Prison Reform

Madagascar – Jails Hold more Pre-trial Prisoners than Convicted Criminals

By Samira Sadeque
The recent killing of 22 prisoners in Madagascar during a prison escape on Sunday, Aug. 23 has brought the extraordinary situation of the country’s prisons under a spotlight. Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has condemned the killings, criticising the current judicial system that has led to Madagascar’s prisons holding more people awaiting trial than convicted criminals.

Indian Jails Slammed as Purgatory for the Poor

By Neeta Lal
A media frenzy ensued in New Delhi last month when a popular television channel highlighted the horrific living conditions of women inmates in ward number six of Tihar Jail, South Asia's largest prison.

U.N. Remains Barred from Visiting U.S. Prisons Amid Abuse Charges

By Thalif Deen
When U.S. President Barack Obama visited the El Reno Correctional Facility in Oklahoma last week to check on living conditions of prisoners incarcerated there, no one in authority could prevent him from visiting the prison.

How Farming is Making Côte d’Ivoire’s Prisoners ‘Feel Like Being Human Again’

By Marc-Andre Boisvert
François Kouamé, prisoner Number 67, proudly shows off a sow and her four piglets. Dressed in his rubber boots, he passes by two new tractors as he happily makes his way to a field where pretty soon cassava and corn plants will start growing. “Look at those sprouts. It is a lot of work!”

U.S. Prison System Resembling Huge Geriatrics Ward

By Kanya D'Almeida
A nurse helps an old man up from his chair. Holding onto her arms, he steps blindly forward, trusting her to lead him to his spot at the lunch table.

The U.S.’s 64-Square-Foot “Torture Chambers”

By Pam Johnson
He has not had human contact or a good night’s sleep in nearly three decades. Every single day, he wakes to the sound of metal doors clanging open and a pair of disembodied hands pushing a tray of food through a slot into his 64-square-foot cell.

More Countries Turn to Faltering U.S. Prison Privatisation Model

By Carey L. Biron
Countries in nearly every region of the world are continuing to turn to a U.S.-led model of prison privatisation despite mounting evidence that such systems are often neither cost-efficient nor able to provide adequate services.

U.S. to Roll Back Mandatory Sentences for Drugs Crimes

By Carey L. Biron
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has directed the Justice Department to institute a slew of major reforms to federal charging policies that have long required automatic prison time for even minor drug offences.

U.S. Prison Population Seeing “Unprecedented Increase”

By Carey L. Biron
The research wing of the U.S. Congress is warning that three decades of “historically unprecedented” build-up in the number of prisoners incarcerated in the United States have led to a level of overcrowding that is now “taking a toll on the infrastructure” of the federal prison system.

Justice Lost in Mongolia’s Prisons

By Michelle Tolson
Tucked away from the scrutiny of civil society, Mongolia’s jails epitomise the limits of democracy in this county of 2.8 million people, where marginalised members of society often bear the brunt of a corrupt and under-resourced justice system.

Chile Deports Non-Violent Foreign Prisoners

By Marianela Jarroud
Chile is releasing and deporting foreign inmates, mainly in prison on drug trafficking charges, as part of a broader attempt at improving conditions in this country’s overcrowded prisons.


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