Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

October 16, 2020

Argentina: advierten por los riesgos de contagio en las cárceles debido a la sobrepoblación

News

Coronavirus South America Access to legal rights Health Material conditions Overcrowding Argentina

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

October 14, 2020

South Africa: sounding the alarm

Interview

Africa Coronavirus Crises Justice Health Material conditions Social ties South Africa

”The numbers kept going up, and up, and up and up…”. More than 2,700 South African prisoners are infected with the coronavirus. We have asked three questions to the NGO Sonke Gender Justice.

October 12, 2020

Venezuela: denuncian violación de DDHC a reclusos en la subdelegación Cicpc Las Acacias

News

Pre-trial detention South America Access to legal rights Justice Health Mental health Material conditions Overcrowding Social ties Venezuela

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

October 12, 2020

Estados Unidos: la paradoja de la pena de muerte

News

North America Long-term prisoners Access to legal rights Justice Death penalty United States

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

October 9, 2020

France: la journaliste Dominique Simonnot nommée contrôleuse générale des prisons

News

Europe Access to legal rights Justice France

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

October 9, 2020

France: le Conseil constitutionnel exige une loi pour faire respecter la dignité humaine en prison

News

Pre-trial detention Europe Access to legal rights Justice France

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

October 9, 2020

France: des kits d'hygiène féminine distribués gratuitement aux détenues de la maison d'arrêt de Nîmes

News

Women Europe Access to legal rights Health France

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

October 9, 2020

Albania: prisoners in Peqin prison go on hunger strike over poor conditions

News

Europe Access to legal rights Material conditions Albania

For several days, the prisoners and detainees in the detention rooms in Peqin prison have started a hunger strike, in protest against alleged violations of their human rights.

October 9, 2020

United States: prison labor is on the frontlines of the covid-19 pandemic

News

Coronavirus North America Access to legal rights Health Material conditions Rehabilitation Work United States

States like California, New York, and Arizona have relied on prisoners to continue working, with little pay and in precarious conditions, during the coronavirus pandemic.

October 9, 2020

United Kingdom: lockdown conditions leave prisoners at risk of serving longer sentences

News

Pre-trial detention Europe Access to legal rights Justice Activities Rehabilitation Work United Kingdom

Lockdown conditions in prisons have effectively ended opportunities for prisoners to take part in rehabilitation activities and progress in their sentences. For the nearly 11,000 prisoners serving indeterminate sentences (9,000 unreleased; 2,000 recalled), this could lead to them spending significa…

October 9, 2020

United States: conditions at South Carolina juvenile facility unconstitutional

News

North America Minors Access to legal rights Justice Mental health Material conditions Violence United States

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued notice on February 5, 2020 that it has found the “totality of the conditions, practices, and incidents” it discovered at Broad River Road Complex (BRRC), South Carolina’s long-term juvenile commitment facility, violated the juveniles’ Fourteenth Amendment…

October 6, 2020

Taste — 10/12

Inside Outside

North America South America Women Asia Europe Long-term prisoners

Each month, the photographer Bertrand Gaudillère creates an image or chooses one from his archives. Prison Insider sends it to a dozen participants, prisoners around the world.They are in Argentina, in the United States of America, in France, in Switzerland, in Guatemala, in Ukraine, in Colombia, i…

October 5, 2020

Bangladesh: hay que liberar a cientos de trabajadores y trabajadoras migrantes en detención arbitraria

News

Asia Access to legal rights Justice Work Bangladesh

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

October 5, 2020

Venezuela: el ministerio penitenciario ortogó 80 libertades con régimen de confianza en Guárico

News

South America Access to legal rights Justice Material conditions Overcrowding Venezuela

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

October 5, 2020

Argentina: por qué son cada vez más las mujeres presas por vender drogas

News

South America Women Justice Drugs Argentina

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

September 30, 2020

Argentina: not crazy or dead

Interview

South America Access to legal rights Justice Material conditions Torture Argentina

The treatment meted out to political prisoners during the military dictatorship sought to completely destroy them. Sergio Ferrari was one of these prisoners. We spoke with him.

September 30, 2020

France: dealing with helplessness

Interview

Europe Health Mental health Work France

The incarceration of mentally ill people leaves prison staff helpless in situations that they find difficult to cope with. Training aims to remedy this.

September 29, 2020

France: supervising, not banning, alcohol consumption

Interview

Coronavirus Europe Health Drugs France

“Alcohol is a legal substance, so why is its consumption permitted in society but banned in prison?” The ban on alcoholic substances even extends to hand sanitizer, despite the ongoing pandemic.

September 29, 2020

Argentina: "the system filters complaints"

Interview

Coronavirus South America Material conditions Protest Torture Argentina

The country has the third largest prison population on the South American continent.

September 29, 2020

France: "escaping the prison diktat"

Interview

Europe Justice Material conditions Overcrowding Activities Alternatives Rehabilitation France

The number of prisoners is increasing, short sentences are numerous, the recidivism rate is high. How can the entire prison system be rethought?

September 29, 2020

España: una concentración en Bilbao pide durante toda la noche otra política penitenciaria

News

Europe Access to legal rights Justice Spain

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

September 29, 2020

Afghanistan: life in prison, looking to the future from behind bars

News

Middle East Activities Rehabilitation Work Afghanistan

For many people, prison is only a place where criminals serve their sentence. But there are also prisoners who are transformed during their imprisonment, deciding to abandon their past and change their future. Recently the directorate of prisons initiated a new program called “Prisoners’ Literacy a…

September 29, 2020

Venezuela: los "pures" caen presos mientras intentan sobrevivirI

News

South America Elderly prisoners Access to legal rights Health Material conditions Social ties Venezuela

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

September 29, 2020

United States: California announces first closure of state prison since 2003

News

North America Facilities United States

A California assemblymember said nearly $200 million in operating costs will be saved after the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) announcement on Friday of the closure of a state prison in Tracy. The Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy was chosen for closure based o…