Prison Insider

Prison Insider is an information platform on prisons in the world. Its objective is to inform, compare and share testimonial on conditions of detention, with regard to fundamental rights.
The platform collects, verifies and synthesizes existing data. It produces knowledge and makes it accessible to the greatest number of people - in accessible language and in English, French and Spanish. All our information is made public via our website, with dissemination via newsletters and social media. Prison Insider also facilitates a diversified network of actors involved throughout the world. Its purpose is to make information available for action.

Information about prisons is difficult to obtain and share. All public policies or practices must be informed with knowledge, if they are to be evaluated and expected to evolve. Prison Insider aims to provide a centralized source of factual, detailed and up to date information.

The criminal policy of governments dictates to what extent the country relies on imprisonment: the same causes do not have the same effects. The fate of prisoners will vary considerably from one prison to another, from one country to another, and sometimes within the same facility. Life in prison is decisively influenced by a number of factors. This depends on whether the premises are well-organised or dilapidated, whether family ties are maintained, whether there is access to health care, legal support, training and work opportunities. It also depends on the exposure to inhumane or degrading treatment. Prison Insider provides country profiles containing factual, sourced and up-to-date information. These profiles offer a representative snapshot of the legislative framework and detention conditions at the national level: criminal policy and its implementation, prevailing practices.