

Ecuador: state of emergency declared amid prison chaos

News

South America Justice Violence Ecuador

Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa on Monday declared a state of emergency for 60 days a day after the country’s most-wanted prisoner disappeared from the jail where he was being held.

Source: Reuters

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January 1, 2024

India: Telangana must announce a humane prison reform policy

News

Asia Justice Material conditions Rehabilitation India

The Telangana Congress government should review prison practices for a fair and transparent system that promotes prisoners’ reintegration.

Source: The Wire

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December 31, 2023

Israel: Knesset extends ‘incarceration emergency’ as prisons near capacity

News

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.

Source: The Times of Israel

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December 29, 2023

India: right to life includes convict’s right to procreate

News

Asia Access to legal rights Justice Social ties India

The right to life includes a convict’s right to procreate, the Delhi High Court has held while granting a four-week parole to a 41-year-old murder convict serving life term so that he could have a child with his wife aged 38.

Source: The Times of India

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December 15, 2023

United Kingdom: "Ban on short sentences" will free up fewer than 1,000 prison places

News

Europe Justice Overcrowding United Kingdom

A reform which will see short sentences served in the community rather than in custody will have only a small impact on the prison capacity crisis, the Government has admitted.

Source: Inside Time

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December 13, 2023

United States: family alleges medical neglect

News

North America Justice Health United States

Antonio Arnez Smith was granted medical furlough in September but was not released to his family until October. He died four days later.

Source: Alabama Political Reporter

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November 20, 2023

Israel: MPs present death punishment bill for terrorists

News

Middle East Justice Death penalty Israel

Israel’s far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party has recently submitted a bill to the Knesset, advocating for the reinstatement of the death penalty for terrorists. The bill has sparked intense discussions both within and outside Israel.

Source: Mena FN

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November 19, 2023

Syria: International Court of Justice rules against the country in torture case

News

Middle East Justice Torture Syria

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) order on November 16, 2023, directing Syria to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of torture and other abuses is a milestone toward protecting civilians in the country, Human Rights Watch said.

Source: Eurasia Review

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November 14, 2023

Croatia: the country ordered to compensate ex-prisoner for poor jail conditions

News

Europe Justice Material conditions Croatia

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Croatia must pay 15,000 euros in compensation to Zoran Vukusic because he was kept in inhumane conditions in secure prison cells.

Source: Balkan Insight

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November 13, 2023

United States: $4 million settlement for inhumane living conditions at Southern Regional Jail under consideration

News

North America Justice Material conditions United States

A tentative settlement in the amount of $4 million was presented on Thursday with regard to a class action lawsuit alleging inhumane living conditions and unethical treatment incurred by inmates at Southern Regional Jail.

Source: Lootpress

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October 26, 2023

Nigeria: CSOs prepared lawyers for pro bono legal services

News

Africa Access to legal rights Justice Death penalty Nigeria

Bodies canvassing for the abolishment of death penalty for capital offenders in the country have commenced comprehensive training for Nigerian lawyers to increase their commitment to pro bono legal services.

Source: The Guardian

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October 22, 2023

India: Parliamentary panel recommends GPS trackers to reduce overcrowding

News

Asia Justice Overcrowding Alternatives India

The panel noted that overcrowding and delayed justice has led to a series of consequences for both the prisoners and the criminal justice system.

Source: The Hindu

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October 20, 2023

Nigeria: three years after #EndSARS at least 15 protesters languish in Lagos jail

News

Africa Pre-trial detention Justice Nigeria

Three years after violent suppression of nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality, at least fifteen protesters arrested in 2020 are still being arbitrarily detained – the majority of them without trial – in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre and Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Cent…

Source: Amnesty International

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October 6, 2023

United States: WA prison deters participation in restorative justice by ordering strip searches

News

North America Justice United States

Strip searches, a practice that dates back to auctions of enslaved people, have long been common in U.S. prisons.

Source: Truthout

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September 29, 2023

Syria: desperately searching for missing prisoners

News

Middle East Justice Syria

Thousands of people have “vanished” inside Syria’s prison system over more than a decade of civil conflict. Their families are left in a desperate situation, forced to pay out large sums of money to middlemen, government and security officials for any information about their loved ones - often with…

Source: BBC

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September 29, 2023

Israel: how “civil war” between Ben Gvir and Prison Service is hurting Palestinian detainees

News

Middle East Justice Material conditions Israel

Tensions between Palestinian inmates and Israeli authorities have been brewing for months. Since the beginning of the year, Palestinian prisoners have declared hunger strikes five times, only to be called off on the first day after reaching a deal.

Source: The New Arab

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September 29, 2023

El Salvador: incarceration rate triples that of US

News

Central America and the Caribbean Justice Overcrowding El Salvador

El Salvador has imprisoned 1.6% of its 6.3 million citizens. That gives it an incarceration rate triple that of the US and more than double that of Cuba.

Source: Bloomberg Línea

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September 18, 2023

Bangladesh: the court jails prominent rights activists for two years

News

Asia Justice Material conditions Bangladesh

Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan of the Odhikar group documented extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and police brutality.

Source: Al Jazeera

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September 1, 2023

Republic of the Congo : prisons in 2023

Analysis

Africa Pre-trial detention Women Minors Foreign prisoners LGBTQI Long-term prisoners Access to legal rights Discipline Justice Health Mental health Material conditions Suicide Overcrowding Torture Violence Activities Social ties Work Congo - Brazzaville

All there is to know about Congolese prisons in 2023. Key figures, life in detention, references: discover all the data gathered by Prison Insider.

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