Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

March 1, 2021

Ecuador: President declares state of emergency following deadly prison riots

News

South America Protest Violence Ecuador

Officials in Ecuador say order has been restored at prisons in three cities, where authorities said at least 75 inmates died in riots between rival gangs. President Lenín Moreno declared the national prison system in a state of emergency and ordered stepped-up security measures.    Officials say au…

March 1, 2021

Argentina: en cumplimiento de un fallo de la CorteIDH, el SPF aprueba un nuevo protocolo de traslados de personas privadas de libertad

News

South America Access to legal rights Justice Facilities Social ties Argentina

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

March 1, 2021

Venezuela: detenidos de Policarirubana piden descongestionamiento

News

Coronavirus South America Health Overcrowding Venezuela

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

March 1, 2021

Venezuela: familiares de presos de Polimiranda deben llevar agua a diario para aseo y consumo

News

South America Health Material conditions Venezuela

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

March 1, 2021

Irán: recluso sometido a 60 azotes y en riesgo de amputación tras intento de suicidio

News

Middle East Health Mental health Torture Violence Iran

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

March 1, 2021

Bielorrusia: las autoridades atacan a menores de edad para reprimir la disidencia

News

Pre-trial detention Europe Minors Protest Violence Belarus

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

March 1, 2021

Rusia: las cárceles de Moscú, colmadas de seguidores de Navalny

News

Pre-trial detention Asia Access to legal rights Material conditions Protest Russia

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

March 1, 2021

Ecuador: violentos motines dejan más de 75 muertos en tres cárceles

News

South America Protest Overcrowding Violence Ecuador

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

February 25, 2021

Équateur : des mutineries dans trois prisons font 79 morts

News

South America Protest Violence Ecuador

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

February 25, 2021

UK: different sides of a shared story

Interview

Coronavirus Europe Mental health Material conditions Social ties United Kingdom

As the pandemic hit the UK, researchers were banned from entering prisons. The Prison Reform Trust remotely mobilised about 800 prisoners to share how the measures were affecting them. Prison Insider asked them three questions.

February 24, 2021

Malaysia: stop sending MCO offenders to prison, consider other alternative measures

News

Coronavirus Asia Overcrowding Alternatives Malaysia

With Malaysia already facing an impending prison overcrowding issue where close to 70,000 are currently serving jail terms for various offences across the country, lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo urged the government to stop sending movement control order (MCO) offenders to prison as it will only worsen th…

February 24, 2021

Zimbabwe: prison inmates urged to embrace Covid-19 vaccine

News

Africa Coronavirus Health Zimbabwe

PRISON inmates have been encouraged to embrace the Covid-19 vaccine whose rollout programme that has been approved by the government. Zimbabwe this week received 200 000 doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine from China whose roll out begins today. The Vaccination programme has an overall target o…

February 24, 2021

Paraguay: six inmates die in a riot in Paraguay's main prison

News

South America Protest Violence Paraguay

Paraguayan Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday reported that six inmates died during a riot in Asuncion’s Tacumbu prison, as they demanded equal rights with the rest of the country’s penitentiaries.

February 24, 2021

République démocratique du Congo : comment lutter contre la malnutrition et les maladies dans les prisons ?

News

Africa Health Congo - Kinshasa

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

February 24, 2021

North Korea: orders expansion of political prison camp system

News

Asia Discipline Facilities North Korea

North Korea recently enacted an “anti-reactionary thought law” and is punishing violators with heavy sentences such as hard labor and the death penalty.

February 24, 2021

New Zealand: treatment at Auckland women's prison 'degrading' and 'inhumane' - judge

News

Women Oceania Access to legal rights Justice Material conditions Violence New Zealand

Auckland Women’s Prison treated inmates in a “degrading,” “cruel” and “inhumane” manner in a “concerted effort to break their spirit,” according to a stinging ruling from a district court judge.

February 24, 2021

India: misgendering, sexual violence, what it is to be a transgender in a prison

News

Asia LGBTQI Violence India

The Wire’s Sukanya finds how the transgender community faced physical and sexual violence in Indian prisons, and their complaints overlooked by the authorities.

February 18, 2021

Switzerland: "in the evening, the shouting starts"

Testimonial

Europe Material conditions Work Switzerland

Georges was incarcerated for 12 months in the prison of Fribourg while awaiting sentencing. He recounts how a day in prison unfolds.

February 18, 2021

Ireland: prison service and HSE seek to put new supports in place to reduce self-harm in prisons

News

Europe Health Ireland

The National Office for Suicide Prevention and the Irish Prison Service want to implement new support services to address self-harming and suicidal behaviour in the country’s jails.

February 18, 2021

Ireland: €3.7m spent on medicine for prison inmates over the last two years

News

Europe Health Drugs Ireland

More than €3.7m has been spent by the Irish Prison Service on medications for inmates over the past two years. The bill at a single prison can be in excess of €50,000 a month, according to the data, with costs highest at the Midlands Prison in Co Laois. The Irish Prison Service said many of those s…

February 18, 2021

Ireland: prison service insists it is effectively dealing with potential crowding issues

News

Coronavirus Europe Overcrowding Ireland

The number of prisoners has been rising as more remand court cases and more trials are taking place.

February 17, 2021

Ireland: social distress in prison

Interview

Europe Discipline Mental health Material conditions Ireland

After a significant reform in Irish prisons, the CPT remains concerned about the conditions of detention in segregation cells and for mentally ill prisoners. A member of the monitoring body told us what she observed.

February 15, 2021

India: after 70 years, Rajasthan amends prison manual that sanctioned caste-based labour

News

Culture Asia Access to legal rights Justice Activities Religion India

The move comes nearly two months after The Wire’s report had exposed conditions of institutionalised casteism in prisons of Rajasthan and several other states in India.

February 15, 2021

Russia: human rights activists have spent 30 years fighting for better privacy and cleaner facilities, but ‘holes in the floor’ persist

News

Asia Access to legal rights Material conditions Protest Russia

In recent weeks, the Russian authorities arrested thousands of demonstrators at protests across the country, sentencing hundreds to several days or weeks in jail. For many of these people, behind bars for the first time in their lives, state custody was a uniquely upsetting experience — particularl…