Editorial
Prison Insider's editorial
The members of Prison Insider periodically put forth their critical points of view -- different opinions from different people are the assets of the Prison Insider team.
Spain: first coronavirus death in Madrid prison in and 38 correctional officers test positive for coronavirus
THE prisoner had underlying chronic illnesses and was serving time at the Estremera prison in Madrid. A Latin American woman of 78 years of age has been the first prisoner to die in Spain due to the coronavirus, after she was evacuated on March 20 to the Arganda del Rey Hospital in Madrid. Furtherm…Malta: PN suggests temporary prisons to ease overcrowding and virus risk at Corradino
The government should consider setting up temporary prisons to ease overcrowding at Corradino prison and the related risk of the spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus, the shadow minister for home affairs said on Thursday. Beppe Fenech Adami said the prison authorities should segregate elderly prisoners a…Portugal: prisoners ‘of all kinds’ to be released as courts fail to meet judicial deadlines
Prisoners of all kinds – held on remand awaiting trial – are set to be released in the coming weeks because the courts have gone into basic paralysis. The trend has already started. A couple of weeks ago, the trial of dozens of Hells Angels was ‘post-poned indefinitely’ as defendants – many of whic…Greece: plan for early release of inmates to curb virus risk
The government has drafted a plan foreseeing the early release of up to 1,500 inmates in a bid to ease congestion in Greek prisons and lessen the chances of transmission of the coronavirus. The measure, which would be introduced by means of a legislative act that does not require parliamentary appr…
Australia: women released from prison are at much greater risk of violence
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…UK: concerns over level of self-harm at Durham Prison
CONCERNS have been raised about the level of self-harming in a “overcrowded’ North-East prison, to a new report looking at life behind bars. Durham’s Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) says while there had been significant decreases in the use of force at HMP Durham, from 612 in 2018 to 469 in 2019…UK: why rehabilitation – not harsher prison sentences – makes economic sense
How should we treat convicted criminals? This is a matter of continuing public debate, and varies enormously across countries. Even within the so-called developed world, there are wide variations. The US, for example, imprisons more people per capita (over 700 per 100,000) than any other country in…
USA: how Louisiana’s oil and gas industry uses prison labor
This story was published in partnership with Southerly for our Powerlines series, which looks at climate change, justice, and infrastructure in the American South. The series is supported by the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia University, and is part of…UK: concern over segregated transgender women prisoners
The segregation of a jail’s transgender women prisoners for “long periods” has been noted as a concern by a watchdog. The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) also had “serious concerns” about the lack of rehabilitation courses, and of women facing homelessness on release from HMP Eastwood Park. It p…France: confinement en prison, la contrôleure générale Adeline Hazan demande des libérations anticipées
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
France: la justice confrontée à un afflux de demandes de libération de détenus en raison de la crise du coronavirus
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
Spain: el síndrome de abstinencia agita las cárceles
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Sweden: cárceles saturadas
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Spain: la situación en las cárceles de Sevilla sin vis a vis y menos drogas
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Covid-19: l’ONU s’inquiète des risques de contamination dans les prisons et réclame des mesures d’urgence
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
France: à la prison de Rennes, être détenu et boursier, c'est possible !
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
France: pandémie et prisons, les instructions de l’administration pénitentiaire
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
USA: L.A. County releasing some inmates from jail to combat coronavirus
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is releasing inmates from its jails and cutting down on how many people it books into custody to protect those housed in close quarters from the growing coronavirus pandemic. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said deputies and police officers across the county have…France: les prisons coupées du monde, les détenus privés de parloirs
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French