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Prison Fever
Stunned, frightened, confined and restricted, the global population had no choice but to face the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The virus has not stopped at the prison doors. What measures did each country choose to ensure the health security of prisoners within their borders? What were the consequences of the pandemic on the living conditions in prisons?
Prison Insider, a public interest information site, virtually opened the doors of prisons in the entire world to provide an informed view of daily life behind the walls From February on, a new page of the site was dedicated to the impact of the coronavirus on the prison world. This information is updated regularly and already covers 190 countries in some 7,000 newsflashes.
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Several observations were made:
In the interest of fighting COVID-19, public authorities drastically restricted prisoners’ fundamental rights, while often unable to enforce social distancing or provide masks, hand sanitiser gel and disinfecting products. Family visits were suspended in India, Belgium, the United States, South Africa, Mexico, Iraq and everywhere else Incarcerated people were confined to their cells and deprived of most activities It was not long before prisoners rebelled in response to these radical and dehumanising regulations. This sometimes led to bloodshed.
Later, a number of states opted for opening policies, implementing early releases Prison overcrowding was eliminated in some places before picking up again, sometimes worse than before, following a repressive policy hinging on prisons.
Our determined, independent and impartial team, inspired by a deep commitment for the respect of human dignity, relentlessly collected data from four major sources: the current legislation in each country, independent control bodies, non-profits and nongovernmental organisations as well as personal accounts from prisoners and their loved ones This colossal undertaking is especially important as Prison Insider is the only entity in the world to carry it out.
2021 promises to be particularly critical for the reinforcement of the three major focuses we have already clearly identified: inform, compare and share testimonials Prison Insider will continue to work on its ambitious project to create a prison index with the contributions of prestigious grandes écoles and universities.
