#african-prisons

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UK news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 day ago

Young adults facing life or indeterminate sentences almost doubles in a decade

The number of young adults receiving life sentences has nearly doubled in a decade, raising concerns about their mental health and future prospects.
SF politics
fromTruthout
1 day ago

CA Should Send Prisoners Home Instead of Spending Millions on New Facilities

California's prison reform focuses on expensive new facilities rather than effective rehabilitation, with minimal budget allocation for actual rehabilitation programs.
Washington DC
fromSlate Magazine
2 days ago

They Had to Clean Solitary Cells. What They Saw Forced Them to Quit.

Solitary confinement work is demoralizing and involves invasive strip searches, contributing to severe mental health issues among incarcerated individuals.
World news
fromwww.aljazeera.com
2 days ago

Legal groups condemn arrival of a dozen deportees from US to Uganda

Deportation flights from the US to Uganda are viewed as transnational repression, prompting legal challenges from Ugandan advocates.
Medicine
fromTruthout
3 days ago

Our Prison-Like Clinic System Is Thwarting Effective Opioid Addiction Treatment

Methadone is essential for opioid addiction treatment, yet its distribution is heavily regulated by law enforcement, complicating access for those in need.
Social justice
fromSlate Magazine
5 days ago

The Horrifying Secret of the Child Detention Center We Shared as Detainee and Warden

The Cheltenham Youth Detention Center has a troubling history of racial segregation and a lack of memorial for children who died in custody.
#rikers-island
Brooklyn
fromCity & State NY
5 days ago

Where does each borough-based jail project stand?

Rikers Island is set to be replaced by four borough-based jails, but the project is over budget and behind schedule.
NYC parents
fromwww.amny.com
6 days ago

Rikers Island inmate dies in custody at Elmhurst Hospital on Sunday | amNewYork

Another inmate died after being transferred from Rikers Island to a hospital, raising concerns about medical care and conditions at the facility.
New York City
fromGothamist
1 week ago

Man dies in custody at Rikers Island jail, officials say

A 39-year-old man died in custody at Rikers Island, prompting calls for accountability and the urgent need to close the facility.
fromLos Angeles Times
1 week ago

California to pay $1.9 million to female inmates who say guards unleashed 'war zone' level violence

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reached a $1.9 million settlement agreement this month with 13 female inmates who claim they were subjected to 'war zone' level violence during a use of force incident in 2024.
Los Angeles
fromwww.bbc.com
2 days ago

Prison guard and gang jailed over contraband plot

Jason Thompson, a guard at HMP Isis, was suspended as the Metropolitan Police investigated his involvement in smuggling drugs and contraband into the prison. He was sentenced to four years and six months for conspiracy and misconduct.
UK news
London politics
fromIndependent
1 week ago

Five members of Dublin gang jailed for total of 34 years for torture of man 'that bypasses any notion of humanity'

Five gang members received 34 years in prison for torturing Barry Moore, including waterboarding and branding him with a hot iron.
UK politics
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

The Guardian view on prisons: sentencing reform has not eased the sense of crisis | Editorial

Prisons in England and Wales face a crisis with high violence, staff shortages, and inadequate reforms, necessitating urgent government action.
Mental health
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 week ago

Shameless cruelty': Father held under IPP for stealing phone faces return to jail

Prisoner Thomas White faces return to jail after mental health treatment, raising concerns about his well-being and the implications of his indefinite sentence.
Brooklyn
fromNew York Daily News
6 days ago

Video shows MDC Brooklyn inmates 'fishing' for contraband through window

Inmates at MDC Brooklyn attempted a contraband smuggling scheme using a rope and cellphone instructions from convicted killer Taxstone.
fromIrish Independent
2 days ago

Probe launched after inmate dies in Midlands Prison

The Irish Prison Service confirmed that the inmate died in custody on April 1. All deaths in custody are investigated by the Irish Prison Service, the Inspector of Prisons and An Garda Síochána, where circumstances warrant.
UK news
Canada news
fromwww.cbc.ca
2 weeks ago

As Ford government vows to keep more criminals 'behind bars,' data shows violence in jails is rising | CBC News

Ontario jail violence is escalating, with staff assaults rising to 11 per 100 inmates in 2025 from 9 in 2024, and inmate-on-inmate assaults reaching 67 per 100 inmates, driven by overcrowding and chronic staff shortages.
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Woman has sentence quashed by Tanzania court after over a decade on death row

A Tanzanian woman with severe intellectual disabilities had her murder conviction quashed after 10+ years in prison, though she faces retrial despite being legally ineligible for criminal liability.
Los Angeles
fromLos Angeles Times
2 weeks ago

Sheriff asks federal agency to review L.A. County jail conditions after inmate deaths

Sheriff Robert Luna requested the National Institute of Corrections to review Los Angeles County jail conditions following ten inmate deaths in three months and a lawsuit over unsafe conditions.
#electronic-tagging
fromIndependent
2 weeks ago
UK politics

Minister's plan for electronic tagging of prisoners faces fresh delays

Electronic tagging implementation for prisoners has been delayed due to no viable tender responses, marking another setback to Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan's rollout plans.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago
UK news

Ministers announce huge expansion of electronic tagging in England and Wales

England and Wales will implement the largest electronic tagging expansion in British history, tracking tens of thousands of released offenders in real time while focusing intensive supervision on high-risk criminals.
UK politics
fromIndependent
2 weeks ago

Minister's plan for electronic tagging of prisoners faces fresh delays

Electronic tagging implementation for prisoners has been delayed due to no viable tender responses, marking another setback to Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan's rollout plans.
UK news
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Ministers announce huge expansion of electronic tagging in England and Wales

England and Wales will implement the largest electronic tagging expansion in British history, tracking tens of thousands of released offenders in real time while focusing intensive supervision on high-risk criminals.
#lgbtq-rights
LGBT
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

Prison sentences for pair who attacked gay men hailed as sign of hope for Kenya's LGBTQ+ community

Two attackers received 15-year sentences for robbing gay men in Kenya, marking a rare justice victory for the queer community amid widespread criminalization and violence.
LGBT
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

Prison sentences for pair who attacked gay men hailed as sign of hope for Kenya's LGBTQ+ community

Two attackers received 15-year sentences for robbing gay men in Kenya, marking a rare justice victory for the queer community amid widespread criminalization and violence.
US news
fromwww.npr.org
3 weeks ago

Why women have an especially tough time in Senegal's prisons

Women prisoners in Senegal face severe overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, lack of menstrual products, and prolonged pretrial detention due to judicial backlogs averaging two years.
#prison-security
Brooklyn
fromGothamist
2 weeks ago

Screen the guards: Albany ponders prison bills

New York proposes random full-body scanner screening for corrections officers entering state prisons to reduce contraband, while also allowing visitor re-evaluation instead of immediate rejection when scanners detect suspected contraband.
UK news
fromwww.bbc.com
1 month ago

Gang which used drones for prison drops jailed

A seven-member gang was jailed for using drones to smuggle drugs, weapons, and mobile phones into prisons across London, accounting for approximately 75% of all drone drops in the region.
Brooklyn
fromGothamist
2 weeks ago

Screen the guards: Albany ponders prison bills

New York proposes random full-body scanner screening for corrections officers entering state prisons to reduce contraband, while also allowing visitor re-evaluation instead of immediate rejection when scanners detect suspected contraband.
UK news
fromwww.bbc.com
1 month ago

Gang which used drones for prison drops jailed

A seven-member gang was jailed for using drones to smuggle drugs, weapons, and mobile phones into prisons across London, accounting for approximately 75% of all drone drops in the region.
#prison-reform
UK news
fromwww.bbc.com
1 week ago

Plan to scrap most short jail terms comes into effect

Most offenders facing up to a year in jail in England and Wales will now likely receive suspended sentences under new reforms.
US news
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

A Criminal-Justice Activist's Baffling Crime

Prison-reform activist Alexander Friedmann was arrested for secretly smuggling weapons and tools into Nashville's new jail during construction, despite his prominent reputation in criminal-justice reform circles.
UK news
fromwww.bbc.com
1 week ago

Plan to scrap most short jail terms comes into effect

Most offenders facing up to a year in jail in England and Wales will now likely receive suspended sentences under new reforms.
US news
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

A Criminal-Justice Activist's Baffling Crime

Prison-reform activist Alexander Friedmann was arrested for secretly smuggling weapons and tools into Nashville's new jail during construction, despite his prominent reputation in criminal-justice reform circles.
fromGothamist
3 weeks ago

NYC is looking to hire a 'jails czar' to help close Rikers

The high-ranking role comes with a $180,000 to $230,000 salary, the listing states, and "will serve as a trusted advisor to the mayor, first deputy mayor, and the administration's senior leadership on all matters related to the closing of Rikers."
New York City
#criminal-justice-reform
California
fromLos Angeles Times
3 weeks ago

Newsom changed California prisons. What will the justice system look like after he leaves?

California's criminal justice system has shifted toward rehabilitation under Governor Newsom, with fewer incarcerated people and expanded rehabilitation programs, raising questions about the next governor's direction.
Law
fromAbove the Law
4 weeks ago

This Is Why Criminal Justice Needs Number Nerds - Above the Law

Data-driven evidence, not ideology, should guide criminal justice reform through incentive-based systems and rigorous testing of policies.
Law
fromAbove the Law
1 month ago

The Human Cost Of Our Broken Justice System - Above the Law

The criminal legal system punishes instability through policy choices rather than crime, with public defenders facing systemic barriers while seeking justice and reform.
fromTruthout
3 weeks ago

These Women Exposed Prison Sexual Abuse. Now ICE Wants to Deport Them.

At Dublin, she had been sexually harassed and verbally abused by an officer, physically assaulted by another, witnessed other officers sexually abusing women, and been subjected to retaliation. Before her arrest, Cristal had been a long-time permanent resident of the U.S. Her conviction for drugs invalidated her green card, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a final removal order based on her felony conviction.
NYC LGBT
fromLos Angeles Times
4 weeks ago

33 people died in ICE custody last year. Lawmaker wants to make California detention centers accountable

Private detention centers have earned millions in profits and continued to secure contracts with government agencies, despite well documented cases of health and safety violations. It is time for the State of California to use its legal and moral authority to inspect private detention facilities, hold bad actors accountable and close facilities with consistent, documented cases of human rights abuses.
US politics
UK news
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Tens of thousands of prisoners in England and Wales at risk of cell fires

The government abandoned its pledge to make all prison cells fire-safe by end of 2027, leaving tens of thousands of prisoners at risk despite knowing for nearly two decades that a quarter of prison places are unsafe.
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

Groundbreaking' UN agreement on justice for women to include those in prison for first time

The UN Commission on the Status of Women adopted groundbreaking conclusions explicitly addressing female incarceration, recognizing links between discriminatory laws, violence, and women's imprisonment for the first time in 70 years.
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

History longs to heal': how Africa hopes to advance campaign for reparative justice

The African Union declared 2025 the year of reparations and extended it through 2036, advancing a continental push for justice and redress for colonialism, slavery, and their lasting impacts.
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

The Man Who Broke Into Jail

Lieutenant Thomas Conrad was standing in a control room in Nashville's new central jail when he noticed something off with one of the key rings hanging on the wall. It was midday on December 30, 2019, and in two weeks the still empty jail would take in about seven hundred inmates. While contractors were finishing their work, Conrad, a senior correctional officer with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, was organizing equipment: handheld radios, handcuffs, and keys.
US news
New York Islanders
fromThe Marshall Project
1 month ago

Hopes Rise for Troubled Rikers Jail Closure, but Mamdani Faces Hurdles

Mayor Zohran Mamdani must deliver closure of Rikers by a legal deadline amid delays, activist pressure, oversight requirements, and construction of replacement jails.
#prison-violence
UK news
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

Governors warn of increasing violence of nothing-to-lose' inmates attacking notorious prisoners

Prisoners serving lengthy or whole-life sentences in high-security prisons increasingly attack notorious inmates because they face no additional punishment and gain status through violence.
UK news
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

Governors warn of increasing violence of nothing-to-lose' inmates attacking notorious prisoners

Prisoners serving lengthy or whole-life sentences in high-security prisons increasingly attack notorious inmates because they face no additional punishment and gain status through violence.
fromLos Angeles Times
1 month ago

Therapy, remorse: A look at how 'monster' child molester got parole and new efforts to alter law

He abused these children horrifically. He stole their childhoods. Someone that does these type of things, they don't deserve a second chance in life.
California
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 month ago

Charles Bronson releases letter from prison ahead of parole hearing

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.
US politics
US news
fromGothamist
1 month ago

NY prisons still staffed by National Guard amid ongoing vacancies a year after strike

New York's prison system maintains 4,600 unfilled corrections officer positions despite recruitment efforts, requiring continued deployment of 3,000 National Guard troops at a cost exceeding $1 billion.
#prison-education
fromwww.amny.com
2 months ago

Op-Ed | Do rehabilitation programs in prison help, both legally and personally? amNewYork

RDAP is a voluntary program that lasts between nine and 12 months (ordinarily, it requires roughly 38 weeks to complete in five-day workweeks, three-hour-a-day segments). The 500-hour program strives to educate inmates on the dangers of addiction. Most importantly, relapse prevention is stressed with the goal of helping inmates during post-release stay clean and sober to avoid reoffending. Congress appropriates more than $100 million annually for RDAP.
Public health
#ipp-sentences
#in-custody-death-review
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Brazil's Bolsonaro finds novel way to reduce 27-year sentence: reading books

Jair Bolsonaro's lawyers appear to have been reading up on the country's penal code and have found a way to help their client reduce the 27-year prison sentence he received last year for plotting a coup: by reading books. There is only one problem: the former far-right Brazilian president has never been known as a bibliophile. Sorry, I don't have time to read, Bolsonaro once declared. It's been three years since I read a book.
World news
US politics
fromLos Angeles Times
2 months ago

U.S. senators tour California City Detention Center, decry conditions and inadequate medical care

Medical care and living conditions at California City Detention Facility are inadequate, with moldy food, foul drinking water, and growing detainee populations amid ICE expansion.
UK politics
fromwww.bbc.com
2 months ago

Poor decisions in extending prison lease, MPs say

A £4m-a-year lease for HMP Dartmoor was signed despite known radon risks, causing projected £68m remediation costs and creating uncertain value for taxpayers.
World news
fromwww.dw.com
1 month ago

Death Penalty on the decline in Southeast Asia

Several Southeast Asian governments are reducing death-penalty use and moving cautiously toward abolition through moratoriums and legal reforms that remove mandatory capital punishment.
Law
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Record number of offenders being recalled to prison in England and Wales

Record offender recalls have surged; many deliberately breach licence terms to return and traffic drugs while early-release rules and overcrowding reduce support and housing.
World news
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

I was overwhlemed, it was a miracle': the jailed mothers getting a second chance in Colombia

Colombia's Public Utility law enables first-time female offenders who are heads of households to serve remaining sentences in the community, allowing early releases for qualifying women.
US politics
fromTruthout
2 months ago

We Can Honor Renee Nicole Good's Life by Abolishing Death-Making Institutions

ICE agents have killed civilians, including Renee Nicole Good, revealing systemic violence and prompting grief-driven abolitionist organizing, solidarity, and labor activism.
fromwww.bbc.com
2 months ago

Lammy blocks Jimmy Mizen killer's open prison move

Metropolitan Police/PA Wire Justice Secretary David Lammy has intervened to block the transfer of a killer to an open prison after it emerged he had released drill music with lyrics referencing the murder, under a pseudonym. Jake Fahri was sentenced to life in 2009 for killing 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen by throwing an oven dish at him that shattered and severed the arteries in his neck.
UK politics
California
fromwww.mercurynews.com
1 month ago

Opinion: California promised accountability for inmate deaths in jails. A year later, no results.

California's jail death review law preserves sheriff control, lacks enforcement authority, permits redactions, and produced no completed reviews within its first year.
Social justice
fromwww.mercurynews.com
2 months ago

Opinion: A California diversion program saved her from prison and dying young

Community-based diversion with behavioral health, job training, and supports can break cycles of trauma and incarceration and enable educational and professional recovery.
Law
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Wrongfully jailed men call for change to England and Wales compensation law

People exonerated after wrongful convictions must still prove innocence beyond reasonable doubt to receive compensation, causing many long-imprisoned survivors to be denied payments.
US news
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Three inmates dead after possible riot' at Georgia state prison

Several major inmate fights at a Davisboro, Georgia state prison left three inmates dead and about a dozen injured, with 13 transported for medical treatment.
fromLos Angeles Times
1 month ago

9 inmate deaths already this year bring renewed scrutiny of L.A. County jail conditions

Nine people have died inside L.A. County jails so far this year, an alarming number for the Sheriff's Department as it continues to face a lawsuit from the state over the conditions in local lockups. Sheriff's Department officials said they are continuing to make changes, hoping to reduce the number of in-custody deaths and care for an inmate population that is increasingly struggling with medical and mental health issues.
California
UK news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
2 months ago

50,000 prisoners to be freed early in bid to tackle overcrowded jails

An emergency early-release scheme freed 48,931 prisoners in England and Wales by September 2025, allowing release after 40% of fixed-term sentences to ease overcrowding.
UK news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 month ago

Prisons unable to keep up with crisis of drones delivering drugs, report finds

Drones and underinvestment in prison security have enabled widespread delivery of drugs and contraband, undermining safety, health, and rehabilitation.
fromwww.bbc.com
2 months ago

Wrongly released sex offender admits crimes

Metropolitan Police A convicted sex offender who was accidentally released from prison has pleaded guilty to burglary and carrying a knife. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, became the centre of a manhunt in November after he was mistakenly set free from HMP Wandsworth while on remand awaiting trial for the offences. On Tuesday, Kaddour-Cherif appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court and admitted breaking into a garage in Walthamstow, east London and stealing bikes in January 2024.
UK news
UK news
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Supermax-style units' for most dangerous criminals to be introduced in England and Wales

Most dangerous extremist prisoners will be held in tiered supermax-style separation units with tougher conditions and potential legal limits on ECHR article 8.
fromwww.independent.co.uk
2 months ago

Ex-prison officer jailed after performing sex act on inmate

Judge Anthony Cartin remarked that Pinckard's offending was "only discovered because of a clumsy mistake," adding: "An officer gathering evidence found evidence from your camera." He noted that her camera "had been activated during the intimate encounter." Judge Cartin further stated: "The offence wasn't a one-off it went on for a number of months and the card was sent." In jailing Pinckard, he concluded that her "conduct diminishes the public confidence in the criminal justice system."
UK news
UK news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 month ago

Three African countries agree to take back UK migrants after visa penalty threat

Three African countries agreed to accept returns of migrants without UK legal status after the home secretary threatened visa restrictions.
fromwww.independent.co.uk
2 months ago

I've spent almost 20 years in prison for robbing 20. Now UK wants to deport me'

Sheldon Coore, 47, says Huddersfield is all he has ever known since his mother brought him to the UK in 1988 at just 16 months old to join his grandparents, who settled during Windrush. He was handed an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) jail term in 2005 after he put a man in a headlock and stole 20 from his pocket, having already racked up a string of previous convictions to fund his drug addiction.
UK news
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