We are compiling a list of news articles, guidance and other resources from around the world on COVID-19 and prisons. This will be updated regularly.
International resources
WEPHREN are collating guidance and other resources on managing COVID-19 in prisons and places of detention from various countries and organisations which can be found here.
The ICPA has a resource page here
Prison Insider is collating information on the measures being taken in different countries here
COVID-19 Behind Bars is an independent journalism project tracking jails, prisons, detention centers, and other facilities of incarceration impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. Link here
The European Prison Observatory has a webpage on COVID-19: What is happening in European Prisons? which can be found here
The Association for the Prevention of Torture has developed a Covid-19 And Persons Deprived Of Liberty Information Hub available here
Europris have a dedicated COVID-19 page here
The Amend Team is developing real-time strategies and guidance for correctional facilities grappling with the life threatening challenges of COVID-19 here
The Fair Trials Covid-19 Justice Project can be found here
Information on measures being taken by different countries in dealing with the pandemic in prisons can be found here
Justice Project Pakistan has produced a live global map which is tracking reported cases of prisoners testing positive and dying of the virus across the world. You can view the map here
The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody has a Coronavirus Information Hub which can be accessed here
A special open access issue of the Victims and Offenders journal has been published focussing on the impact of the pandemic in prisons in a number of countries. The journal can be accessed here
The Council of Europe has published a report on "Prisons and Prisoners in Europe in Pandemic Times: An evaluation of the medium-term impact of the COVID-19 on prison populations" which is available here
Policy statements and guidance
The WHO has issued guidance on Preventing COVID-19 outbreak in prisons which can be found here
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture has issued a statement of principles relating to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which can be found here
Penal Reform International have produced a briefing note on Coronavirus: Healthcare and human rights of people in prison here
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has issued a statement here
UNODC has published a position paper on Position Paper on COVID-19 preparedness and responses in prisons here
On 23 March the Regional Penitentiary Academy for Latin America organised a virtual conference of senior prison administrators in the region to discuss the issue of Covid 19 and to learn from each other about initiatives to manage the situation in prisons. Professor Andrew Coyle was invited to set the scene for the conference and a copy of his statement is available here
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative has published a report on COVID - 19 and Prisons in the Commonwealth: Ensuring An Effective Response here
Children in detention are at heightened risk of contracting COVID-19 and should be released: Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore here
Physicians for Human Rights Israel has published a report on Health Remanded to Custody: The Future of the Prison Health Care System in Israel which can be found here
News articles from 13 March - 30 November 2020 can be found here
News 29 November
Americas
Canada - How Ontario can save money by investing in legal aid for at-risk people
Ecuador Doubles Prison Guards To Quell Violence
https://www.barrons.com/news/ecuador-doubles-prison-guards-to-quell-violence-01669665608?tesla=y
Asia
Central prison in Afghanistan’s Herat launches capacity building programmes for prisoners
Bangladesh - Inmates live subhuman life in overcrowded jails
https://www.newagebd.net/article/187750/inmates-live-subhuman-life-in-overcrowded-jails
Cambodia - Complaint boxes installed in prisons for inmates
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501192697/complaint-boxes-installed-in-prisons-for-inmates/
Japanese death row inmates sue over 'cruel' hanging
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/1129/1338896-japan-execution/
Europe
Anti-torture committee highlights continuing overcrowding and staff shortages in Belgium’s prisons
News 26 – 28 November
Africa
South Africa: Prisons Watchdog Needs Sharper Teeth
https://allafrica.com/stories/202211280224.html
Americas
Argentina's prison system is holding thousands more inmates than it can house
US - For Minimum Security Federal Prisoners, The Past Two Years Have Been Rocky
Asia
India - The President’s caution on overcrowding of prisons is a wake-up call to the executive and judiciary
Nepal - Health workers being trained to carry out mental health screening of prisoners
Philippines - BuCor eyes building national prisons in all 17 PH regions
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1698319/bucor-eyes-building-national-prisons-in-all-17-ph-regions
Europe
Cyprus - Justice minister receives damning prisons report, will ‘act accordingly’
England and Wales - Inquiry launched into staffing issues in the prison system
England and Wales - Reading app to help prison leavers turn new page
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/reading-app-to-help-prison-leavers-turn-new-page
French prison population reaches a record 120% capacity
http://www.euronews.com/2022/11/28/french-prison-population-reaches-a-record-120-capacity
Dance classes give hope to Portuguese prisoners
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221128-dance-classes-give-hope-to-portuguese-prisoners
Welsh council to take control of prison social care responsibilities
https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-council-to-take-control-of-prison-social-care-responsibilities/
Oceania
New Zealand - Highest risk offenders may be missing out on vital rehab because of psychologist shortage at Corrections
News 25 November
Americas
Canada - Working prisoners are entitled to employment and safety standards just like anybody else
Europe
England and Wales - Life After Prison: Podcast wants to break stigma of leaving jail
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-63701161
England and Wales - Doubts over effectiveness of post-prison services in Wales
https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/80014/doubts-over-effectiveness-of-post-prison-services-in-wales/
Scottish Prison Service spent about £1m on digital contractor fees during the pandemic
Scotland - Sturgeon urged to bin £4.12m phones for prisoner policy
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23147596.sturgeon-urged-bin-4-12m-phones-prisoner-policy/
Oceania
Australia - Changes to the NT's mandatory sentencing laws pass parliament, prisoner numbers reach new record
News 24 November
Americas
Human rights organization Curaçao: situation in Block 1 of SDKK prison again dire
US - Overcrowding, Lack of Healthcare Access Help Increase COVID Mortality in Prisons
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/101920
US - Three Georgia jail guards charged over beating caught on video
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/23/georgia-inmate-beating-officers-charged
Asia
Maldives - All calls from prison are now monitored: Prison Commissioner
Europe
Highest number of people on remand in England and Wales for over 50 years
England and Wales - Autism and ADHD: the youth justice system is harming neurodivergent children
England and Wales - London probation services shockingly bad - inspectorate
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-63714964
Northern Ireland - Magilligan prisoners planting trees for the future
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-63712971
Oceania
Australia (ACT) - Bored prisoners contribute to prison tension
https://citynews.com.au/2022/bored-prisoners-contribute-to-prison-tension/
News 23 November
Africa
Nigerian Prisons record zero COVID-19 case since outbreak —CGP
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/11/nigerian-prisons-record-zero-covid-19-case-since-outbreak-cgp/
Americas
Canada - The criminal justice system is retraumatizing victims of violent crime
US - The Case For Taxing Prison Labor
https://www.forbes.com/sites/taxnotes/2022/11/22/the-case-for-taxing-prison-labor/
US - Colorado Prisons Hold People In Painful Metal Shackles For Weeks, Report Says
https://theappeal.org/colorado-prisons-metal-shackles/
US (Kansas) - The cost of talking to family from prison strains ties that help inmates thrive after release
Asia
India - Jail despite bail: Lacking money or social connections, hundreds languish behind bars
The Philippines’ Corruption-Ridden Prison System
https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/philippines-corruption-ridden-prison-system
Saudi execution spree continues as fears rise for Jordanian on death row
Europe
French magistrates go on strike over work conditions that encourage 'cheap justice'
Italy - 45 probed for 'torturing' Ivrea prison inmates
News 22 November
Africa
Prison guards in Uganda denied phones to avoid distraction during World Cup
Americas
‘They Lack Everything’: Crisis in Argentina’s Overcrowded Prisons
Cayman Islands - Poor prison security deprives inmates of rights
https://caymannewsservice.com/2022/11/poor-prison-security-deprives-inmates-of-rights/
US - Health Care During Incarceration: A Policy Position Paper From the American College of Physicians
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-2370
US - Prison Mail Policy Changes Keep Incarcerated People From Receiving Mail, Packages
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/prison-mail-policy-changes-new-york
US - Alabama Suspends Executions After Lethal Injection Problems
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/us/alabama-executions-lethal-injection.html
Europe
Ireland - Lack of disability placement leaves vulnerable woman on remand in prison
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41011589.html
Portugal - Prison guards on strike
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-11-21/prison-guards-on-strike/72260
Oceania
Australia - Report praises governance of prison confinement regimes
New Zealand - Prison numbers declining - yet violent crime, gang numbers increasing
News 19-21 November
Africa
Nigeria - Victims of wrongful imprisonment recount harrowing tales, lawyers seek reforms
https://punchng.com/victims-of-wrongful-imprisonment-recount-harrowing-tales-lawyers-seek-reforms/
Zimbabwe - Mnangagwa's govt to build new prisons
https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-225557.html
Americas
Ten killed as gang bosses’ transfer sparks prison riot in Ecuador
Trinidad & Tobago - Needy prisoners left without soap, sanitary supplies
https://newsday.co.tt/2022/11/20/needy-prisoners-left-without-soap-sanitary-supplies/
US - New Mexico is Paying Millions to Take Control of Private Prisons as Inmate Populations Decline
US - More 'freedom libraries' arrive in Louisiana state prisons: 'If we build it, they will come'
US (Tennessee) - Mandatory life in prison declared unconstitutional for juvenile offenders by TN Supreme Court
Asia
India - ‘Over 13,000 inmates in jail built for 5,200’
Packed cells, poor facilities, no rights—new book shows huge gaps for women in Indian jails
Philippines - Even behind bars, prisoners take part in crimes. Here’s why.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/even-behind-bars-prisoners-take-part-crimes/
Europe
Cyprus - Prison guards remanded again over inmate’s murder
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/11/19/prison-guards-remanded-again-over-inmates-murder/
England and Wales - Prison guards 'leaving profession in droves' fuelled by inmate overcrowding
England and Wales - Rishi Sunak vows to increase prison capacity in crime crackdown bid
England and Wales - Inspectors demand urgent action on unsafe Exeter Prison
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-63677703
Greek courts abuse pre-trial detention
https://www.europeandatajournalism.eu/eng/News/Data-news/Greek-courts-abuse-pre-trial-detention
Northern Ireland - 'Putting children aged 10 before the courts is wrong': Calls to raise age of criminal responsibility to 16 in NI
News 18 November
Africa
UN 'Alarmed' Over Detainee Hunger Strike At Libya Jail
Americas
Survey finds Barbadians prefer rehab for criminals over just punishment
Canada - Inmate hunger strike highlights problems facing Indigenous people in prison
https://globalnews.ca/news/9287314/inmate-hunger-strike-problems-indigenous-prison/
US - The Hidden Toll Of Working On Prison Executions
https://www.npr.org/2022/11/17/1137380268/the-hidden-toll-of-working-on-prison-executions
US - When a Parent Is Jailed, Children's Health Care Suffers
US - Hundreds of Women Set to Sue New York Over Allegations of Prison Sex Abuse
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/nyregion/new-york-prison-sex-abuse.html
Asia
India - No ‘e-mualqat’ for inmates with families abroad due to security reasons, Tihar jail tells Delhi HC
Malaysia - Strategic system changes vital to reduce recidivism, says expert
Red Cross says ready to help decongest Philippine jails
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/11/18/22/red-cross-says-ready-to-help-decongest-ph-jails
Europe
England and Wales - Entrepreneur prisoners bid to turn back on crime
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/entrepreneur-prisoners-bid-to-turn-back-on-crime
England and Wales - Stocken Prison in Rutland needs more resources to prepare prisoners for release
https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/prison-lacks-resources-9284355/
Ireland - Inmates at Limerick Women's Prison sleeping on mattresses or floors due to overcrowding
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41008808.html
Sweden - Ikea pushes back against Belarus prison labour allegations
https://www.thelocal.se/20221118/ikea-pushes-back-against-belarus-prison-labour-allegations/
Oceania
Australia - Diverting children away from the criminal justice system gives them a chance to ‘grow out’ of crime
New Zealand - Prisoners win court action over wages and cost of telephone calls behind bars
News 17 November
Africa
Use of death penalty declines in Africa
https://www.dw.com/en/use-of-death-penalty-declines-in-africa/a-63777585
Americas
Canada - Judges should be free to impose conditional sentences when reasonable
At least five inmates escape from prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Peru, Chile Prisons May Struggle to Contain Tren de Aragua
https://insightcrime.org/peru-chile-prisons-may-struggle-to-contain-tren-de-aragua/
Asia
Bangladesh - Govt must ensure prisoner’s right to proper health care
https://www.newagebd.net/article/186603/govt-must-ensure-prisoners-right-to-proper-health-care
Europe
People from England’s most deprived areas ten times more likely to be in prison, analysis finds
https://www.miragenews.com/people-from-englands-most-deprived-areas-ten-897639/
England and Wales - Government spends more than £250k fighting Gartree ‘super prison’ planning refusal
https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/government-spends-more-250k-fighting-7827581
England and Wales - Failings identified at HMP Hull after troubled inmate dies in his cell
'Scandal' as Scottish jails quarter-filled with remand prisoners waiting trial or sentencing
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/scandal-scottish-jails-quarter-filled-28507337
Oceania
Australia - Five years since the NT royal commission into youth detention and child protection, there is hope, disappointment and fear
News 16 November
Africa
Nigeria has too many prison inmates awaiting trial—technology could achieve swifter justice
https://phys.org/news/2022-11-nigeria-prison-inmates-awaiting-trialtechnology.html
Le Sénégal lance le bracelet électronique pour désengorger ses prisons
Americas
Rare look at women, children at Peru prison
US - Incarcerated People Need Access to Phone Apps
https://www.vera.org/news/incarcerated-people-need-access-to-phone-apps
US - Polls: Death Penalty Support Remains Near 50-Year Low Despite Record-High Perception that Crime Has Increased
Asia
Bangladesh - No doctor in most jails
https://www.newagebd.net/article/186534/no-doctor-in-most-jails
Kuwait executes seven people convicted of murder and other crimes
Philippines - PCIJ audit finds PH prison system gaps: Congestion, kids in jail
Syrian amnesties freed less than 6% of detainees, report reveals
Europe
Cyprus - Prison overcrowding has grown worse in recent years
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/11/15/prison-overcrowding-has-grown-worse-in-recent-years/
England and Wales - HMP Liverpool: Challenging prison 'making positive progress'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-63624834
Oceania
Australia ready for next UN prison inspection
https://www.riverineherald.com.au/national/aust-ready-for-next-un-prison-inspection/
Australia - Queensland's youth justice review reveals children held in watch houses for longer, possibly pleading guilty to crimes they didn't commit
News 15 November
Africa
Prison conditions in South Africa need an URGENT upgrade
Americas
US (California) - Identifying childhood trauma a key to rehabilitating, reintegrating prison inmates into society
US (Hawaii) - Prison rape victims seek $7.5M in damages, but state argues it’s not liable
US (Washington) - ‘I don’t have the funds’: a diabetic prisoner pleaded for insulin supplies before his death
US - ‘If I could buy freedom, I would’: LA residents who can’t afford bail sue to change system
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/14/los-angeles-bail-lawsuit-jail-prison-reform
Europe
England and Wales - 'Model prisoner' found dead at Leyland prison after being refused parole
https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/model-prisoner-found-dead-leyland-25510089
Oceania
Australia - Queensland has more children in detention than any other state, report says
New Zealand - All prisons short of Corrections officers as jailhouse population climbs
News 12 – 14 November
Africa
Kenya - Organisation opens safehouse for women released from prison
Americas
Opinion: It’s time to end forced prison labor everywhere in the United States
Asia
India - Prison inmates stage protest over 'poor food quality' in Patna, report sought
Philippines - NBP, prison system need serious reforms
Europe
England and Wales - HM Prison and Probation Service COVID-19 Statistics, October 2022
Ireland - Almost two-thirds of women in Mountjoy prison’s Dochas centre on methadone
Ireland - Vulnerable woman's death in prison must be a catalyst for change, campaigners say
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41004944.html
North Macedonia to pardon violators of pandemic measures
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/north-macedonia-pardon-violators-pandemic-measures-93174271
Scotland - Health bosses could be called in over 'shocking' state of HMP Greenock
https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/23114361.health-bosses-called-shocking-state-hmp-greenock/
Oceania
Australia could free a third of its prisoners with little risk to community, new research finds
Australia - Former inmates struggling to reintegrate into society due to minimal experience with digital technology
Australia - Calls for royal commission into WA youth justice, as judge again condemns Banksia Hill
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-14/royal-commission-calls-wa-banksia-hill-youth-prison/101650190
News 11 November
Africa
At least 17 prisoners on the run after Comoros islands prison break
Americas
US - End of slavery exception in state constitutions could reform prison labor
Asia
Philippines - P4 billion needed to build ‘supermax’ prison – Remulla
Thailand - Phuket inmates get cooking in ‘street food’ contest
https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-inmates-get-cooking-in-street-food-contest-86189.php
Europe
England and Wales - Durham Prison criticised over vulnerable inmate's hanging death
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-63587888
Scotland - Lengthy Covid isolation for prisoners ‘risked breaching human rights’
Turks risk losing Europe's human rights protections after court spurned
Oceania
Australia - How a cell-free facility is leading the way for NSW prisons
https://www.2gb.com/ray-hadley-broadcasts-from-innovative-nsw-prison/
Australia - NT juvenile justice system has ‘undoubtedly gone backwards’
New Zealand - Courts and justice staff across NZ take industrial action over cost of living
News 10 November
Americas
Latin American Countries Release Thousands of Criminals from Prison
US - Voters approve limits on forced prison labor in four states
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/nov/9/voters-approve-limits-on-forced-prison-labor-in-fo/
US - ICE Loves to Buy Furniture Made With Prison Labor, Documents Show
https://gizmodo.com/ice-prison-labor-unicor-furniture-admission-kit-hygiene-1849629394
US - Alabama Prison Crisis Continues With 17th Recorded Homicide
Asia
Philippines - DOJ to check possible liability of jail officials over unclaimed inmate cadavers
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/11/10/DOJ-unclaimed-cadavers-Bilibid-inmates.html
Europe
Minister: Amnesty will not affect crime situation in Belarus
Scotland - SNP ministers warned budget cuts to prisons will put 'community safety' at risk
https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-ministers-warned-budget-cuts-28446629
Oceania
Australia - New philanthropy-backed podcast created by women in prison
New Zealand - Slow progress for national arts in prisons strategy
News 9 November
Africa
Nigeria - Prison Decongestion: Over 12,000 inmates freed within last six years — FG
Americas
Guyana - Counseling replaces custodial sentences for small amounts of marijuana
Jamaica - Five prison inmates infected with tuberculosis
https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20221108/five-prison-inmates-infected-tuberculosis
US - Texas’ soaring psychiatric bed waitlist leaves county jails in a bind
US - Measure 112 passes, removing slavery language from Oregon Constitution
Asia
Young protesters undergo military training, patriotic education in Hong Kong prisons
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/protesters-11082022100105.html
India - Awareness class held for women prisoners on rights and duties
Japan - UN body slams death row conditions, demands progress towards the abolition of capital punishment
https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/japan/paris-tokyo-fidh-and-center-for-prisoners
Europe
England and Wales - Durham Prison death inquest considers if restraint caused death
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-63562152
Italy - Three prison officers arrested for torturing psychiatric inmate
Ukraine Considers Alternatives to Jail for Minor Crimes
https://iwpr.net/global-voices/ukraine-considers-alternatives-jail-minor-crimes
News 8 November
Africa
Nigeria - Group calls for strict implementation of criminal Justice law
https://guardian.ng/features/law/group-calls-for-strict-implementation-of-criminal-justice-law/
Americas
At least five dead and three wounded in new clashes in an Ecuadorian prison
Transfers of Gang Leaders Focus Points for Ecuador’s Prison Violence
https://insightcrime.org/news/transfers-of-gang-leaders-focus-points-for-ecuadors-prison-violence/
US - Kentucky governor promotes ‘prison-to-work’ program
https://apnews.com/article/prisons-kentucky-government-and-politics-a5166c6c0ed9792847cd7497364d0d9e
Asia
India: Conjugal rights debate puts focus on jail reform
https://www.dw.com/en/india-conjugal-rights-debate-puts-focus-on-jail-reform/a-63671294
Europe
Clearer, kinder and fit for today: Belgium to overhaul Penal Code
https://www.brusselstimes.com/318299/more-humane-clearer-and-modern-belgium-to-overhaul-penal-code
Netherlands - More prison detainees in 2021
https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2022/44/more-prison-detainees-in-2021
Scotland - Bill for new Highland prison rises again to almost £140 million with more delays anticipated
Oceania
Australia - Judge accuses WA government of 'flouting the law' over juveniles detained in adult prison
Australia - New South Wales prisoner assault statistics concern advocates
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-08/nsw-prisoner-assault-statistics-concern-advocates/101624424
News 5-7 November
Africa
Kenya - Virtual inmate visitation program unveiled at Nakuru G.K Prisons
Americas
Canada - Federal prison service hiring an executive to address soaring rates of Indigenous imprisonment
Canada - More people may join ongoing hunger strike at Sask. women's jail, advocate says
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/hunger-strike-prince-albert-jail-1.6641855
US - Why So Many Jails Are in a ‘State of Complete Meltdown’
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2022/11/04/why-so-many-jails-are-in-a-state-of-complete-meltdown
Asia
Pakistan - Juvenile Justice Committee set up for first time in Islamabad
https://www.dawn.com/news/1719204/juvenile-justice-committee-set-up-for-first-time-in-islamabad
Philippines - Senate mulls prison system overhaul
https://mb.com.ph/2022/11/07/senate-mulls-prison-system-overhaul/
Philippines - Senate to push for funds to start construction of separate facility for heinous criminals
Europe
England and Wales - Iceland hiring ex-prisoners in stores in recruitment drive 'good for society'
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/iceland-hiring-ex-prisoners-stores-28417099
Ireland - Those on probation orders earn 30% less – CSO
Portugal - Prison guards on strike
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-11-05/prison-guards-on-strike/71768
Oceania
Australia - NSW reversed decision to allow UN inspection of prisons at last minute, committee told
Australia - South-east Qld prison still in lockdown after inmates climb onto roof
Australia - Prisoner in intensive care after huge fire, riot tears through Adelaide jail
Australia - Queensland's youth justice system 'in crisis' amid human rights breaches, children's commissioner warns
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-05/qld-commissioner-youth-justice-children-watch-house/101610300
News 4 November
More Women Are Being Imprisoned. It’s Not Making the World Safer.
https://www.wola.org/analysis/more-women-imprisoned-not-making-world-safer/
Africa
Ghana - Remove death penalty from Constitution - Lawyer urges
Effective Mechanisms For Management Of Pre-Trial Detention In Sub-Saharan Africa
Americas
Canada - Prison watchdog raises concerns again about conditions at Edmonton Institution
US - Virginia Women’s Prisons Force People to Remove Pads, Tampons During Strip Searches
https://theappeal.org/virginia-prisons-tampons-strip-searches/
Asia
India - NCRB to upgrade prison security
India - Disease burden in jails
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/editorials/disease-burden-in-jails-447331
Philippines - BuCor OIC to implement 1-strike policy for jail officials
Europe
England and Wales - MP calls for change in prison release days to stop gangs picking up ex-inmates
England and Wales - Construction starts on UK’s first all-electric prison
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/construction-starts-on-uk-s-first-all-electric-prison
Oceania
Australia’s prisons to cost $7bn a year by 2030 as number of women incarcerated grows faster than men – study
Australia (NSW) - Segregations exceeding 24 hours at Juvenile Justice centres on the rise.
News 3 November
Americas
Canada - Legal group raises concerns about prisoner review system
Two dead in gang violence at Ecuador prison after inmate transfers
Promise of voting rights remains distant for those in US jails
US - Justice Department reports on sexual assaults by federal corrections employees
https://www.npr.org/2022/11/03/1133543089/prison-assault-justice-report
Europe
England and Wales - Model for reintegrating prisoners into the community ‘must be overhauled at the earliest opportunity’
https://www.thejusticegap.com/offender-management-in-custody-model-omic-is-simply-not-working/
England and Wales - 'Worryingly high' levels of violence continue at Werrington youth prison
Italy - The worst year for prison suicides – Gabriele D’Angelo
https://www.breakinglatest.news/news/the-worst-year-for-prison-suicides-gabriele-dangelo/
Scottish prisons could be plunged into permanent Covid- style lockdowns if they do not get extra funding
News 2 November
Americas
Antigua - Prison staff called out for failing to support colleagues in protest action
Canada’s prison system has changed little for Indigenous Peoples: Report
Canada - Courts, government bills are unravelling Harper-era crime laws
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stephen-harper-mandatory-minimum-sentences-criminal-code-1.6637154
Canada - Does N.B. need a new $32-million jail? Province won't release records explaining decision
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fredericton-jail-data-records-1.6636550
US - Sentenced to life for stealing $14: ‘I needed help, but was given jail’
US - Hawaii Corrections By The Numbers: Incarceration Declined In 2020, And So Did Crime Rates
Asia
India - Skill development training to prisoners in AP
Voter turnout in Israeli prisons at 80% as polls close
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-721228
Editorial: As Japan changes form of prison sentences, efforts needed to curb recidivism
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20221102/p2a/00m/0op/012000c
Philippines - ‘High number of deaths in BuCor’s detention facilities alarming’ – CHR
https://mb.com.ph/2022/11/02/high-number-of-deaths-in-bucorsdetention-facilities-alarming-chr/
Europe
England and Wales - Almost 75,000 defendants awaiting crown court trial, says head of CPS
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/nov/01/almost-75000-crown-court-cases-backlog-cps-max-hill
Scotland - Staff shortages at prison leading to ‘detrimental impact’ on inmates
News 1 November
Africa
Kenya - Prisons Urged To Appropriately Rehabilitate Inmates
https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2022/10/prisons-urged-to-appropriately-rehabilitate-inmates/
South Africa - Jailing is not always the answer
Americas
Guyana - Prisoners happy with meals; improved living conditions promised – Prison Service
Inmates Are Pushing Back Against Working In U.S. Prisons
https://www.newsy.com/stories/inmates-are-pushing-back-against-working-in-u-s-prisons/
US - Rikers Island detainee is 18th person to die in NYC’s prison system in 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/10/31/18th-detainee-dies-in-nyc-jail/
Asia
Indonesia - Restorative justice makes criminal law more humane: Deputy Minister
Philippines - Gov’t told to stop drug war to help decongest prisons
Philippines - CHR: ‘Death penalty inhuman, cruel, degrading, disadvantageous to poor’
https://mb.com.ph/2022/11/01/chr-death-penalty-inhuman-crueldegrading-disadvantageous-to-poor/
Europe
England and Wales - Lancaster Farms prisoners injured in protest over no clean water for nine hours
Scotland - Academia, industry and social enterprise join forces to support prison leavers
News 29 – 31 October
Africa
Namibia and Botswana agree to exchange prisoners
https://www.namibian.com.na/117377/read/Namibia-and-Botswana-agree-to-exchange-prisoners
Nigeria - Prison decongestion will curb jail breaks – Rights lawyer
https://punchng.com/prison-decongestion-will-curb-jail-breaks-rights-lawyer/
Rwanda - Over 25,000 in jail for drug abuse
https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/2183/news/rwanda/over-25000-in-jail-for-drug-abuse
Americas
US - Heavy equipment meets virtual training at Oregon’s only women’s prison
US (Pennsylvania) - Activists Put Solitary Confinement on Ballot, But Local Elections Board Nixed It
US - Iowa remains the only state without a compassionate release program
Asia
India - SC decides to examine poll law which deprives under trials, civil prison detainees their right to vote
Pakistan - Around 25 pc prisoners in Lahore, Rawalpindi jails prone to drug addiction: Report
Philippines - BuCor resumes visitation privileges for PDLs in maximum-security jails
https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/30/bucor-resumes-visitation-privilegesfor-pdls-in-maximum-security-jails/
Thailand - New law on chemical castration of sexual offenders gazetted
Europe
England and Wales - Remand prisoners ‘missing out on jobs and education’
https://insidetime.org/remand-prisoners-missing-out-on-jobs-and-education/
England and Wales - In Britain, a jail sentence is often a death sentence. What’s going on in our prisons?
England and Wales - Inside one of London's oldest prisons that's so overcrowded that inmates share one man cells
https://www.mylondon.news/news/north-london-news/inside-one-londons-oldest-prison-25360912
England and Wales - HMP The Verne criticised in Ofsted inspection
https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/23085805.hmp-verne-criticised-ofsted-inspection/
Northern Ireland - Prisons in grip of opioid crisis as one in five inmates getting treatment or awaiting help
Vegan activist takes Switzerland to human rights court over prison diet
Inflation affects Türkiye's unprecedentedly high prison population
Oceania
Growing prison populations in Australia are costing $4.2bn a year despite falling crime rates, Labor says
New Zealand - Whanganui prison to resume face-to-face visits after none for nine months
New Zealand - Corrections losing staff faster than it can hire them
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300726819/corrections-losing-staff-faster-than-it-can-hire-them
News 28 October
Americas
US - Why is solitary confinement increasing in federal prisons? New chief wants to know
https://news.yahoo.com/why-solitary-confinement-increasing-u-213232867.html
US - Colorado prisons’ restraint techniques amount to “torture” and need reform, lawmaker says
https://www.denverpost.com/2022/10/27/colorado-prisons-restraint-legislation/
US - Vermont still housing juveniles in adult prisons
https://www.vnews.com/juvenile-detention-in-adult-prisons-in-vermont-48586596
Asia
India - Psychological test of death row convicts is essential, says Supreme Court
Europe
England and Wales - Number of prisoners yet to be found guilty of a crime hits 50-year high
England and Wales - Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales: Deaths in Prison Custody to September 2022 Assaults and Self-harm to June 2022
Government seeks urgent contract to keep prisoners in Spain warm and fed this winter
https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/warm-prisons-gas-prices-20221028100807-nt.html
Switzerland - Report takes issue with treatment of long-term incarcerated
Oceania
New Zealand - Corrections spend $4m on TV ad amid desperate staffing shortages
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/10/28/corrections-spend-4m-on-tv-ad-amid-desperate-staffing-shortages/
News 27 October
Africa
Experts seek medical intervention for elderly prison inmates in Nigeria
https://guardian.ng/news/experts-seek-medical-intervention-for-elderly-prison-inmates-in-nigeria/
Americas
US - How Mass Incarceration Shapes Our Elections
https://www.vera.org/news/how-mass-incarceration-shapes-our-elections
US - Prison reform is on the midterm ballot
https://news.yahoo.com/prison-reform-midterm-ballot-095809483.html
US - Physical Mail Was My Lifeline to the Outside World — and Now It’s Gone
https://truthout.org/articles/physical-mail-was-my-lifeline-to-the-outside-world-and-now-its-gone/
US (Hawaii) - Judge: Prison Officials Must Release Names Of Inmates Who Die In Custody
Asia
India - When courts enter prisons
https://theleaflet.in/when-courts-enter-prisons/
Thailand - Health checkups for inmates as mobile unit visits Phuket prison
News 26 October
Americas
A made-in-Canada solution to help Indigenous people in prisons
Gang control of Ecuador's prisons leave inmates' families terrified
In the U.S., some 4.6 million people are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction
https://www.ktoo.org/2022/10/25/felon-voting-state-laws-disenfranchisement-rates/
US - Missouri Department of Corrections sees 25% increase in prisoner deaths this year
Asia
Prisons Dept: Malaysia looking to slash prison occupancy by two-thirds over next eight years
Pakistan: Court orders action against IG Prisons over inhuman treatment of inmates
Europe
Belgium - Ongoing 48-hour strike among staff at Saint-Gilles Prison
https://www.brusselstimes.com/312195/ongoing-48-hour-strike-among-staff-at-saint-gilles-prison
Scotland - Criminal justice groups warn of drastic cuts under spending plans
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-63391666
Oceania
Australia - Clarence Correctional Centre prisoners face lockdown as officers strike for second time in four weeks
News 25 October
Americas
One inmate dies in yet another prison riot in Ecuador
https://en.mercopress.com/2022/10/25/one-inmate-dies-in-yet-another-prison-riot-in-ecuador
Prison deaths mount in El Salvador's gang crackdown
New US prisons chief pledges truth, reform for ailing system
US (New York) - Rikers Island Sees 17th Prisoner Death This Year
https://reason.com/2022/10/24/rikers-island-sees-17th-prisoner-death-this-year/
Asia
Death row prisoners launch legal challenge to Japan’s no-notice executions
Malaysia and the Politics Behind the Death Penalty: A Tumultuous Relationship.
Philippines - 3 to 5 inmates die in BuCor prisons each day, says spox
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/24/22/bucor-3-to-5-inmates-die-in-prisons-each-day
Europe
England and Wales - ‘Over-ambitious’ HMPPS electronic tagging plan ‘threw away’ £100m
England and Wales - Racism ‘overlooked and ignored’ among UK prison deaths, says new report
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/racism-overlooked-ignored-among-uk-prison-deaths/
England and Wales - HMP The Verne inmates need more purposeful activity, report says
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-63378713
Oceania
U.N. torture prevention team suspends visit to Australia over prison dispute
Australia - WA prisoners in 'inhumane' conditions as mental health hospital Franklin Centre's waitlist grows
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-25/frankland-centre-full-mentally-unwell-prisoners-/101563292
News 22 – 24 October
Americas
USAID Launches Programme to Improve Youth Justice Systems in Eastern Caribbean
Canada - '20 minutes a day': advocates say B.C. prison COVID-19 lockdown goes too far
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/10/22/bc-prison-covid-lockdown/
US - Compassionate Release Program Underused as Prison Populations Age: Study
Asia
India - 448 Prisoners Released In A Day: How Chhattisgarh Is Decongesting Its Jails
Myanmar junta bans prison visits after parcel bomb attack
https://www.laprensalatina.com/myanmar-junta-bans-prison-visits-after-parcel-bomb-attack/
Pakistan - Court hearings go virtual on trial basis
https://www.dawn.com/news/1716195
Sri Lanka - New prison rules raise alarms
https://www.newsfirst.lk/2022/10/23/new-prison-rules-raise-alarms/
Europe
England and Wales - Prison’s ‘chronic’ problems are exposed in latest report
https://www.islingtontribune.co.uk/article/prisons-chronic-problems-are-exposed-in-latest-report
Ireland - McEntee confirms that prisoners on release are not being tagged due to cost
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40989929.html
Sweden's new right-leaning government to look at outsourcing prisoners to other countries
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/swedens-leaning-government-look-outsourcing-144516281.html
Turkey - Silivri Prison inmates complain of ill-treatment, poor prison conditions, says parliamentary committee report
Oceania
Failure to allow full UN prison inspections risks Australia’s international standing, experts say
Australia - Judge issues WA government contempt of court warning over children detained in adult prison
News 21 October
Americas
Canada - Mandatory minimum penalties harm the justice system
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-mandatory-minimum-penalties-harm-the-justice-system/
Abortion bans create ‘insurmountable barriers’ for incarcerated women in US
US - Louisiana begins moving child inmates to notorious Angola prison’s former death row unit
Asia
Punjab: Hundreds enjoy new conjugal visit rooms in India jails
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-63327632
Europe
England and Wales - Government ‘throws away’ £100m in failing tagging scheme
https://www.thejusticegap.com/government-throws-away-100m-in-failing-tagging-scheme/
England and Wales - Devon prison makes 'encouraging progress', say inspectors
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-63341603
Oceania
Australia - Malcolm Turnbull warns NSW and Queensland of ‘company they’re keeping’ by blocking UN prison inspectors
News 20 October
Americas
Canada - Almost 100 inmates in B.C. prison diagnosed with COVID-19
Canada - Inmates on hunger strike at women's jail in Sask. as concerns raised about conditions
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/pine-grove-correctional-concerns-1.6622343
New data tool details thousands of corporations profiting from U.S. prison industry: report
https://english.news.cn/20221020/ac5aa74036ea4fd887e8cc62ca167161/c.html
US - Restoring voting rights to those trapped by the carceral system goes beyond successful legislation
https://prismreports.org/2022/10/19/restoring-voting-rights/
US (Pennsylvania) - Jail officials across Pa. sound alarm as mental health crisis puts people at risk, survey finds
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2022/10/pennsylvania-county-jail-mental-health-survey/
Asia
Saudi Arabia: Rights group warns kingdom still issuing death sentences for children
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-minors-death-sentences-rights-group
Europe
England and Wales - Devolution ‘necessary step’ towards better Welsh criminal justice system, academics argue
https://www.miragenews.com/devolution-necessary-step-towards-better-welsh-878058/
Oceania
Australia - NSW using prisoners as political pawns, critics say, after state refuses to let UN inspectors into detention facility
News 19 October
Asia
India - Special living quarters for VIP Arthur Road Jail inmates soon
Explosions at Myanmar main prison kill eight -media
Europe
Bulgaria: CoE prison report finds violence, health issues and staff shortages
England and Wales - HMP Pentonville living conditions and overcrowding worsen
https://www.thejusticegap.com/hmp-pentonville-living-conditions-and-overcrowding-worsen/
England and Wales - New report uncovers ‘institutional racism’ in the justice system
Oceania
Australia - NSW denies prison access for UN delegation
https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/7948856/nsw-denies-prison-access-for-un-delegation/
Let the UN’s light of scrutiny shine on Australia’s prisons and detention regimes
News 18 October
Africa
Liberia: Prison Fellowship Liberia Sponsors 1,500 Children in School
https://allafrica.com/stories/202210170469.html
Americas
Antigua - Prison officers take to the streets to demand better working conditions
https://antiguaobserver.com/prison-officers-take-to-the-streets-to-demand-better-working-conditions/
British Virgin Islands - HM Prison to now get CCTV surveillance
https://bvinews.com/hm-prison-to-now-get-cctv-surveillance/
US - Inmate strike inside Alabama prisons comes to end
https://www.wsfa.com/2022/10/17/inmate-strike-inside-alabama-prisons-comes-end/
Asia
Philippines - DOJ aims to set up regional prison facilities ‘to humanize prison system’
https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/18/doj-aims-to-set-up-regional-prisonfacilities-to-humanize-prison-system/
Europe
England and Wales - Winchester prison faces damning report revealing persistent violence and 'vermin-infested' buildings
En suites, yoga and pastel shades: radical women’s prison to open in Scotland
Scotland - Court backlog has reduced by 10000 since the start of the year
Oceania
Australia - COVID-19 isolation policy sees girls in Alice Springs juvenile detention centre moved into boys' area
News 12-17 October
Africa
South Africa - Overcrowding and suicides a concern in SA prisons
Americas
Concerns grow as cholera spreads through Haiti's prisons
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/haiti-ap-health-portauprince-puerto-rico-b2200710.html
US - Costs of incarceration rise as inflation squeezes inmates, families
Asia
Cambodia - Prisoners are being marked for parole
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501169388/prisoners-are-being-marked-for-parole/
Iran prison fire death toll rises to 8 inmates killed
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iran-prison-fire-death-toll-rises-to-8-inmates-killed-177754
Malaysia - Two-thirds of prisoners to undergo community rehab by 2030
Pakistan - Inmates in overcrowded jails suffer ‘torture’
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2381682/inmates-in-overcrowded-jails-suffer-torture
Europe
England and Wales - HM Prison and Probation Service COVID-19 Statistics, September 2022
England and Wales - Black deaths in UK prisons are among most violent and neglectful, damning report finds
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/black-prison-deaths-violent-b2201312.html
England and Wales - Foreign detainees being held in jail despite completing their sentences, UK prison watchdog says
England and Wales - Backlog of criminal cases in Crown Courts reaches record high after strike
Ireland - How prisoners help each other with mental health issues
https://www.newstalk.com/news/how-prisoners-help-each-other-with-mental-health-issues-1391940
Italy - Prisoner kills self in Florence, 68th jail suicide this year
Northern Ireland - Long opens new Staff Wellbeing Hub at Maghaberry Prison
https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/news/long-opens-new-staff-wellbeing-hub-maghaberry-prison
News 11 October
Africa
SPECIAL REPORT: Criminalisation of petty offences in Nigeria violates the poor
80 Zimbabweans on death row; NGO urges Govt to abolish death penalty
Americas
US - Prisoners in Alabama keep dying as inmates go on statewide labour strike
US (Colorado) - Inside the nation's first and only statewide prison radio station where inmates use conversation to "become better people"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inside-wire-prison-radio-station/
Asia
Prison Riot In Northern Iran In Kills Several Inmates
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202210107513
Malaysia - Prisons Dept targets more inmates to undergo community rehab to prevent overcrowding
Philippines - Rights group calls for mass pardon for low-level offenders
Europe
England and Wales - Backlog of nearly 60,000 court cases won’t be resolved quickly despite end of strike action, barristers warn
Oceania
Australia - ‘Barbaric’ practices still used in Victorian prisons, human rights advocates say
News 8 – 10 October
Africa
Aregbesola wants 30% of Nigeria’s prison inmates released
Americas
British Virgin Islands - HMP neglected for years! Security very poor, prison review finds
https://bvinews.com/hmp-neglected-for-years-security-very-poor-prison-review-finds/
Cayman Islands - Problems persist for vulnerable prisoners
https://caymannewsservice.com/2022/10/problems-persist-for-vulnerable-prisoners/
US - ‘It just doesn’t let up’: Alabama state prisons rife with violence, inmates say
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/07/alabama-state-prisons-violence-strike-investigation
Asia
Bangladesh - Only four physicians for around 83,000 inmates
https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/2sw4r2cj3f
India - Mumbai: Only one psychiatrist for over 42,000 prisoners in state
Indonesia mulls introduction of a ‘probationary’ death penalty
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/10/indonesia-considers-plans-for-a-probationary-death-penalty
Pakistan - Early resolution of overcrowding in jails urged
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/998118-early-resolution-of-overcrowding-in-jails-urged
Europe
England and Wales - Criminal barristers vote to end strike over pay
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63198892
England and Wales - RAF prison plans a 'gross misallocation of taxpayers’ money'
https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23033073.raf-prison-plans-gross-misallocation-taxpayers-money/
England and Wales - Prisoners at HMP Spring Hill near Aylesbury living in 'unfit for purpose' accommodation
https://www.buckinghamshirelive.com/news/buckinghamshire-news/prisoners-hmp-spring-hill-near-7666840
Türkiye plans removing ‘no jail’ rule for offenders
https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkiye-plans-removing-no-jail-rule-for-offenders/news
Oceania
Australia - ‘Dying is normal in this jail’: teenager held in Port Phillip prison for four months
Australia - NSW Serco staff strike at largest prison
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7935349/nsw-serco-staff-strike-at-largest-prison/
New Zealand - Prison visitors ban 'unconscionable' - advocacy group
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/476421/prison-visitors-ban-unconscionable-advocacy-group
News 7 October
Africa
South Africa - Prison group fights to have cellphones in jails but authorities give reasons why they are considered contraband
Americas
Ecuador: UN torture prevention body remains seriously concerned by prison crisis after second visit
US - Biden pardons thousands with federal convictions of simple marijuana possession
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/06/biden-marijuana-pardon-possession-decriminalization
US - Survey: Crime Victims Want More Help, Less Punitive Justice
https://thecrimereport.org/2022/10/06/survey-crime-victims-want-more-help-less-punitive-justice/
US - The Stunning Neglect and Racist Politics Behind Alabama’s Prison Strike
US - Two inmates killed at California state prisons within 24 hours, officials say
Asia
Philippines eyes release of 5,000 inmates by 2023
Singapore hangs 11th prisoner of year: NGO
https://www.laprensalatina.com/singapore-hangs-11th-prisoner-of-year-ngo/
Europe
England and Wales - Plan to further expand new prison under construction
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c84gwk9nln3o
England and Wales - Young defendants pressured to plead guilty in 20 minutes
https://www.thejusticegap.com/young-defendants-pressured-to-plead-guilty-in-20-minutes/
Oceania
Australia - ‘It’s getting results’: New rapid-build prison having impact on inmates’ behaviour
https://www.2gb.com/its-getting-results-new-rapid-build-prison-having-impact-on-inmates-behaviour/
New Zealand - Lawyers trying to prepare for trials locked out of Rimutaka prison due to staff shortages
News 6 October
Americas
Latest Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 11 injured
Asia
India - Are women prison inmates entitled to special provisions?
https://sabrangindia.in/article/are-women-prison-inmates-entitled-special-provisions
Malaysia - 7 bills tabled for abolition of mandatory death penalty
https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2022/10/06/7-bills-tabled-for-abolition-of-mandatory-death-penalty
Europe
CoE Report: Pandemic Worsened Backlog in Balkan Courts
https://balkaninsight.com/2022/10/05/coe-report-pandemic-worsened-backlog-in-balkan-courts/
Cyprus - Prison guards call off strike but reject government offer
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/10/05/prison-guards-call-off-strike-after-deal-reached/
England and Wales - Prison educators vote to strike across England over low pay
https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/12550/Prison-educators-vote-to-strike-across-England-over-low-pay
England and Wales - Record levels of violent and sex crime cases in courts backlog for over a year
News 5 October
Africa
4 deaths, 30 cases of medical negligence in Egypt prisons, rights group says
Americas
Argentina - Human development workshops in Buenos Aires prisons
https://www.pressenza.com/2022/10/human-development-workshops-in-buenos-aires-prisons/
New clashes break out in Ecuador prison after deadly riot
El Salvador: Rising Prison Inmate Numbers Threaten Humanitarian Crisis- NGO
Europe
England and Wales - Swaleside prison in Sheppey 'buckling' from staffing crisis, warn inspectors
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/ministry-of-justice-blasted-for-staffing-crisis-274600/
Oceania
Government pledges full review of Western Australia's struggling juvenile justice system
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-05/wa-government-to-review-juvenile-justice-system/101500118
New Zealand - Staffing Shortages Compromising Prison Safety
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2210/S00023/staffing-shortages-compromising-prison-safety.htm
News 4 October
Americas
Canada - B.C. expanding post-prison support services to all 10 correctional facilities
At least 15 killed in latest Ecuadorean prison violence
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/least-15-killed-latest-ecuadorean-prison-violence-2022-10-04/
US - Why Keeping Kids Out of Jail Makes Us Safer
https://thecrimereport.org/2022/10/03/why-keeping-kids-out-of-jail-makes-us-safer/
US (Tennessee) - Prison reform advocate settles solitary confinement suit
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ap-nashville-corecivic-b2192438.html
US (Iowa) - Panel rejects $1-million payouts to inmates given vaccine overdoses
Europe
England and Wales - Campaigners fight plans for £300m HMP Gartree 'super jail' ahead of inquiry
England and Wales - Prisoners start as apprentices at big name employers
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prisoners-start-as-apprentices-at-big-name-employers
Letters point to an extreme abuse of prisoners rights in Turkish jails
https://medyanews.net/letters-point-to-an-extreme-abuse-of-prisoners-rights-in-turkish-jails/
Oceania
New Zealand - Human Rights Commission blasts Corrections over face-to-face visits
News 1-3 October
Americas
US - What’s Prison For? Concise diagnosis of a huge American problem
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/30/whats-prison-for-review-bill-keller-marshall-project
US - They’re in federal prison, and they’re done staying quiet
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/01/federal-prisoners-speak-out-report/
US - Biden pledged to end solitary confinement. Federal prisons are increasing its use.
US - What an Alabama Prisoners’ Strike Tells Us About Prison Labor
US - How Hawaii brought its population of girls in prison to zero
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/hawaii-brought-population-girls-prison-zero-rcna41532
US - Calls from California prisons will be free under new law signed by Newsom
US - ‘State of despair.’ Inmate suicides approach historic high in North Carolina prisons.
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article266543526.html
Europe
Cyprus - Prison guards continue pay protests for 12th day
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/09/30/prison-guards-continue-pay-protests-for-12th-day/
England and Wales - Prison education: Ministers to tackle ‘disastrously overlooked’ issue of prisoners with SEND
England and Wales - Violence at Peterborough prison down year-on-year but self-harm rising among women, annual report reveals
Ireland - ‘Health-led’ approach for drug-users in prison system
Northern Ireland - Justice Minister launches consultation on minimum age of criminal responsibility
Oceania
Australia - The time to end mass imprisonment in Victoria is now
News 30 September
Africa
Gambia: Hon. Ceesay - Gambia´s Prison Cells Do Not Meet Human Rights Standard
https://allafrica.com/stories/202209290441.html
Libya's Mufti denounces dire conditions in prisons across country
https://www.libyaobserver.ly/news/libyas-mufti-denounces-dire-conditions-prisons-across-country
Americas
At least 12 Haiti prisoners dead for lack of food, medicine, official says
US – Opinion: Thousands were released from prison during covid. The results are shocking.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/29/prison-release-covid-pandemic-incarceration/
Federal prisons ‘riddled with mismanagement’ probed by U.S. Senate panel
US - Alabama prisons reduce meals, nix visits amid inmate strike
US - Gov. Newsom vetoes bill to end indefinite solitary confinement in California, citing safety concerns
US - New Images Reveal Shocking Conditions in New York’s Rikers Island Jail
Europe
England and Wales - Prison inspectors concerned over 'high levels' of self harm in HMP Nottingham
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/prison-inspectors-concerned-over-high-7646075
Netherlands - Cabinet wants to up the use of ankle bracelets and community service
Northern Ireland - ‘Let’s keep option of remote courts after pandemic’, say lawyers
Scotland - New Glasgow prison for women with 'no bars or fences' due to open next month
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/new-glasgow-prison-women-no-25140608
Turkey - Inmates in Çorum’s minimum security prison not allowed to take university courses despite regulations
Oceania
Australia - NSW Serco prison officers walk off the job
https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/7924215/nsw-serco-prison-officers-walk-off-the-job/
Australia - Inside a women’s prison: ‘I’ve seen things no human should ever have to see’
News 29 September
Americas
'I have to keep fighting': Mexicans wait for years behind bars for a trial
US - Inmate strike spreads to all major Alabama prisons
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/09/29/qsmx-s29.html
Asia
Philippines - BuCor’s 37,000 PDLs get Covid booster shots
https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/29/bucors-37000-pdls-get-covid-booster-shots/
Europe
Leeds prison still has ongoing issues of self-harm and overcrowding despite improvements, inspection finds
Scotland prisons: Statistics reveal suicide death rate
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/22788767.scotland-prisons-statistics-reveal-suicide-death-rate/
Oceania
New Zealand - Prisoner numbers are down: let’s not go back to a ‘lock ’em up’ mindset
News 28 September
Americas
Brazil's prisons generate income, say pastoral workers
https://www.ucanews.com/news/brazils-prisons-generate-income-say-pastoral-workers/98911
Nearly 20 prisoners escape from a prison in southern Peru
US - ‘Slavery by any name is wrong’: the push to end unpaid labor in prisons
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/27/slavery-loophole-unpaid-labor-in-prisons
US - I spent years in solitary confinement. End this horrific mistreatment of people in prison.
US - California Private Prison Ban Ruled Unconstitutional in Federal Court
US (California) - Prisoners Forced to Work for Showers Are Now Being Punished for Taking Them
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/water-restrictions-drought-california-prisons/
US - Alabama prisoners refusing to work in 2nd day of protest
Asia
Lebanon: Drama therapist helps inmates with mental illnesses while pushing for reform
UAE: Police launch social club for prison inmates with library, classrooms, computers
Europe
England and Wales - Government change legislation to allow prisoners to take up apprenticeships following Committee recommendation
England and Wales - Call to re-sentence 3,000 prisoners trapped under indefinite jail terms
Oceania
Australia - Drug traffickers to face possibility of life in prison after loophole in SA drug laws closed
News 27 September
Americas
More than a hundred inmates escape from a Haitian prison
US - Prison Staff Shortages Take Toll on Guards, Incarcerated People
US - Report: Black Americans more likely to be wrongfully convicted
https://www.axios.com/2022/09/27/black-americans-wrongly-convicted-jail-prison
Dementia in Prison Is Turning into an Epidemic: The U.S. Penal System Is Badly Unprepared
US - Alabama prison system reports work stoppage after group calls for inmate strike
US - Judge approves ‘untenable’ plan to house child inmates in Louisiana’s notorious Angola prison death row wing
US - ‘Mandela’ bill would limit solitary confinement in California prisons and jails
Asia
India - Meet The Psychiatrist Who Works Inside South Asia’s Largest Prison Complex
Europe
England and Wales - Foston Hall: Report finds women's prison most violent in England
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-63038697
Latvia: Project seeks to help imprisoned women lead a better life
Increasing number of inmates filing complaints of right violations in Turkish prisons, says TIHEK report
News 24 – 26 September
Africa
Nigeria - Prison Congestion: Metuh’s Foundation rallies NASS, NBA, others to stem awaiting trial debacle
Asia
India - E-Mulakat to ease meeting with prisoners
https://punemirror.com/pune/cover-story/E-Mulakat-to-ease-meeting-with-prisoners/cid8604986.htm
India - Justice delayed: Over 1 lakh cases in lower courts more than 30 years old
Guilty until innocent: It’s time India got bail reforms
https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/opinion/guilty-innocent-time-india-got-bail-reforms
Pakistan - Efforts underway to transform prisons into rehabilitation centers
https://pakobserver.net/efforts-underway-to-transform-prisons-into-rehabilitation-centers/
Dozens of Vietnamese lawyers sign petition to abolish prisoners’ foot shackles
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/foot-shackles-09262022011913.html
Europe
Cyprus - Prolonged prison guards strike causing security concerns at central prison
England and Wales - Why prisoners are spending more time in their cells
https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/09/22/why-prisoners-are-spending-more-time-in-their-cells
England and Wales - Urgent call for review into sentencing pregnant women due to health risks
Ireland – Four life sentence prisoners have been in jail for over 40 years
Scotland - Trial scheme launched to increase victim confidence in justice system
Oceania
Australia - ‘Institutionalised’ inmate helped spark Parklea prison riot
News 23 September
Americas
Barbados - Prison on mission to boost food security
https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/09/22/prison-on-mission-to-boost-food-security/
UN Torture Prevention Body to visit Ecuador amid prison crisis
US - How Prison Visit Restrictions Force Parents to Make Tough Decisions
https://theappeal.org/how-prison-visit-restrictions-force-parents-to-make-tough-decisions/
Asia
India - Over 600 Vacancies In Delhi Prisons, Delhi High Court Told
https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/delhi-prisons-600-vacancies-high-court-told-210035
Taiwan - Cabinet approves bill to amend minimum security prison rules
https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202209220027
Europe
Italy - 25 guards probed for beating prisoners at Ivrea
How Norwegian prisons prepare inmates to become better neighbors
Scotland's Sheriff Courts: Serious criminal trials backlog until 2026
News 22 September
Africa
South Africa - Popcru wants more invested in police and correctional officers
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/popcru-wants-more-invested-in-police-and-correctional-officers/
Americas
US - Jail and prison will never be places a person with mental illness finds healing
US (Tennessee) Private prison contractor CoreCivic hit with two new lawsuits over inmate deaths
US - New York Prisons Are Blatantly Violating State Law Limiting Solitary Confinement
Asia
India - Over 19% prisoners on interim bail or emergency parole yet to return to Delhi jails: RTI
Malaysia - RM270mil saved through out of prison rehab programmes, says deputy minister
Oceania
Australia - Disability royal commission examines poor treatment and 'disgusting' conditions in criminal justice system
New Zealand - Despite Govt concern, Māori are a growing majority of those sent to prison
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/maori-are-growing-majority-of-those-sent-to-prison
News 21 September
Africa
Gambia - Over 200 inmates, prison officers vaccinated against covid-19
Why has Kenya not abolished the death penalty? Habit and inertia
https://theconversation.com/why-has-kenya-not-abolished-the-death-penalty-habit-and-inertia-189955
Americas
US - Hundreds of prison and jail deaths go uncounted by the federal government, report finds
US - Voters in 5 states to decide in November whether to abolish forced prison labor
Asia
Overcrowded Indian jails a blot on society
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/overcrowded-indian-jails-a-blot-on-society-1503113495.html
Europe
Cyprus - Prison guards to continue strike, new protest on Wednesday
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/09/20/prison-guards-to-continue-strike-new-protest-on-wednesday/
England and Wales - Youth custody system ‘dysfunctional’ and failing girls, report finds
Ireland - Why we need proper scrutiny of what happens behind prison walls
https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-40965704.html
Norway - High mortality rates after release from prison
‘We thieves and killers are now fighting Russia’s war’: how Moscow recruits from its prisons
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/20/russia-recruits-inmates-ukraine-war-wagner-prigozhin
Scotland - Prison population health needs: synthesis report
Oceania
Australia - What kind of country are we to treat children in prison with such cruelty and brutality?
New Zealand - Frustration grows as lawyers, whānau denied face-to-face prisoner visits
News 17 – 20 September
Africa
Report: 32 detainees died in Egypt's prisons this year
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220916-report-32-detainees-died-in-egypts-prisons-this-year/
Equatorial Guinea abolishes death penalty, state television reports
Americas
Haitian Prisoners Face Starvation and Death
https://insightcrime.org/news/haitian-prisoners-face-starvation-death/
US - School of Law members raise concerns as dementia rates in prison climb
US - Massachusetts Scraps Fees for Probation and Parole
https://thecrimereport.org/2022/09/16/massachusetts-scraps-fees-for-probation-and-parole/
Asia
Human right organization warns against ‘inhumane conditions’ facing inmates at Bahrain’s Jau Prison
Malaysia - Prison reform needs immediate action
https://aliran.com/civil-society-voices/prison-reform-needs-immediate-action
Europe
Cyprus - Prison guards demonstrate over pay
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/09/19/prison-guards-demonstrate-over-pay/
Oceania
Forum aims to find solutions for challenges facing Pacific prisons
https://www.fijitimes.com/forum-aims-to-find-solutions-for-challenges-facing-pacific-prisons/
Australia - Mother-baby unit at Tasmania's Risdon prison has been underutilised, a report has found
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-19/mother-baby-unit-in-prison-underutilised/101447646
New Zealand - Flagship Corrections strategy dents prison numbers but other changes slow-going
News 15-16 September
Americas
Mexico has released nearly 2,700 prisoners early as overall jail population grows
US - Prisoner Advocates Turn to the UN to End Extreme Prison Sentences
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/extreme-prison-sentences-united-nations/
Asia
India - Societal Rehabilitation Vital
https://www.thedispatch.in/societal-rehabilitation-vital/
India - Punjab: Inmates with good conduct can now meet family for an hour in jail complex
Malaysia - Prison Reform Needs Immediate Attention — KLSCAH
https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2022/09/15/prison-reform-needs-immediate-attention-klscah/
Europe
England and Wales - Delays leave man facing four years in Leicester jail without trial
Ireland - Former inspector of prisons warns complaints system is 'not fit for purpose'
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40962266.html
Oceania
Australia - NT a world leader in prison rates: report
https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/7905528/nt-a-world-leader-in-prison-rates-report/
Australia - Fears for safety of incarcerated children after fire in Perth maximum security prison
New Zealand - Legal action filed to stop Corrections moving women from Arohata Prison
News 14 September
Africa
Cabo Verde: Electronic ankle bracelets introduced as alternative to prison
Egypt: 3 prisoners die over 48 hours in prison
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220914-egypt-3-prisoners-die-over-48-hours-in-prison/
Americas
US - REPORT: Number of Black Americans serving long prison sentences far exceeds other groups
US - Administrative Barriers to Decarceration
https://www.theregreview.org/2022/09/14/rauenzahn-administrative-barriers-to-decarceration/
US - Monkeypox In Prisons: Urgent Action Needed To Avoid A Public Health Crisis
Oceania
New Zealand - Thousands of prisoners denied visits due to Corrections' Covid policy
News 13 September
Africa
Nigeria - Prison decongestion: Aregbesola seeks special funding for completion of 9,000 capacity custodial facilities
Americas
US - To Reduce Labor Shortages, Chicago Tries to Ease the Path From Prison Into Jobs
US - In Texas youth prisons, children trapped in their cells use water bottles and lunch trays for toilets
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/12/texas-juvenile-prisons-crisis/
Asia
India - SC: Lodging juveniles in adult prisons amounts to deprivation of their personal liberty
Malaysia - Alternative sentences to death penalty finalised, to be presented to Cabinet, says Wan Junaidi
Philippines - Bureau of Corrections frees over 300 prisoners
https://www.rappler.com/nation/bureau-corrections-frees-prisoners-september-13-2022/
Europe
Greece - Young offenders can pick community service over jail time
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1193143/young-offenders-can-pick-community-service-over-jail-time/
Isle of Man - Youth justice system 'disjointed' and not helping reoffending rates
Turkey - Women prisoners in Diyarbakır Women's Closed jail go on hunger strike against rights violations
Oceania
Australia - Vic prison population more than doubles
https://www.hawkesburygazette.com.au/story/7900072/vic-prison-population-more-than-doubles/
Australia - Aboriginal man dies in custody, the second in Victoria in just over a month
News 10 – 12 September
Americas
Bermuda - Government ignoring prison officers, says OBA
US - Bureau Of Prisons’ Interpretation Of First Step Act Will Leave Thousands Of Inmates Incarcerated
Asia
India - ‘Judicial reforms needed to decongest prisons’: Activists on latest NCRB data
Malaysia - How the prison department helps inmates return to the outside world
Philippines - Elderly, frail PDLs to be prioritized for clemency grant
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1183462
Europe
England and Wales - The tower is crumbling and is a 'danger to staff' and prisoners say they felt safer during Covid: Inside Strangeways this year
Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee holds High Level Talks in Greece on prison reform
Oceania
Australia - Seeking mental health and substance use support isn’t keeping people from going back to jail
News 9 September
Americas
US - Lengthy Prison Terms Not ‘Significant Deterrent’ to Crime: Report
US (California) - ‘Barbaric’ L.A. County jail conditions alleged as ACLU seeks federal intervention
US - Data shows New York is violating a new law banning solitary confinement
https://gothamist.com/news/data-shows-new-york-is-violating-a-new-law-banning-solitary-confinement
Europe
England and Wales - Defendants accused of violent crimes released from prison due to barristers’ strike delays
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/barristers-strike-trials-released-jail-b2162565.html
England and Wales - Publication of Government response to Covid-19 and the Criminal Law report and updated response on Legal Aid
News 8 September
Americas
US - Fighting an Unjust System, Bail Project Gets People Out of Jail, Reunites Families
US - Families demand a plan to stop COVID spread in prisons
https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2022-09-07/families-demand-a-plan-to-stop-covid-spread-in-prisons
US - Michigan prison set to close amid declining prisoner population; lawmaker objects
US - Florida's prison inmate population will likely increase, and there's already a staffing shortage
Asia
Philippines - DoJ told to address jail congestion
https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2022/09/07/473155/doj-told-to-address-jail-congestion/
Philippines - Almost 95% of BuCor’s PDLs vaccinated
https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/08/almost-95-of-bucors-pdls-vaccinated/
Europe
England and Wales - English prisons face strike ballot in low pay dispute
https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/12497/English-prisons-face-strike-ballot-in-low-pay-dispute
Malta - Treatment of detained people is back under scrutiny
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/treatment-detained-people-back-scrutiny.979391
Oceania
Australia - Inadequate post-release support drives up reincarceration rates: study
Australia - No education for detainees for more than a year at Canberra's jail
https://the-riotact.com/no-education-for-detainees-for-more-than-a-year-at-canberras-jail/589910
News 7 September
Americas
Opinion: Solitary confinement is torture. U.S. prisons should stop using it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/06/solitary-confinement-torture-prison/
Formerly Incarcerated People and Advocacy Organizations Urge Reform of US Bureau of Prisons
US - Colorado prison and jail populations reaching pre-COVID levels or higher
Asia
77 percent of India’s prisoners are undertrials: NCRB
Human rights groups condemn torture in Lebanese prisons
Malaysia - Design therapeutic prisons to improve wellbeing of staff, inmates
Nepal - National Assembly endorses Prison Bill, two other proposals
https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/131317/
Europe
England and Wales - Staffing crisis at prison near Rugby is 'one of the worst' ever seen, say inspectors
Oceania
New Zealand - Prison turns life upside down – giving low-risk prisoners longer to prepare for their sentences would benefit everyone
News 6 September
Americas
Bermuda - Prison officers under pressure, Labour Day attendees told
Jamaica - Gov't identifies land to build new, modern prison - Holness
https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/govt-identifies-land-build-new-modern-prison-holness
Asia
India - Supreme Court Issues Notice In Plea Seeking Reforms In Mental Healthcare Facilities In Prisons Across The Country
Malaysia - Prison, not the end of the line for inmates
https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2022/09/06/prison-not-the-end-of-the-line-for-inmates
Europe
England and Wales - Hundreds have spent 15 years in jail under abolished indefinite sentences
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/ipp-prisoners-15-years-jail-indefinite-sentences/
England and Wales - HMP Berwyn competently run but improvement needed and “plagued” by staff shortages inspectors say
Quarter of Scots prison population still awaiting trial
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-62799706
Oceania
Australia - NSW deploys facial recognition system into prisons
https://www.innovationaus.com/nsw-deploys-facial-recognition-system-into-prisons/
News 3 – 5 September
Americas
Antigua - UWI to offer more scholarships to HMP residents
https://antiguaobserver.com/uwi-to-offer-more-scholarships-to-hmp-residents/
Mexico debates its no-bail policy for nonviolent suspects
Asia
India - States should modernise jails, prison reforms law coming: Amit Shah
Israel's AG Pushes to Build Thousands of Prison Cells Despite Top Court, Ministries' Opposition
Jordan: Rise in juvenile suicide cases necessitates scrutiny of juvenile justice system
Kyrgyzstan - Many prisons still have cruel and degrading conditions of detention – NCPT
Europe
England and Wales - Hundreds of people being held on remand for years before standing trial
Estonia - Ministry of Justice plans to merge prison medicine with general healthcare
Ireland - Prison officers take over 17,000 sick days in two years due to mental health issues as stress takes toll
https://www.thesun.ie/news/9352500/prison-officers-17000-sick-days-two-years-mental-health/
Italy - New record 59 jail suicides this year
Portugal - President approves law on the installation of landline telephones in prison cells
Oceania
Australia - Victorian Liberal MP urges UN to investigate youth justice facilities over ‘serious breaches’ of human rights
News 2 September
Americas
St Vincent & the Grenadines - Skills for Youth Employment Program has been launched in SVG prisons
https://www.stvincenttimes.com/skills-for-youth-employment-program-has-been-launched-in-svg-prisons/
US - Prison air conditioning is coming too slowly for those who need it most
https://grist.org/equity/prison-air-conditioning-american-rescue-plan/
US - When Release Conditions End in Unjust Confinement
https://www.aclu.org/news/smart-justice/when-release-conditions-end-in-unjust-confinement
Asia
Palestinian prisoners halt mass hunger strike after Israel ‘ends punitive measures’
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-israel-detainees-mass-hunger-strike-jails
Europe
Greek prisons overcrowded, undignified: CoE report
https://www.macaubusiness.com/greek-prisons-overcrowded-undignified-coe-report/
Oceania
New Zealand - Mothers and children face separation as Arohata Prison inmates moved out
News 1 September
Americas
US - 11,000 Federal Inmates Were Sent Home During the Pandemic. Only 17 Were Arrested for New Crimes.
US - Ohio's expedited pardons provide a quicker path to a fresh start
https://www.ideastream.org/news/ohios-expedited-pardons-provide-a-quicker-path-to-a-fresh-start
Asia
Indonesia’s zero tolerance drug laws leave hundreds on death row
Palestinian prisoners held by Israel set to go on mass hunger strike
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-62730160
Philippines - About 10,000 PDLs at New Bilibid get booster shots against Covid-19
https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/01/about-10000-pdls-at-new-bilibidget-booster-shots-against-covid-19/
More than 2,400 people to be pardoned on Vietnam’s National Day
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/more-than-2400-people-to-be-pardoned-09012022012756.html
Europe
Ireland - Justice Minister Helen McEntee wants to see fewer petty criminals sent to jail
Oceania
New Zealand - Gang members increasing number of attacks on prison guards
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/09/01/gang-members-increasing-number-of-attacks-on-prison-guards/
News 31 August
Americas
US - California could soon restrict the use of solitary confinement in prisons and jails
Europe
England and Wales - Reducing reoffending ultimate aim of Thames Valley pilot prison scheme
Ireland - Murderers could face a minimum 25 years in prison as judges get new powers under sweeping reforms
News 24 – 30 August
Africa
Kenya - Thika inmates trained in making paper products for income
Americas
Canada - Public safety minister adds new rules on prison ‘dry cells’ for suspected contraband
US - Impact of COVID-19 on State and Federal Prisons, March 2020–February 2021
US - At $249 per day, prison stays leave ex-inmates deep in debt
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-hartford-laws-new-hampshire-illinois-b2154017.html
US - Mental health staffing shortage exacerbates stress among Alabama inmates, experts say
US - Locking up People with Mental Health Conditions Doesn’t Make Anyone Safer
https://www.vera.org/news/locking-up-people-with-mental-health-conditions-doesnt-make-anyone-safer
The Bosses Who Run Venezuela's Most Lawless Prisons
https://insightcrime.org/news/venezuelas-most-lawless-prisons-prison-gangs/
Asia
Cambodia will study suggestions by UN rights envoy that prisoners be granted more time in the yard and with family
India - Monitoring prisoners difficult due to overcrowding: Tihar Jail officials
A Separate Bail Law Can Help Decongest India's Jails: Experts
Pakistan - Islamabad Will Soon Get Its First Modern Prison
https://www.incpak.com/national/islamabad-will-soon-get-its-first-modern-prison/
Philippines inmates protest against prison food and warden by climbing on roof
Europe
England and Wales - Prisoners at Norfolk jail 'break rules without challenge', report reveals
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/wayland-prison-inspection-warning-staff-shortage-risks-9229258
Go-karting event for prisoners was a mistake, French governor admits
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/go-karting-french-prisoners-fresnes-b2152026.html
Oceania
Australia - Victoria paying more than $1m a day to keep unsentenced prisoners in jail
News 23 August
Africa
Cabo Verde: State wants alternatives to jail to promote prisoner reintegration
Americas
Ecuador taking prisoner census after more than 400 prison murders since 2020
El Salvador’s President Bukele arrests 1 percent of population in four-month “state of exception”
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/08/22/erya-a22.html
US - There Continues to Be Lack of Info About COVID-19 in Jail
https://www.governing.com/now/there-continues-to-be-lack-of-info-about-covid-19-in-jail
US - COVID tests at California prison’s linked to ‘potential breach’ of visitors personal data
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article264772074.html
Asia
Bangladesh - Inmates at overcrowded Faridpur jail suffer for lack of medical facilities
At least 35 North Korean prisoners are said to have starved to death in July
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/prison_deaths-08222022184150.html
Europe
England and Wales - HMP Lewes progress 'disappointing', watchdog says
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-62643072
England and Wales - Crisis deepens in criminal justice system
Turkish justice minister promises reforms to improve healthcare in prisons
https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-justice-minister-promises-reforms-to-improve-healthcare-in-prisons/
News 20 – 22 August
Africa
How COVID-19 transformed the Kenyan court system
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-kenya-court-system-60-minutes-2022-08-21/
South Africa - Corruption, ineffective rehabilitation in prisons a problem, says expert
Americas
US - Released during COVID, some people are sent back to prison with little or no warning
US - New York’s ageing prisoners languish with poor medical care and little hope
Europe
England and Wales - The urgent need for change in prisons after survey finds women face high levels of racism by staff
Criminal barristers in England and Wales vote to go on indefinite strike
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/aug/22/barristers-england-wales-vote-indefinite-strike
England and Wales - Over 300 years of jail time has been added to criminals' sentences since the start of 2021
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/over-300-years-jail-time-24798236
Ireland - Homeless prisoners: ‘It was better to be in prison than on the streets’
Oceania
New Zealand - Otago prison: 'Unacceptable' CCTV in use in some cells, bathrooms
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/08/22/otago-prison-unacceptable-cctv-in-use-in-some-cells-bathrooms/
News 19 August
Americas
Canada - Inmates building community in B.C. prison through totem pole project
US - Conditions in prisons during heat waves pose deadly threats to incarcerated people and prison staff
Asia
Justice deterred is justice denied for Indonesia’s victims of crime
With Israeli Prisons Full, Detainees Are Sleeping on Police Station Floors
Europe
England and Wales - HMP Spring Hill inspection highlights ‘awful’ accommodation
Turkey - Inmate who publicized mistreatment in Silivri Prison is subjected to disciplinary punishment
News 18 August
Americas
El Salvador plans to open 'mega prison' after 50,000 gang members arrested
https://www.unilad.com/news/el-salvador-mega-prison-gangs-crime-arrests-20220817
US - 'We're fighting a beast': Families accuse private prisons of failing to help dying loved ones
Asia
India - New jail manual promises welfare of prisoners in UP
Indonesia - 2,000 Inmates in Jakarta Prisons Receive Independence Remission
https://en.tempo.co/read/1623973/2000-inmates-in-jakarta-prisons-receive-independence-remission
Philippines eyes ‘world-class’ top-security prison
Europe
Ireland - More than 100 former inmates registered with emergency homeless services ‘on day of prison release’
Oceania
New Zealand - Prisons an 'inhumane environment' doing little to rehabilitate offenders - ex-inmate
News 17 August
Americas
US - DOJ watchdog publishes data dashboard to track COVID-19 vaccinations of prison inmates
US - Prisoner’s Death by Suicide Is 12th This Year at New York’s Rikers Island Jail
US (Virginia) - ACLU challenges amendment blocking inmates' early release
Europe
England and Wales - Paraplegic inmate taken to hospital in handcuffs among thousands of prison complaints
Italy - 52 prison suicides this year
Scotland - Courts backlog has shrunk by 7,500 trials since January
https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/courts-backlog-has-shrunk-by-7500-trials-since-january
Oceania
Australia - Number of women being sentenced to prison in Queensland quadruples in 15 years
Australia - Plans For Indigenous-Led NSW Prison Pilot Criticised By Advocates
https://junkee.com/indigenous-led-prison-nsw/338983
News 16 August
Americas
US - Report Details ‘Cruel’ And ‘Unconscionable’ Treatment Of Patients In Illinois Prisons
https://theappeal.org/illinois-prison-healthcare-lawsuit-settlement/
Asia
Pakistan - Prisoners conjugal rights: Govt asked to reopen family quarters in jails
Qatar - MoI boosts co-operation with QRCS on in-prison care, rehabilitation
Europe
England and Wales - Barristers’ strike disrupts more than 6,000 court hearings in first 19 days as action escalates
Oceania
New Zealand - No visits, limited video calls 'taken away any positives' for inmates
News 13 – 15 August
Africa
South Africa - Prisoners due for parole stuck in jail due to system failures
Americas
Canada - HMP on the verge of total lockdown as prison grapples with lack of guards
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/hmp-looming-lockdown-1.6549752
Mexico prison cartel clash spills on to streets of border city leaving 11 dead
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/12/mexico-prison-cartel-violence-ciudad-juarez
Confronting America’s ‘Cruel and Unusual’ Juvenile Detention Crisis
US - New York restricts families from sending packages to inmates
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-new-york-albany-doritos-andrew-cuomo-b2144839.html
Asia
India - As pandemic fades, Maharashtra’s prisons are once again overcrowded
https://theprint.in/india/as-pandemic-fades-maharashtras-prisons-are-once-again-overcrowded/1081997/
Saudi Arabia - Attorney General launches procedural guide to supervise prisons, detention centers
Thailand - Royal birthdays bring over 100,000 royal prison pardons
https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/royal-birthdays-bring-over-100000-royal-prison-pardons
Europe
England and Wales - HM Prison and Probation Service COVID-19 Statistics, July 2022
England and Wales - Rise in self-harm in women’s prisons
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/female-prisoners-more-likely-to-self-harm
Slovenian prisons lack 15% of prison officers
https://english.sta.si/3069141/slovenian-prisons-lack-15-of-prison-officers
News 12 August
Americas
2 dead, 4 injured in riot at northern Mexico border prison
US - Repurposing Correctional Facilities to Strengthen Communities
US (Washington) - WA state delays watchdog reports on prisons, concerning advocates
https://crosscut.com/politics/2022/08/wa-state-delays-watchdog-reports-prisons-concerning-advocates
Europe
England and Wales - Prison inspectors find poor living conditions and staffing shortages at HMP Wayland in Norfolk
Almost 1.5m England and Wales crime victims opt not to pursue cases
England and Wales - Crown court backlog edges up further
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/crown-court-backlog-edges-up-further/5113415.article
Ireland - Prisons used as a ‘dumping ground’ for the mentally ill
https://www.newstalk.com/news/prisons-used-as-a-dumping-ground-for-the-mentally-ill-1371711
Oceania
Australia - ‘Harrowing’ incidents of self-harm revealed among boys held at Perth adult prison
Australia - Power outages at Darwin Correctional Centre spark concerns over access to justice, prisoner welfare
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-12/darwin-prison-power-outages-disrupt-services/101315502
Australia (NSW) - First Nations Prison Rate Climbs, Despite Pandemic Drop in Overall Inmate Numbers
News 11 August
Africa
Hundreds escape DRC prison in deadly jailbreak
https://www.trtworld.com/africa/hundreds-escape-drc-prison-in-deadly-jailbreak-59619
Zimbabwe - 'Virtual courts may infringe rights'
https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-222243.html
Americas
US - Women’s Prisons Are Filled With Domestic Violence Survivors. A New Type of Law Could Help Them Get Out.
US - Court sides with Oregon governor over early prison releases
https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-oregon-pandemics-crime-aac4dc55930391b6cbdb7f0c2a0e42e0
Asia
Thailand’s inmates fight for glory in prison muay Thai championship
https://www.laprensalatina.com/thailands-inmates-fight-for-glory-in-prison-muay-thai-championship/
Europe
Belgium - Justice Department heads to heavy metal festival to recruit new prison staff
Cyprus - Minister denies prison spying on inmates
https://www.financialmirror.com/2022/08/10/minister-denies-prison-spying-on-inmates/
Oceania
Australia - Murder charge prompts NSW prison strike
Australia - New smoking ban in WA prisons prompt fears of jail riots
News 10 August
Africa
South Africa - Prison torture case: Inmates sue justice minister for almost R10 million
Americas
US - ACLU-MN sues Minnesota DOC for re-imprisoning people on conditional medical release
Europe
England and Wales - Ex-prisoners to help build new 'mega' prison at Full Sutton near York
Oceania
New Zealand Labour repeals three-strikes law its says led to ‘absurd’ sentences
New Zealand - Prisoners locked in cells for 22 hours a day amid staff shortages
News 9 August
Americas
US - New York will no longer use 'inmate' for people in prison
US - Human Rights violations in prisons throughout the South causes disparate and lasting harm in Black Communities
US - California puts some of its most vulnerable prisoners in solitary confinement. A state bill would change that
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/solitary-confinement-california-prisons-17360532.php
Asia
India - Ease of justice wanted for undertrials
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/ease-of-justice-wanted-for-undertrials-420158
Philippines - Bill seeking to establish penal farms across regions filed at the Senate
Europe
Cyprus - MEP sounds alarm at EU parliament over prison phone surveillance
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/08/09/mep-sounds-alarm-at-eu-parliament-over-prison-phone-surveillance/
England and Wales - New prison could be extended to house almost 2,000 inmates, Government reveals
https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/new-prison-could-extended-house-7436346
Ireland - Prison officers drafted into Mountjoy to deal with 'crisis' amid murder and riot
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/prison-officers-drafted-mountjoy-deal-27688516
Oceania
Australia - ACT Drug and Alcohol Court saves Canberrans millions of dollars by diverting offenders from jail to treatment
News 6-8 August
Americas
US - Senate to hold hearing on crisis-plagued federal prisons
US - 17 States and DC Have Stopped Reporting Active COVID Cases Behind Bars
US - Documentary highlights lack of accessibility for deaf and disabled people in Florida justice system
US (California) - Opinion: With COVID surges, there’s no return to normalcy in jails and prisons
Asia
India - Take action on releasing prisoners in jail for long: SC to Centre, States
Iran - Women political prisoners contract Coronavirus in Evin Prison
https://iran-hrm.com/2022/08/07/women-political-prisoners-contract-coronavirus-in-evin-prison/
New hangings take Singapore execution toll to 10 in four months
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2136691/world
Philippines - Congested prisons? Robin’s solution is to ‘regionalize’ them
https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/08/congested-prisons-robins-solution-is-to-regionalize-them/
Europe
England and Wales - Thousands of prison staff and inmates attacked in North East prisons
Turkey - Preventing prison visits violates Constitution, top court rules
https://bianet.org/english/law/265570-preventing-prison-visits-violates-constitution-top-court-rules
Oceania
Australia - Yarning circles in NSW prisons aim to reduce Indigenous incarceration rates
News 5 August
Americas
Cayman Islands - Government moves ahead with new prison plans
https://caymannewsservice.com/2022/08/government-moves-ahead-with-new-prison-plans/
Europe
Irish Prison Service abandoned project to electronically tag prisoners after spending more than €850,000
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irish-prison-service-abandoned-project-27659163
Ireland - Violent protest by over 40 inmates at Mountjoy as prisoners removed and sent to other jails
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/crime/violent-protest-over-40-inmates-27664325
Italy finalises justice reform to help unlock EU funding
Oceania
Australia - ‘We will see a death’: advocates fear for children inside maximum-security Perth prison after boy self-harms
News 4 August
Americas
Canada - COVID-19 outbreak reported at N.B. prison as 17 inmates test positive
Sentencing Project Report Seeks to ‘Unlock the Vote’ in America’s Jails
Asia
India - 42 prisoners test positive for Covid-19 in Haridwar jail
Korea - Jail term for unpaid fines too harsh
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/08/251_333862.html
Philippines - 4,461 BuCor’s prisoners freed as of July 22
https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/04/4461-bucors-prisoners-freed-as-of-july-22/
Sri Lanka - COVID-19: Prisons Dept. starts administering fourth dose
https://www.newsfirst.lk/2022/08/04/covid-19-prisons-dept-starts-administering-fourth-dose/
Europe
England and Wales - Plans announced for £400m ‘smart prison’
Northern Ireland - Naomi Long: Court system could remain backlogged until 2028 without extra investment
Oceania
Australia - As Victoria's incarceration rate rises, children of jailed parents are 'invisible victims', report says
New Zealand - Prison wing rendered 'uninhabitable' after 24-hour rooftop standoff
News 3 August
Africa
Zimbabwe - More courts to give increasing population access to justice
https://www.herald.co.zw/more-courts-to-give-increasing-population-access-to-justice/
Americas
Garland swears in new US prisons chief in push for reform
https://www.yournewsnet.com/story/47013180/garland-swears-in-new-us-prisons-chief-in-push-for-reform
US - Planting Gardens Behind Bars
https://www.vera.org/news/planting-gardens-behind-bars
US - Women in Massachusetts Prisons Targets of Sexual, Mental Abuse: Study
Europe
Ireland - Pandemic curtails Irish arrests and jail time abroad
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-40931564.html
Ireland - Prisoner dies following assault in Mountjoy jail
https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2022/08/03/prisoner-dies-following-assault-in-mountjoy-cell/
Oceania
New Zealand - Fewer inmates, yet prisons spend more on fixing intentional damage
News 2 August
Africa
Report reveals impact of Covid-19 lockdown rules on criminal justice systems
Americas
Canada - Expansion of prison needle exchange programs going ahead despite pandemic delays
US - Expert says inadequate staffing is driving deaths in prisons across the Gulf South
US - The Impact Of COVID-19 On The Health Of Incarcerated Older Adults In California State Prisons
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.00132?journalCode=hlthaff
US - Lawsuit Seeks Compensation For Inmates Over Hawaii’s Response to Covid-19
Asia
23 death row prisoners sue Singapore government for denial of justice
Europe
England and Wales - Charities warn against ministers getting powers to stop early release from jail
England and Wales - Criminal courts face further disruption as barristers strike for fifth week
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/london-old-bailey-government-ministry-of-justice-b1015999.html
Oceania
New Zealand - Rooftop prison standoff by teen inmates likely a 'cry for help'
News 30 July – 1 August 2022
Africa
Moroccan king pardons 1,769 prisoners on occasion of Throne Day
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2022-07/30/content_78349215.htm
Americas
Guyana - Restorative Justice Bill tabled in National Assembly
US - Prison Health Expert Warns Monkeypox Could “Dramatically Increase” Behind Bars, Calls for CDC Action
https://www.democracynow.org/2022/7/29/monkeypox_outbreak_dr_homer_venters
Asia
India - ‘Women are doubly marginalised in jails’: Hurdles to gender-sensitive prison reforms
India - Undertrial prisoners languishing in jails; provide legal aid to speed up their release: PM Narendra Modi
Europe
England and Wales - Construction starts in Rochester at 'revolutionary' first UK secure school
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/construction-starts-on-uks-first-secure-school-271071/
News 29 July
Americas
US (Massachusetts) - Inmates sue prison system over solitary confinement policies
https://www.lowellsun.com/2022/07/28/inmates-sue-prison-system-over-solitary-confinement-policies/
Europe
Belgian prisoners demonstrate against poor conditions, administration responds
England and Wales - Self-harm and suicides on the rise in prisons, Ministry of Justice reveals
England and Wales - Violence has doubled in six months at London’s largest prison
News 28 July
Americas
Haiti - Gunshots, fires and new tensions in Port-au-Prince spark fear of prison break, more trouble
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article263877602.html
US - Hundreds of Thousands of Incarcerated People Are in Danger Amid Scorching Heat
Asia
Easy targets: Drug mules fill women’s jails in Hong Kong
https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/easy-targets-drug-mules-fill-womens-jails-in-hong-kong/article
Europe
Estonia - Madise recommends Tallinn Prison improve conditions for female inmates
France's rights violations in prisons continue amid a crushing heatwave
Oceania
Australia - Coroner slams lack of 'safe' cells at Perth's Acacia Prison after young Indigenous man's suicide
Australia - Transitional housing support for Indigenous men leaving prison aims to reduce recidivism rates
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-28/housing-support-for-indigenous-men-leaving-prison/101272428
New Zealand - Victims at risk as justice stalled due to 'exorbitant' court delays
New Zealand - Corrections scrutinises failing drug and alcohol programmes
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/07/28/corrections-scrutinizes-failing-drug-and-alcohol-programmes/
News 27 July
Americas
US - Prisons chief deflects blame for failures, angering senators
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-jon-ossoff-atlanta-bureau-of-prisons-ron-johnson-b2131950.html
US - How Electronic Monitoring Incentivizes Prolonged Punishment
US (Indiana) - Dozens of Inmates Raped, Assaulted, and Harassed After Jailer Sold Male Prisoner a Key to Women’s Wing, Federal Lawsuit Claims
Asia
Cambodia - ‘Parole motivating prisoners to behave’
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501120078/parole-motivating-prisoners-to-behave/
Europe
Denmark - Prison staff facing less threats and violence at work
Northern Ireland - Prison Service Must Be 'Adequately Resourced'
https://www.4ni.co.uk/northern-ireland-news/287745/prison-service-must-be-adequately-resourced
Oceania
Australia (NSW) - Pandemic policing: The impact of COVID-19 fines on the justice system
https://lsj.com.au/articles/pandemic-policing-the-impact-of-covid-19-fines-on-the-justice-system/
Australia (ACT) - Visitors banned as prison battles new covid outbreak
https://citynews.com.au/2022/visitors-banned-as-prison-battles-new-covid-outbreak/
News 26 July
Africa
Nigeria’s jailbreaks point to a prison system out of step with reality
Americas
US - Rates of solitary confinement of incarcerated people with mental illness three times higher than those without mental illness
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/959791
US - Senators demand answers about federal prisons’ scant use of Covid therapeutics
https://www.statnews.com/2022/07/26/senate-letter-covid-therapeutics-prison/
US - Inmates sue over ‘unsafe and unacceptable’ COVID conditions in CT prisons
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/Inmates-sue-over-unsafe-and-unacceptable-17326957.php
Europe
England and Wales - ‘Alarming’ increase in self-harm in women’s prisons as more vulnerable people to be jailed, report says
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/women-prisons-self-harm-suicide-b2130824.html
England and Wales - MPs concerned over how new ‘untested’ Swansea centre for female prisoners ‘will operate in practice’
England and Wales - Praise For 'Impressive' Parc YOI's Covid-19 Response
https://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/praise-for-impressive-parc-yoi-s-covid-19-response
Russia - Prison Torture Victim Dies From Pneumonia – Reports
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/07/26/prison-torture-whistleblower-dies-in-prison-a78404
At least 9 advanced cancer patients in Turkish prisons as of July 2022
https://turkeypurge.com/at-least-9-advanced-cancer-patients-in-turkish-prisons-as-of-july-2022
Oceania
New Zealand - Covid-19 outbreak at Invercargill Prison
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/129389629/covid19-outbreak-at-invercargill-prison
News 23 – 25 July
Africa
Gambia: Housing Facilities At Mile II Prisons Substandard, Unfit for Human Habitation
https://allafrica.com/stories/202207220452.html
Americas
Canada - COVID-19: Thirteen inmates test positive at B.C. medium-security prison
https://globalnews.ca/news/9009794/mission-institution-covid-outbreak/
El Salvador Builds Giant Prison Complex for 40,000 Gang Members
US - Survey Paints Grim Picture of Life in Incarceration
https://prospect.org/justice/survey-paints-grim-picture-of-life-in-incarceration/
US - Nearly half of Oregon’s inmate population included in first class action suit of its kind
US - Temperatures inside Texas prison units regularly reach 110 degrees, new report says
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/23/us/texas-prison-temperatures-report/index.html
US - New York Prisons Cut Crucial Lifeline to Incarcerated Individuals and Families Through Arbitrary Package Policy
Asia
India - Thane prison inmates lack proper sleeping spcae: CMO informs Court
India - Yerwada Central Prison holds a three times higher population of prisoners than its official capacity
Malaysia - Prisons Dept targets reducing recidivism rate by 10%
Nepal - Prison management bill ensures reproductive right to inmates
https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/prison-management-bill-ensures-reproductive-right-to-inmates
Europe
England and Wales - Two-thirds of remand prisoners who took own lives were on care plans, FoI reveals
‘You can’t bring my boy back’: why are so many UK prisoners dying on remand?
Oceania
Australia - WA premier defends shackling of Indigenous teenagers transferred to adult prison
News 22 July
Africa
Rwanda Teaching Inmates How To Proudly Return To The Community
https://www.ktpress.rw/2022/07/rwanda-teaching-inmates-how-to-proudly-return-to-the-community/
South Africa - Prisons overflowing by 33% – Justice Minister Ronald Lamola
Americas
US - Inmates at two CoreCivic private prisons in Arizona protest inhumane living conditions following power outage
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/07/21/arcw-j21.html
Asia
India - More than 40 million cases pending in lower courts: Govt tells Parliament
Govt aims to end overcrowding in Philippine prisons
https://www.ucanews.com/news/govt-aims-to-end-overcrowding-in-philippine-prisons/98117
News 14 – 21 July
Africa
Egypt’s Revolving Jailhouse Door: One Pretrial Detention After Another
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/07/16/world/middleeast/egypt-prisoners.html
Scores of inmates in Zimbabwe want justice served
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/scores-of-inmates-in-zimbabwe-want-justice-served/2638328
Americas
Antigua - ‘It’s criminal’- Prison boss condemns practice of housing mentally ill inmates at HMP
Canada - COVID-19 outbreak at Dorchester Penitentiary spreads
13 killed in Ecuador prison riot – prisons agency
https://www.rappler.com/world/latin-america/ecuador-prison-riot-july-2022/
US - They were released from prison because of COVID. Their freedom didn't last long.
US - We Didn't Release Enough People from Jails and Prisons During the Pandemic
https://www.vera.org/news/we-didnt-release-enough-people-from-jails-and-prisons-during-the-pandemic
US - Racial inequality over long US prison sentences growing, report finds
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/21/prisons-us-racial-equality-black-white-americans
US - Kansas corrections system grapples with 22.6% vacancy rate among uniformed prison staff
US - Judge rules against Wisconsin prisons over visitation policy
https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-wisconsin-prisons-lawsuits-2ebb18960f38c2fd28e3102a990c6735
Asia
Cambodia - NGO launching prisoner education programmes
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ngo-launching-prisoner-education-programmes
India's huge backlog of court cases delays justice: Experts
Nepal - Inmates deprived of basic facilities in overcrowded Morang Prison
Philippines - Digitization of records among measures to decongest crowded jails
Sri Lanka - Incarcerations on the rise – Prisons Dept.
https://www.newsfirst.lk/2022/07/21/incarcerations-on-the-rise-prisons-dept/
Europe
England and Wales - UK prisoners ‘traumatised’ by Covid solitary confinement, study says
England and Wales - HM Prison and Probation Service COVID-19 Statistics, June 2022
England and Wales - Warnings over 'inconsistent' monitoring of criminals after release from prison
England and Wales - Treatment of UK prisoners during Covid meets UN definition of torture
Dozens commit suicide in Turkish prisons, watchdog says situation reaching ‘crisis levels’
News 13 July
Africa
Mozambique: Deaths of Prisoners Blamed On Security Lapses
https://allafrica.com/stories/202207120622.html
Americas
Jail riot in Dominican Republic leaves one prisoner dead, six injured after inmates protesting inhumane treatment kidnap a guard and set fires to mattresses
‘It’s inhumane’: how US prison work breaks bodies and minds for pennies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/13/us-prison-work-breaks-bodies-minds-for-pennies
US - Covid-19 Strikes Wyoming’s Most Populous Prison as US Cases Rise
Asia
Bangladesh - Virtual courts and the future of justice
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/virtual-courts-and-the-future-justice-1904500
India - Bail, Not Jail: Why Supreme Courts Has Urged Govt To Frame New Bail Act
Europe
England and Wales - Inspectors highlight failings at Nottinghamshire prison
Italy - Inmate COVID infections quadruple in seven days
Scotland - Number of young people inside Polmont prison drops to record low
https://news.stv.tv/east-central/number-of-young-people-inside-polmont-prison-drops-to-record-low
News 12 July
Americas
US - Women In Prison Are Struggling To Access Mental Health And Social Support When They Need It Most
US - The Federal Prisons Agency is Reviewing its Reproductive Care Options for Inmates
Europe
Belgium - Emergency measures to accelerate prison staff hiring
https://www.brusselstimes.com/253278/belgian-government-accelerates-prison-staff-hiring
Public Discussion on Georgia’s Penitentiary System Held
https://civil.ge/archives/500149
Scotland - Prison inspection flags overcrowding issues at HMP Low Moss
News 9 – 11 July
Africa
Eid Al Adha: Morocco’s King pardons nearly 1000 Inmates
https://northafricapost.com/58894-eid-al-adha-moroccos-king-pardons-nearly-1000-inmates.html
Americas
Jamaica - Alarm sounded over collection of prisoners’ DNA
US - ‘They might have to give birth in chains’: Abortion access behind bars after the end of Roe v Wade
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/roe-v-wade-abortions-prison-b2118355.html
Dire US labor shortage provides opportunity for ex-prisoners
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-employment-jackson-covid-waffle-house-b2119833.html
US - South Dakota Prison Officers and inmates say broken promises lead to frustration, safety concerns
US - Florida Prisons Propose Cutting Family Visitations, Drawing Sharp Objections
US - Nebraska's Prison Overcrowding Emergency Now in Third Year
Europe
How does overcrowding in Belgian prisons damage rehabilitation?
England and Wales - If we’re going to reform prisons, we should start with the prisoners
https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/if-were-going-to-reform-prisons-we-should-start-with-the-prisoners/
England and Wales - Criminal courts face further disruption as barristers strike for third week
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/cba-government-supreme-court-preston-birmingham-b2120276.html
Mobile phone and drug seizures in Irish prisons increased by 19% in 2021
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/mobile-phone-drug-seizures-irish-27445490
Oceania
Australia - Prisoner advocates say a lack of programs at Darwin Correctional Centre is contributing to the NT's high reoffending rates
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-11/nt-darwin-prison-programs-reoffending-rates/101205788
News 8 July
Americas
Canada - COVID-19 outbreak declared at New Brunswick's Dorchester prison
https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/covid-19-outbreak-in-n-b-prison-1.5978458
Asia
India - 60-year age bar for life convicts removed; move aimed at decongesting U.P. jails
Europe
England and Wales - 'Human books' go into prison to be 'read' by inmates in a bid to open up frank conversations
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/human-books-go-prison-read-24423010
England and Wales - HMP Manchester inmate lay dying with Covid as prison staff refused to tell mum about his condition
Biometrics Commissioner Looks at Facial Recognition in Scottish Prisons
https://findbiometrics.com/biometrics-commissioner-looks-facial-recognition-scottish-prisons-070701/
Oceania
Australia - SA government 'investigating' whether to raise minimum age of criminal responsibility
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-08/sa-push-to-raise-age-of-criminality/101221906
News 7 July
Americas
Barbados - Fewer people in Dodds Prison
https://www.nationnews.com/2022/07/07/fewer-people-dodds-prison/
US - Bureau Of Prisons Holding Inmates For Longer Than Law Allows
Europe
England and Wales - Lewes prisoners locked up for up to 23 hours a day to prevent spread of Covid
Scotland - HMP Glasgow will not solve overpopulation woes, prison chief warns
CPT report on UK: persistent overcrowding and violence in prisons and insufficient legal safeguards for psychiatric patients
Oceania
Australia - Advocates slam 'disgraceful' decision to move youths to adult jail
News 6 July
Americas
OHCHR Asks Honduras To Investigate Prison Gang Massacre
US - Overcrowding, Old Buildings Fueled COVID Surge in California Prisons
US (Oregon) - Incarcerated people at Sheridan prison were denied showers during hunger strike, lawyer says
US - Longstanding hurdles keep attorneys from easily phoning clients in North Dakota prisons
Asia
India - Lack of facilities turns visit to Tiruchy Central Prison a harrowing experience for kin of inmates
Japan - COVID cluster leaves 43 inmates, workers at Osaka Prison infected
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220706/p2a/00m/0sc/004000c
Europe
England and Wales - Barrister strikes are symptom of Britain’s crumbling criminal justice system
https://www.ft.com/content/55317bbb-706f-40b5-8125-3ee2f023816f
Ireland - Covid-19 has brought a halt to a number of serious criminal cases due in court this week
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/covid-19-brought-halt-number-27406039
Scotland - Stop jailing so many criminals to ease overcrowding, inspector says
Oceania
Australia - ‘Traumatised’ Children Are Being Sent to a Maximum-Security Adult’s Prison in WA
Australia - NT prison officers to strike over pay
https://www.theflindersnews.com.au/story/7809327/nt-prison-officers-to-strike-over-pay/?cs=12
News 5 July
Americas
6 gang members killed in Honduras prison
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/gang-members-killed-honduras-prison-86199308
US - Virginia law stops early inmate releases, angering families
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-virginia-richmond-ford-republican-b2115298.html
US - New York Prisons Ban Care Packages Containing Food
https://therealnews.com/new-york-prisons-ban-care-packages-containing-food
US - DOCCS drops mask mandate in New York prisons
https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2022/07/05/doccs-drops-mask-mandate-in-new-york-prisons/
Asia
As Malaysia Softens Death Penalty Stance, Singapore Sentences More to Be Hanged
https://www.vice.com/en/article/epzd34/malaysia-singapore-death-penalty-abolition
Europe
England and Wales - HMP Brixton: ‘a prison in trouble’
https://www.thejusticegap.com/hmp-brixton-a-prison-in-trouble/
England and Wales - HMP Erlestoke: Report finds 'insufficient progress' with drugs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-62037202
Scotland - HMP Low Moss: Inmates sharing single cells at overcrowded jail
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-62043866
News 2-4 July
Africa
South Africa - Experts concerned about sudden spike in inmate numbers
Americas
Death toll rises to 53 in Colombian prison fire
https://theprint.in/world/death-toll-rises-to-53-in-colombian-prison-fire/1021253/
US - Prison reform advocates say the Roe ruling will make it easier to deny care to incarcerated pregnant people: 'It just shows the amount of contempt that these systems have for women'
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/prison-reform-advocates-roe-ruling-133200895.html
US - Thousands of federal inmates still await early release under Trump-era First Step Act
US - California Lawmakers Reject Ballot Proposal That Aimed To End Forced Prison Labor
US - Federal Judge Rules Gruesome Medical Neglect in Arizona Prisons Violates Eighth Amendment
US - ‘For Cruelty’s Sake’: State of Alabama diverts $400 million in COVID funds to build prisons, leaving many in dire straits
https://www.splcenter.org/news/2022/07/01/alabama-diverts-400-million-covid-funds-to-prisons
US (Hawaii) - Civil Beat Law Center Goes To Court To Make Prison Covid-19 Reports Public
Asia
Nepal - Prisoners take turn to sleep in crammed jail
https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/prisoners-take-turn-to-sleep-in-crammed-jail/
Prison conditions in Singapore 'acceptable'; no fans, mattresses in cells for security: Shanmugam
Singapore - Mental health support given for prison inmates with mild and severe conditions
Europe
England and Wales - Prison 'congratulated' as report reveals 8 convicts and 57 staff caught covid during pandemic
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/prison-congratulated-report-reveals-8-24384651
England and Wales - Investigation launched after death of prisoner at HMP Styal
Irish Prison Service to be placed on statutory basis
https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/irish-prison-service-to-be-placed-on-statutory-basis
Ireland - High number of prisoners with mental health issues raised as State faces exam over human rights record
Oceania
Australia - Overcrowding creates 'unacceptable' prison conditions at Darwin Correctional Centre, lawyers claim
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-04/nt-prison-overcrowding/101196858
New Zealand - Prison labour used in new Waikeria Prison build in wake of riot
News 1 July
Africa
Ghana - Prison reform advocates reiterate calls for non-custodial sentencing
https://www.myjoyonline.com/prison-reform-advocates-reiterate-calls-for-non-custodial-sentencing/
Americas
US - Are Virtual Court Proceedings Here To Stay? All Signs Point To Yes.
https://abovethelaw.com/2022/06/are-virtual-court-proceedings-here-to-stay-all-signs-point-to-yes/
US - Rising COVID cases are forcing Kansas to move inmates between prisons
US - 80 people in Oregon’s federal prison go on hunger strike
http://ktvz.com/news/2022/06/30/80-people-in-oregons-federal-prison-go-on-hunger-strike/
Asia
India - 12 prisoners, 7 officers hurt during clashes at Delhi’s Tihar jail
Europe
Belgium - ‘Let us in!’: Saint-Gilles prison outreach staff protest entry restrictions
Luxembourg - Six Schrassig prison officers targeted in brutal attack
https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/1935280.html
News 30 June
Americas
Bermuda - New officers being trained, but prisons are still short of staff
Europe
England and Wales - Prisoners locked up with too little to do, inspectors say
https://www.tivysideadvertiser.co.uk/news/20245146.prisoners-locked-little-inspectors-say/
England and Wales - Women in Prison: Remand in Custody
https://www.thejusticegap.com/women-in-prison-remand-in-custody/
The overcrowded Welsh prison failing to look after the healthcare needs of inmates
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/overcrowded-welsh-prison-failing-look-24356162
News 29 June
Americas
Canada - ‘Crisis’ in federal correctional institutions due to parole programing backlog, lawyer says
https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/37589
Canada - How Ontario's new Justice Centres are rethinking criminal justice
COVID-19 mortality rates by race and ethnicity in U.S. state prisons
US (Oregon) - Inmates at federal prison complex in Sheridan went on hunger strike in protest of extensive lockdowns, poor conditions
Asia
Hong Kong - Justice has to remain fair and open in push for remote hearings
India - Corona outbreak in Bihar jails as 80 inmates found positive, 37 from Beur Central Jail
Thailand bars prisons from using inmates to make fishing nets
https://news.trust.org/item/20220628130031-asg2c/
Europe
How has COVID-19 affected the mental health of prison staff in England?
England and Wales - HMP Winchester Governor promises improvements after critical prison inspection report
News 28 June
Africa
Ghana - Sunyani Central Prisons to create separate cell blocks for inmates with minor offences
Americas
Colombian jail riot leaves 49 inmates dead
US - Supreme Court rules for inmates seeking reduced prison terms
US - Health care in jails and prisons is terrible. The pandemic made it even worse.
https://www.vox.com/23175978/health-care-prison-jail-covid-pandemic
Asia
Iran - Four Inmates Sick with Tuberculosis at Qarchak Prison
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/105226-four-inmates-sick-with-tuberculosis-at-qarchak-prison
Europe
England and Wales - Raft of major justice reforms come into force
https://www.rhyljournal.co.uk/news/national/20239426.raft-major-justice-reforms-come-force/
Oceania
New Zealand - Corrections drops vaccine requirements for prison visitors and staff
News 25-27 June
Africa
Ghana - We have a proposal to establish community service structure for convicts – Deputy Attorney-General
Americas
US - Department Of Justice Proposes Final Rule To End CARES Act For Home Confinement For Federal Prisoners
US - Many people recently released from prison find themselves left behind by technology. A new program gets them up to speed.
US - Formerly Incarcerated Women in Tennessee Win Reforms Ending Shackled Births
Asia
India - Nine inmates test positive as Covid-19 cluster found in Nagpur jail
India - State prisons have 166% more inmates than capacity
Europe
England and Wales - Dental care at Teesside prison slammed as 'unacceptable' in annual report
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/dental-care-teesside-prison-slammed-24279867
England and Wales - New treatment launched to prevent suicides in four men's prisons in the north
https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2022-06-27/new-treatment-launched-to-prevent-prisoner-suicide
England and Wales - Prisoners kept in beyond sentences
https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/events/173203/prisoners-kept-in-beyond-sentences.html
Ireland - Prison inspector to cover all detention centres under draft laws
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-40903196.html
Scotland - Substance use experts tackle health inequalities among people released from prison
News 24 June
Americas
Canada - Proposed class-action lawsuit targets Ottawa over prison practice set to become illegal
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/charter-rights-dry-cell-lawsuit-1.6487153
Haiti: dozens of inmates starve to death as malnutrition crisis engulfs prisons
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/23/haiti-prisons-starvation-un-deaths-crisis
US - The Graying of America’s Prison Population
https://thecrimereport.org/2022/06/23/the-graying-of-americas-prison-population/
US - As Governments Push Us “Back to Normal,” Don’t Forget About Prison Conditions
Europe
Prisoners on remand soared to highest level during pandemic as Scotland's prison population fell
One in ten Swiss offenders held in non-prison facilities
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/one-in-ten-swiss-offenders-held-in-non-prison-facilities/47699774
News 23 June
Africa
Caged and Neglected, the Plight of the Ghanaian Prisoner
https://allafrica.com/stories/202206220303.html
Americas
Canada - Addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system in Québec
US - Chronic Punishment: The unmet health needs of people in state prisons
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/chronicpunishment.html
US - Philadelphia’s troubled jails would get independent oversight in proposed ballot measure
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-prison-oversight-board-jail-violence-20220623.html
US - 3 N.Y.C. Detainees Die in Less Than a Week, Bringing Year’s Total to 9
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/nyregion/rikers-inmate-deaths.html
Asia
Cambodia - Prisoners receiving fifth Covid-19 vaccinations
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/prisoners-receiving-fifth-covid-19-vaccinations
Malaysia - Prisons driving inmates mad, says NGO
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/06/23/prisons-driving-inmates-mad-says-ngo/
Myanmar - Junta refuses ICRC request to visit prisoners and allow prison visitors
https://www.mizzima.com/article/junta-refuses-icrc-request-visit-prisoners-and-allow-prison-visitors
Europe
England and Wales - Prison to get new workshop to help inmates find jobs on release
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/wayland-prison-to-get-new-workshop-9089516
Inmates in Turkish prisons continue hunger strike despite deteriorating health
News 21 June
Americas
Canada - Ottawa woman, group allege Ontario law on jail strip searches unconstitutional
US - “Mental Health Units” in Prison Are Solitary Confinement by Another Name, Activists Say
Asia
Building of Malaysia’s ‘largest’ prison not helpful in addressing overcrowding or root issues of crime, say experts and NGO
Europe
Sanctions and measures without deprivation of liberty in Europe: annual statistics for 2021
England and Wales - If you decide to cut staff, people die’: how Nottingham prison descended into chaos
England and Wales - HMP Lowdham Grange: Concern over rise in prison assaults
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-61849242
Scottish lawyers express dissatisfaction with virtual court system - new survey
News 18-20 June
Asia
India - Need to hire 400 more staff members to give phone, video call access to jail inmates: Maha govt tells HC
Malaysia’s largest prison, which could house 3,000, to be built in Kelantan, says Home Ministry
Malaysian prison invites big companies to join inmate rehabilitation programmes
Europe
England and Wales - HM Prison and Probation Service COVID-19 Statistics, May 2022
England and Wales - £500 million boost to create thousands of new prison places
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/500-million-boost-to-create-thousands-of-new-prison-places
New data reveals the decline in access to justice in England and Wales
Thousands of victims of violent and sexual crime stuck in England and Wales court backlog
Landline phones being installed in every prison cell in Ireland
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40899083.html
One in four UK prisoners has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, says report
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/18/uk-prisoners-attention-deficit-disorder-adhd-prison
Oceania
Australia - More unrest at troubled WA juvenile prison
https://7news.com.au/politics/more-unrest-at-troubled-wa-juvenile-prison-c-7230717
New Zealand - Nearly 800 frontline prison jobs unstaffed as guards quit 'in droves'
News 17 June
Americas
Canada - Backlogged justice system can’t return to pre-pandemic ways, chief justice warns
US - Report: Oklahoma Prisons Plagued With Staffing Shortages, Operational Inefficiencies
US (New York) - Proposed legislation would ban most solitary confinement at Rikers
https://gothamist.com/news/proposed-legislation-would-ban-most-solitary-confinement-at-rikers
Asia
India prison report: More than 75% of those in jail are not convicts but undertrials
India - 1,440 convicts, out on Covid parole, yet to return to jails
Europe
England and Wales - Covid saw HMP Bure prisoners locked in cells for 23 hours a day
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/hmp-bure-norfolk-prisoners-locked-in-cells-covid-9041730
France urged to drastically improve situation in overcrowded jails
Oceania
Australia (NSW) - Law Society briefs AG on benefits of retaining COVID court measures for fairer access to justice
News 16 June
Africa
Nigeria - Senate seeks trial of prison officials over illegal remand of children
Americas
Canada - Prisons are failing to comply with solitary confinement reforms: senators
El Salvador's Security Crackdown May Feed Gang Recruitment
https://insightcrime.org/news/el-salvador-security-crackdown-gang-recruitment-drive/
US prison workers produce $11bn worth of goods and services a year for pittance
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/15/us-prison-workers-low-wages-exploited
US (Ohio) - Women more likely in prison due to drugs than men, study finds
Asia
New UAE law to help convicts find job after serving prison term
Europe
England and Wales - Sentencing for serious offences has ‘lost its way’, says report
https://www.thejusticegap.com/sentencing-for-serious-offences-has-lost-its-way-says-report/
Oceania
Australia - WA prisons introducing full-body X-ray scanners to detect hidden contraband
News 15 June
Americas
US - The land of the free leads the world in incarceration. Why?
https://www.vox.com/features/23150068/us-prisons-crime-juneteenth-freedom-2022
US - 1st federal prison to experience COVID-19 outbreak now short-staffed: Officials
https://abcnews.go.com/US/1st-federal-prison-experience-covid-19-outbreak-now/story?id=85388967
Asia
India - Jail inmates-run fuel station to operate 24x7 in Kurukshetra
Pakistan - ‘Blood Screening Mandatory For Jail Inmates’
https://nation.com.pk/2022/06/15/blood-screening-mandatory-for-jail-inmates/
Europe
Belgium - Release prisoners six months early to tackle overcrowding, says Justice Minister
England and Wales - Prison leavers tagged to cut alcohol-fuelled crime
https://www.rugbyobserver.co.uk/lifestyle/prison-leavers-tagged-to-cut-alcohol-fuelled-crime-39170/
News 14 June
Asia
India’s prisons need administrative reforms
Japan - EDITORIAL: Revised penal code should help in rehabilitation of prison inmates
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14644268
Pakistan - Jail officers ordered to enforce prisons reforms
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/966001-jail-officers-ordered-to-enforce-prisons-reforms
Europe
Belgium ordered to tackle worsening situation in prisons
England and Wales - End to Friday prison releases to cut crime
https://www.policeprofessional.com/news/end-to-friday-prison-releases-to-cut-crime/
England and Wales - No showers, 23 and a half hour lock-ups and bad food, says prisoner at Doncaster jail
Ireland - Prison pilot project strengthens family ties
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0613/1304667-prison-pilot-project-strengthens-family-ties/
News 11-13 June
Africa
Zimbabwe - Inmates narrate Remand Prison horror, trash new virtual courts system
https://www.newzimbabwe.com/inmates-narrate-remand-prison-horror-trash-new-virtual-courts-system/
Americas
Canada Moves to Decriminalize Possession of ‘Hard’ Drugs
https://www.wired.com/story/canada-moves-to-decriminalize-possession-of-hard-drugs/
Asia
India - In new policy, UP removes 60-year age bar for release of life-term prisoners
India - Starting afresh: how women at Tihar jail are upskilling, breaking stereotypes
Japan passes bill to make online insults punishable with prison time
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/06/13/national/crime-legal/cyberbullying-bill/
Guards deny female inmates drinking water after protest in Myanmar’s Insein Prison
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/insein-06102022190825.html
Pakistan - As judicial lock-up runs out of space, police opt for e-hearing
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2361310/as-judicial-lock-up-runs-out-of-space-police-opt-for-e-hearing
Europe
‘Digital reintegration’: Video visits remain popular in Belgian prisons
News 10 June
Asia
Thailand decriminalizes cannabis, becomes first Asian country to remove ban
Europe
Danish government fails to fund Kosovo prison over EU law row
England and Wales - Crown Court backlog increases
England and Wales - Prison on lockdown with families unable to visit and inmates 'unable to shower'
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/prison-lockdown-families-unable-visit-24184810
Scotland - Concern expressed over courts system backlog
https://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/crime/concern-expressed-over-courts-system-backlog-3726933
News 9 June
Africa
Kenya - Radical inmates and congestion pose challenge for prisons, says Matiang'i
Video Showing How Prisoners In Zimbabwe Sleep Divides Opinion
https://iharare.com/video-showing-how-prisoners-in-zimbabwe-sleep-divides-opinion/
Americas
US - Biden's sentencing panel noms vow to implement criminal justice reform law
Asia
Thailand - Thousands of cannabis offenders being released, but not all
Europe
Scotland - SNP plans to cut prisoner numbers branded 'complete madness'
News 8 June
Africa
Kenya - Gov’t commits to developing infrastructure in prisons
https://www.kbc.co.ke/govt-commits-to-developing-infrastructure-in-prisons/
South Africa: The Justice System Is Showing Signs of Rot
https://allafrica.com/stories/202206070736.html
Americas
Canada - In-person visits suspended at B.C. prison after COVID-19 outbreak
https://globalnews.ca/news/8903181/covid-matsqui-institution-in-person-visits-suspended/
US (Missouri) - Nonprofit trains prison inmates to help fill technology worker shortage
Asia
Fears of tuberculosis outbreak at Bahraini prison
https://www.middleeasteye.net/video/fears-tuberculosis-outbreak-bahraini-prison
Europe
England and Wales - Prison and Probation Service’s tagging ambition ‘outstripped its ability to deliver’
Presumed innocent but detained for months pretrial in Germany and EU
Russian MPs vote to quit European Court of Human Rights
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/7/russia-exits-european-court-of-human-rights-jurisdiction
Prison overcrowding remains a problem in prisons in French-speaking Switzerland: Anti-torture committee report
Oceania
Australia - Advocates concerned over use of isolation in Victoria’s youth justice system, despite drop in numbers
News 2- 7 June
Africa
Reforms in Ghana’s Prisons: The Quest to improve lives of inmates
https://newsghana.com.gh/reforms-in-ghanas-prisons-the-quest-to-improve-lives-of-inmates/
South Africa - Over-populated prisons a concern as crime rises in KwaZulu-Natal
Zimbabwe - Chikurubi prison falling apart
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/06/chikurubi-prison-falling-apart/
Americas
Barbados - Dodds’ COVID cases ‘manageable’
https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/06/02/dodds-covid-cases-manageable/
El Salvador accused of ‘massive’ human rights violations with 2% of adults in prison
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/02/el-salvador-human-rights-violations-bukele-amnesty
US - ‘Too little too late’: Unpacking Biden’s moves to improve federal prisons’ response to Covid-19
https://www.statnews.com/2022/06/03/biden-moves-improve-prison-response-covid/
In historic shift, far fewer teens face adult US courts
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-connecticut-philadelphia-data-washington-b2094833.html
US - Michigan prisons ban Spanish and Swahili dictionaries to prevent inmate disruptions
US (North Carolina) - Prisons were some of the hardest hit places during the pandemic. What are the next steps forward?
US - New York’s Prison Package Ban Places New Burdens On The Incarcerated
https://theappeal.org/new-york-prison-package-ban/
US - Inmate Shuffle: How California Bounces Around Its Mentally Ill Prisoners
Asia
Pakistan - Revisions In Jail Manual Proposed To Improve Educational Capacity Of Prisoners
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/revisions-in-jail-manual-proposed-to-improve-1520428.html
Singapore - 87% of probation orders that ended last year successfully completed, highest in a decade: MSF
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/msf-probation-orders-community-rehabilitation-2722486
Sri Lanka - Prison labour to be used to cultivate short-term crops
http://www.dailynews.lk/2022/06/07/local/280346/prison-labour-be-used-cultivate-short-term-crops
Thailand - Prison labour hired to clean Bangkok's drains
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2322150/prison-labour-hired-to-clean-bangkoks-drains
Europe
England and Wales - ‘Price to pay’ for boring prison lockdowns, says chief inspector
England and Wales - The impact and recovery from COVID-19 for children in custodial settings
England and Wales - Criminals must pass three new tests before transfer to open prison
Oceania
Australia - Inhumane conditions in Tas prison: judge
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7766528/inhumane-conditions-in-tas-prison-judge/
New Zealand - Mt Eden prison staff crisis: 102 vacancies, double-bunking to increase nationally
News 1 June
Americas
Canada - Prison service must do more to remove barriers for Indigenous, Black offenders: AG
US - How the newest federal prison became one of the deadliest
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/31/1100954134/federal-prison-deaths-usp-thomson-illinois-prison
US - Enrollment in Prisons Continued to Climb, Despite the Pandemic
Europe
Malta - Slashing court delays ‘a priority’ – Justice Minister
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/slashing-court-delays-a-priority-justice-minister.958777
Oceania
Australia - Submissions to Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce reveal systemic and community failure
News 31 May
Americas
Canada - Overrepresentation of Indigenous Women in Jails Hits Record Levels in BC
https://thetyee.ca/News/2022/05/31/Overrepresentation-Indigenous-Women-In-Jail/
Traumatised families demand reforms after Ecuador prison riots
The El Salvador diaries: The psychology of mass incarceration
US - First Step Act Inaction Keeps Federal Inmates In Prison
Asia
India - Govt relaxes rules for early release of convicts from jail
Nepal - Custodial deaths continue with little being done towards investigation
S. Korean rights watchdog urges resolution of prison overcrowding
Europe
England and Wales - New jails may not open due to lack of staff, prisons chief admits
https://insidetime.org/new-jails-may-not-open-due-to-lack-of-staff-prisons-chief-admits/
England and Wales - Forest Bank Prison is damned by inspectors despite beefing up security and major refurbishment
England and Wales - Frustration as prisoners’ time out of cell at HMP Belmarsh cut due to staff shortages
Oceania
New Zealand - Prison riots: Corrections to centrally record squad deployments after Newstalk ZB investigation
News 28 – 30 May
Africa
People for Peace: Breaking prison barriers in Central African Republic
Americas
Canada supreme court rules life without chance of parole is ‘cruel’ and illegal
Canada - Fed up with lockdowns, some Springhill prison inmates actively trying to get COVID-19
US - Aging in Prison: How Older Generations Fight for Dignity and Release
https://rafu.com/2022/05/aging-in-prison-how-older-generations-fight-for-dignity-and-release/
US - Crime is low, but Connecticut’s prison population is on the rise again. Here’s why.
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/Crime-is-low-but-Connecticut-s-prison-17204080.php
Europe
England and Wales - Number of violent attacks at Gartree Prison fell dramatically during the Covid lockdowns
Scotland - 'Ground-breaking' American trauma project being delivered at Barlinnie
Oceania
Australia - Prison healthcare contractor denies cover-up after Indigenous woman’s death
News 27 May
Africa
Non-custodial sentencing key to reducing congestion in Ghana’s prisons – Prison Service
Americas
US - The 1990s Law That Keeps People in Prison on Technicalities
US - Biden Moves to Improve Public Health Conditions in Federal Prisons and Jails
US - Court denies Oregon’s request to scrap lawsuit over prison COVID cases
US (Delaware) - State prison system limits vistitors after Covid cases increase in region
Asia
Cambodia - Lawyer-inmate rooms at prisons in heavy use
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/lawyer-inmate-rooms-prisons-heavy-use
India - State prisons: ‘Mulaqats’ resumed, but poor infra keeps families of prisoners away
Myanmar - Family members of inmates call for allowing prison visits
https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/family-members-inmates-call-allowing-prison-visits
Europe
Malta - Inmates will meet their children outside prison in new Marsa family room
News 26 May
Americas
Canada - Addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system in British Columbia
US - Three years after ICIJ’s ‘Solitary Voices,’ isolation still commonplace in US prisons and detention centers
US - Cost of Calls Weighs on Prisoners’ Families as CFPB Cracks Down
US - ‘Always a possibility of change’: incarcerated teens seek justice as adults
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/26/since-i-been-down-documentary-prison-justice-redemption
Asia
Rights Of Indian Prisoners To Equitable Wages And Application Of Labor Laws In Prisons
Europe
England and Wales - Justice minister denies ‘legal aid advice deserts’ in face of evidence of widespread failures
Oceania
New Zealand - Deputy director among nine Rimutaka Prison staff suspended amid corruption probe
News 25 May
Africa
Egypt issued highest number of death sentences worldwide in 2021
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-highest-number-death-sentences-world-2021
Ghana Prisons Service calls for more vocational establishments in prisons
South Africa: Why Independent Healthcare Inside Prisons Is Vital
https://allafrica.com/stories/202205250168.html
Americas
‘Like living in a concentration camp’: Haitian prisons run out of food and water
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article261758132.html
Asia
Malaysia - Set up independent panel to monitor prison conditions, govt told
Malaysia - Prison reform: Suaram identifies issues, solutions in latest report
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/622407
Europe
England and Wales - Winchester prison is 'one of the most violent prisons in the country'
https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/20163716.winchester-continued-one-violent-prisons-country---report/
News 24 May
Americas
US - Supreme Court makes it tougher for inmates to win release from prison due to bad lawyering claims
US - Compassionate release for aging prisoners isn't enough
https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2022/05/24/compassionate-release-armand-coleman-sarah-laughlin
US - Mass. has lowest incarceration rate in 35 years; experts say there is room to improve
https://www.gazettenet.com/Mass-prison-population-46486834
Asia
India - Mental health report required before sentencing anyone to death, says Supreme Court
S. Korea installs sensors to prevent suicides in new military prison
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220524000243
Thailand - 2% of inmates are mentally ill
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2314606/2-of-inmates-are-mentally-ill
Europe
England and Wales - Prisoners screened for Hepatitis C in Lewes Prison as part of efforts to eliminate virus
Turkey extends COVID-19 leaves for convicts till July 2023
https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkey-extends-covid-19-leaves-for-convicts-till-july-2023/news
News 20 – 23 May
Americas
US - Bill pushes feds to notify families of sick, dying inmates
US - Two Years of COVID-19 Have Fueled a Crisis of Isolation in Prisons
https://www.vera.org/news/two-years-of-covid-19-have-fueled-a-crisis-of-isolation-in-prisons
Asia
Thailand - New Phuket prison already 85% full
https://www.thephuketnews.com/new-phuket-prison-already-85-full-84300.php
Europe
England and Wales - Children carrying weapons at most violent prison in England, inspectors warn
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/children-england-wales-staffordshire-stokeontrent-b1001241.html
England and Wales - New centre to be piloted as alternative to prison for women convicted of low-level crimes
England and Wales - Open up regimes more quickly, urges HMIP
https://insidetime.org/open-up-regimes-more-quickly-urges-hmip/
Human rights organizations demand to know if Turkish authorities have taken precautions against COVID-19 as prisons are set to return to full capacity
Oceania
Australia - WA prison staffing systems 'shambolic' and 'chaotic', auditor-general report says
News 19 May
Africa
Gambia: TRRC Recommends State Develop Alternative Systems of Imprisonment
https://allafrica.com/stories/202205180568.html
Americas
US - COVID-19 Restrictions May Be Easing, but in Prison We’re Still Here Alone
https://www.vera.org/news/covid-19-restrictions-may-be-easing-but-in-prison-were-still-here-alone
US - Counties Pledge to Break the Cycle Between Jail and Homelessness
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-18/the-costs-of-criminalizing-homelessness
US - Vaccine mandate struck down in court as cases climb in California prisons
https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/california/article261544837.html
Asia
Severe Overcrowding as Israel's Prison Population Hits 15,000
Europe
England and Wales - HMP Humber prison to step up procedures after inmate dies following fall in protest over missing medication
England and Wales - Defendants incorrectly remanded in custody as a result of a widespread misuse of Bail Act
England and Wales - Crown courts ‘struggling’ to find enough judges and lawyers to deal with backlog
Assaults on staff by inmates in Irish prisons rose by 30% in 2021
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/assaults-staff-inmates-irish-prisons-26999715
News 18 May
Africa
Gambia - TRRC hints need for prison facilities with democratic standards
Liberia: LNBA Wants Gov’t Construct More Prison Facilities
https://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-lnba-wants-govt-construct-more-prison-facilities
Americas
Mexico - Chief justice’s visit with inmates highlights the vices of preventative prison
US (Pennsylvania) - Despite high vaccination rates among Pa. prisoners, some COVID restrictions remain in place
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2022/05/pa-covid-prison-mitigation-update/
Europe
The impact of COVID-19 vaccination in prisons in England and Wales: a metapopulation model
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-13219-4
England and Wales - 'Chaotic' adult prison education system crying out for overhaul
Ireland - Pop-up prison restaurant aiming to train inmates as chefs and waitstaff in bid to solve hospitality staff crisis
Phone seizures in Irish prisons double in five years
https://www.newstalk.com/news/phone-seizures-in-irish-prisons-double-in-five-years-1343468
News 17 May
Africa
Kenya: Utilize New Dispute Resolution Methods to Decongest Courts, Expedite Justice - Koome
https://allafrica.com/stories/202205170326.html
Americas
Canada - Documents show a pattern of human rights abuses against gender diverse prisoners
Cuba's new penal code keeps death penalty as an option
https://en.mercopress.com/2022/05/17/cuba-s-new-penal-code-keeps-death-penalty-as-an-option
Will Soaring Arrests in El Salvador Overwhelm its Prisons?
https://insightcrime.org/news/elsalvador-arrests-overwhelm-prisons/
US - How the pandemic affected incarcerated people and their loved ones
https://prismreports.org/2022/05/16/pandemic-incarcerated-people-families/
Asia
850 foreigners doing time in Nepali prisons
https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/850-foreigners-doing-time-in-nepali-prisons
Europe
England and Wales - Women are more likely to become homeless after being released from prison than men, analysis shows
https://inews.co.uk/news/women-more-likely-become-homeless-after-prison-release-men-1630738
England and Wales - UK criminal justice creaking under ‘unacceptable’ levels of delay
https://www.ft.com/content/5147c8a4-972a-4b45-8f81-3409425f0d16
Ireland - Judge criticises prison service over hearing delays
News 14 – 16 May
Africa
Ghana - Criminalization of drumming, begging not justified – Head of GIMPA Law Department
Americas
Trinidad & Tobago - Prisons boss weighs conjugal visits for ‘good’ inmates
Some U.S. inmates released under COVID protocols challenge orders to return to prison
Asia
Philippines - 1 dead, 9 injured in QC jail riot
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/5/13/Quezon-City-jail-riot-May-13.html
Thailand - Prisons must not force released inmates to quarantine: minister
https://www.nationmultimedia.com/in-focus/40015562
Thailand’s Corrections Dept. to resume relatives visit next week
Europe
Cyprus - Delays to implementing juvenile justice system reform
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/05/16/delays-to-implementing-juvenile-justice-system-reform/
England and Wales - HM Prison and Probation Service COVID-19 Statistics, April 2022
Oceania
Australia - NSW government refuses to close legal loophole allowing prison staff to strip-search children
News 13 May
Africa
Ghana - Kumasi Central Prison: 63 per cent of inmates are petty offenders
South Africa - Wellness drive focuses on improving working conditions of prison staff
Tanzania plans to introduce mobile courts to decongest cases awaiting trial
Americas
First Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts launched in Guyana
Jamaica - Prisons to ditch ‘archaic’ paper-based system
https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/prisons-to-ditch-archaic-paper-based-system/
US - Female incarceration rates decrease with gender equality in education
Asia
Saudi's General Directorate of Prisons launches a remote visit service for first-degree relatives
Oceania
New Zealand - Corrections staff exodus blamed on wages, conditions, return to pre-pandemic careers
News 12 May
Africa
Ghana - ‘You need to perform magic for inmates to eat’ – Chief Superintendent of Prisons
Liberia: PFI Renovates Prison Facilities, Appeals for More Help
https://allafrica.com/stories/202205110682.html
Americas
Barbados - COVID-19 cases at Dodds are up
https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/05/11/covid-19-cases-at-dodds-are-up/
Ecuador: New Disorders in Prison Where 44 Prisoners Were Killed
Sint Maarten - Prison director provides IPKO with prison updates
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/prison-director-provides-ipko-with-prison-updates
U.S. inmates condemned to die are spending more time on death row
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/12/1097184110/death-row-inmates-execution-time?t=1652350493938
Europe
England and Wales - Rape victims give up fight for justice as court delays worsen
News 11 May
More than 400,000 new jail places created last year as global prison population hits all time high
Americas
Canadian prison system failing Indigenous peoples
Ecuador: In light of new prison massacre, authorities must address structural causes
US - Overnight Child Visitation Program returns to Tennessee women's prisons after COVID suspension
Asia
Israel - Prison health system severely understaffed, lacking in multiple areas - comptroller report
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-706297
Europe
England and Wales - Most women freed from Bronzefield Prison lack safe accommodation – report
England and Wales - Black women facing more racism in prison, says report
England and Wales - Devolve justice to cut prison population says Welsh Counsel General
Oceania
Australia - New computer links to keep prisoners in isolation connected and COVID-safe
News 10 May
Governments are routinely ‘over-policing, over-prosecuting and over-punishing’, says justice watchdog
Covid-19: Urgent call to lift restrictions banning visitors in places of detention
Africa
ULS partners with UN to decongest Uganda prisons
Americas
Ecuador prison riot leaves 43 dead in latest bloody episode
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/09/ecuador-prison-riot-leaves-scores-dead
The clothing brand offering Peru’s prisoners an escape
https://www.laprensalatina.com/the-clothing-brand-offering-perus-prisoners-an-escape/
US (Kentucky) - Ky. jails and prisons are over capacity. New analysis suggests it’s going to get worse.
Asia
Malaysia - Provide updates on inquests into custodial deaths, coroners urged
Thailand - Prison visits to resume from May 16
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2307714/prison-visits-to-resume-from-may-16
Europe
WHO report highlights a new approach to reducing NCD risks in prisons
England and Wales - Hundreds of mentally ill prisoners denied urgent treatment in England
England and Wales - ‘My world fell apart’: life in prison with serious mental illness
Netherlands - Courts should take charge in commuting life sentences, not Cabinet ministers: Council
https://nltimes.nl/2022/05/09/courts-take-charge-commuting-life-sentences-cabinet-ministers-council
Oceania
Australia - Prison Pandemic Preparations Praised
https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/prison-pandemic-preparations-praised
News 7 – 9 May
Americas
America’s dirty secret is thousands going to jail every day without talking to a lawyer, attorney says
US - Fourth inmate dies at Rikers Island as deadline to fix crisis-plagued NYC prison looms
US - In Texas prisons, men have access to significantly more higher education programs than women
https://19thnews.org/2022/05/texas-prison-higher-education-system-inequity/
Asia
India - Ensure jails have proper medical facilities: HC tells DG Prisons
India - Prisoners can no longer seek emergency Covid-19 parole: Bombay HC
Thousands face jail as Jordan heads to lift moratorium on debt imprisonment
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/thousands-jordanians-could-face-jail-debt-next-month
Pakistan - Punjab’s soaring prison population a nightmare
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2355462/punjabs-soaring-prison-population-a-nightmare
Europe
England and Wales - Prison firm made £11m in year Ofsted raised alarm about safety at youth jail
England and Wales - Three-quarters of children on remand last year did not go on to receive a custodial sentence
Oceania
Australia - Victoria’s prison healthcare system should match community healthcare
Australia - Covid runs amok at AMC
https://citynews.com.au/2022/covid-runs-amok-at-amc/
New Zealand - One in five prisoners not vaccinated against Covid-19
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/466709/one-in-five-prisoners-not-vaccinated-against-covid-19
News 6 May
Americas
Canada - How prisons are using COVID-19 containment measures as a guise for torture
Canada - Ottawa criticized for ‘rehashed responses’ on overrepresentation of Indigenous women in federal prisons
US - Focused on Rehabilitation: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Unveils ‘Little Scandinavia’ at SCI Chester
Asia
India - Maharashtra: Over 4,000 prisoners released due to pandemic ordered to return
Europe
England and Wales - ‘Horrendous, inhumane and degrading treatment’ – inquest hears about prisoner death
Ireland - Covid measures to be eased in prisons
https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/covid-measures-to-be-eased-in-prisons
Turkey - 80K inmates who benefited from temporary release due to pandemic to return to prison
News 5 May
Asia
Covid-19: Hong Kong eases curbs on prison visits as infections fall
Philippines - Visitors of PDLs now accepted in BuCor’s 7 prison facilities
https://mb.com.ph/2022/05/05/visitors-of-pdls-now-accepted-in-bucors-7-prison-facilities/
Thailand - Dept to ensure better prison food after complaints
Europe
England and Wales - 'Last of its kind' Colchester prison raises concerns as criminals including sex offenders freed without supervision
https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/last-kind-colchester-prison-raises-7038936
HMP Barlinnie gets first prison body scanner in Scotland in efforts to curb smuggling
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/barlinnie-prison-body-scanner-drugs-b2072098.html
Oceania
Australia - Alice Springs prison officers strike, claim facility chronically understaffed
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-05/alice-springs-prison-officers-strike/101040672
News 4 May
Africa
Libya - 170 prisoners escape from Mellitah prison west of Tripoli
https://libyaupdate.com/170-prisoners-escape-from-mellitah-prison-west-of-tripoli/
Asia
India - HC seeks Maha govt's reply on withdrawal of voice, video call facilities for inmates in prisons
Europe
England and Wales - Month on month increase in violence at HMP Exeter despite ‘urgent notification’ issued four years ago
Malta - Court finds prison authorities guilty of degrading and inhuman treatment
Oceania
New Zealand - Prison staff warned to hide their uniforms outside work due to safety concerns
News 30 April – 3 May
Americas
Pages for pardons? In Bolivia, inmates can cut jail time by reading
Canada - Inmate's COVID-19 experience in Her Majesty's Penitentiary doesn't warrant a lighter sentence, Newfoundland judge finds
Asia
India has court backlog of 40 million cases, chief justice says
India - SC directs prisoners released on parole in Kerala due to Covid-19 to surrender within 2 weeks
Pakistan - Sindh govt grants six-month remission to prisoners on Eid
https://www.dawn.com/news/1687601/sindh-govt-grants-six-month-remission-to-prisoners-on-eid
Europe
Prison overcrowding in Belgium delays application of ‘shorter sentences’
England and Wales - Prisoner assaults soared after Covid restrictions eased at Full Sutton
England and Wales - Magistrates can now jail people for up to a year
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/magistrates-jail-people-year-england-wales-6h80jkr5b
Ireland - Overcrowding in prisons putting inmates and staff at risk, says Dublin TD
https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/overcrowding-prisons-putting-inmates-staff-23845942
Oceania
Australia - Darwin prison officers allege 'under-staffing and overcrowding' during wage freeze protest on May Day
New Zealand - Māori even more overrepresented in prisons, despite $98m strategy
News 29 April
Africa
Kenya: 5,000 Petty Offenders to Be Freed From Prison in Decongestion Program
https://allafrica.com/stories/202204280517.html
Americas
Canada - Intelligence agency needs to keep a closer watch on extremism in prisons, report says
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csis-rcmp-prisons-extremism-1.6431967
Canada - COVID-19 outbreak declared at Kitchener women's prison, 3 cases detected
US -Connecticut Senate passes bill meant to improve health care for prison inmates
https://news.yahoo.com/connecticut-senate-passes-bill-meant-003800081.html
Asia
Indonesia - Government to expedite COVID-19 vaccination at South Sumatra's prisons
Jordan to criminalise begging with up to one year in jail
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/jordan-criminalise-begging-one-year-jail
Europe
England and Wales - City firms pledge to employ ex-offenders as prisons minister calls on bosses to ‘break offending cycle’
Isle of Man Prison policies changed after inmate death, inquest hears
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-61264399
Oceania
Australia (NT) - Prison officers to take strike action across the Territory
https://ntindependent.com.au/news-brief-prison-officers-to-take-strike-action-across-the-territory/
News 28 April
Africa
Kenya - 1000 probation officers to be hired in prison decongestion plan
Americas
US - With COVID-19 Cases On Rise, Bureau Of Prisons Slowly Still Transferring Inmates Under CARES Act
US - South Dakota prison staffing shortages leave inmates with no showers
https://www.foxnews.com/us/south-dakota-prison-staffing-shortages-leave-inmates-no-showers
Asia
UAE - Dubai Police prepare inmates for life after prison with university courses
Europe
Prison reform: Belgium increases psychiatric support for inmates
https://www.brusselstimes.com/220053/prison-reform-belgium-increases-psychiatric-support-for-inmates
Denmark agrees €15 million deal to send 300 foreign prisoners to Kosovo
Number of children in custody in England and Wales set to double by 2024
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/number-children-custody-set-double-23807107
England and Wales - PAC: ‘Spend to save’ on women in the criminal justice system
England and Wales - Kirkham Prison management slammed for failing to crack down on drugs
Germany: Top court hears case on prisoners' wages
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-top-court-hears-case-on-prisoners-wages/a-61614253
Ireland - Prison chief says gangs not in control of life in jails
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0428/1294783-prisons/
Ireland - Jail ‘rarely’ cost-effective for short-sentence prisoners
Ireland - Prison officers launch stinging attack over treatment of staff during Covid-19 pandemic
Report demands urgent action on mental health support in Scottish prisons
News 27 April
Africa
Ghana's 'life-threatening' prisons 'overflow' with faeces as 100 share one toilet – US Report
Tanzania - Union Day: Samia frees 3,826 inmates
https://www.ippmedia.com/en/news/union-day-samia-frees-3826-inmates
Americas
US - How I Helped Fight Vaccine Misinformation While In Prison
https://theappeal.org/fighting-covid-19-misiniforation-sing-sing-prison/
Asia
Jordan - Lawmakers pass amendments to Penal Code bill
https://en.ammonnews.net/article/57934
Singapore - First batch of prison inmates graduates with precision engineering skills to boost job prospects
Europe
England and Wales - Prison service failing to tackle radicalisation in jails, report warns
England and Wales - Mentally unwell women are being sent to prison instead of hospital due to lack of NHS beds, MPs warn
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/prison-women-mental-health-mp-b2065054.html
England and Wales - 'No light at end of tunnel': Hundreds stuck behind bars under law abolished in 2012
England and Wales - Inmates at Hull prison still being locked up for up to 23 hours a day
England and Wales - ‘Crumbling’ criminal justice system hampered by £1bn repair bill and lack of judges - MPs
Ireland - Prison Officers warn overcrowding, violence becoming major problem
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0427/1294516-prison-officers-conference/
Ireland - Foreign nationals get one-third higher prison terms on average than Irish-born criminals
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-40859495.html
Italy - 107 indictments asked for prison violence
Oceania
Australia - Sinks, metal sheeting pulled from prison walls during violent riot over forced lockdown
News 26 April
Africa
Eid Al-Fitr 2022: Prison Inmates in Morocco Allowed To Receive Food Baskets
Namibia: UN to Help Prisons Grow Food
https://allafrica.com/stories/202204260433.html
Americas
US - California does not have to require prison workers to get COVID vaccines, court rules
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/California-does-not-have-to-require-prison-17126330.php
US - 'Our families count too': Months after suspension, visitation to resume at Kentucky prisons
Europe
England and Wales - Rate of self-harm amongst women prisoners eight times that of men
https://www.thejusticegap.com/rate-of-self-harm-amongst-women-prisoners-eight-times-that-of-men/
England and Wales - Jail praised for unlocking prisoners for seven hours a day
https://insidetime.org/jail-praised-for-unlocking-prisoners-for-seven-hours-a-day/
Scots victims of crime facing 'wait for justice'
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/20092064.scots-victims-crime-facing-wait-justice/
Oceania
Australia - Inquest into Aboriginal woman’s death in custody to examine healthcare in Victoria’s prisons
News 23-25 April
Americas
St Lucia - Bordelais Correctional Facility Recommences In-Person Visits
https://thevoiceslu.com/2022/04/bordelais-correctional-facility-recommences-in-person-visits/
US - How a Race-Based Medical Formula Is Keeping Some Black Men in Prison
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/nyregion/prison-kidney-federal-courts-race.html
US (Pennsylvania) - 29 people died in Philly jails in the pandemic. City officials say they did a ‘good job’
US - Life after life in California's prisons
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-04-24/facing-life-sentences-release-california-prisons
Asia
Indonesia - Inmates' transfer temporarily solves prison overcrowding issue
https://en.antaranews.com/news/226721/inmates-transfer-temporarily-solves-prison-overcrowding-issue
Pakistan - Committee to formulate strategy for betterment of prison system
https://pakobserver.net/committee-to-formulate-strategy-for-betterment-of-prison-system/
Europe
Netherlands - Parliament divided over maximum 25 years prison sentence for manslaughter
https://nltimes.nl/2022/04/24/parliament-divided-maximum-25-years-prison-sentence-manslaughter
News 22 April
UN: Make Reporting on Covid-19 in Prisons Mandatory
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/04/22/un-make-reporting-covid-19-prisons-mandatory
Africa
Morocco Prisons To Prioritize Humane Detention, Social Reintegration
Coverup in Nigerian Prison As TB Hits, Kills Several Inmates
https://allafrica.com/stories/202204220025.html
Americas
El Salvador to Speed Up Construction of Prisons
Asia
Cambodia - Prison population drops, overcrowding eases
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501061731/prison-population-drops-overcrowding-eases/
Oceania
New Zealand - Remand unit closed after prison inspection
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/southland/remand-unit-closed-after-prison-inspection
News 21 April
Africa
South Africa - DCS To Tighten Up Processes To Prevent Corruption After Two Prison Escapes
Togo resumes prison visits after a two-year ban
https://www.africanews.com/2022/04/20/togo-resumes-prison-visits-after-a-two-year-ban/
Americas
Canada - A B.C. prison that made it 2 years without a COVID-19 outbreak now has 59 cases
Europe
Prison overcrowding: Anti-torture committee calls for limits on prison inmate numbers and promoting non-custodial measures
England and Wales - Number of prisoners stuck in solitary confinement a real worry, prisons watchdog warns
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/prison-solitary-confinement-education-b2057841.html
Ireland - 30% Increase In Assaults On Prison Officers In 2021
https://www.midlands103.com/news/midlands-news/30-increase-in-assaults-on-prison-officers-in-2021/
News 14 – 20 April
Africa
Covid-19 Togo: les visites aux détenus désormais autorisées
https://www.ivoiresoir.net/covid-19-togo-les-visites-aux-detenus-desormais-autorisees/
A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures
Americas
US - Why Prison Reintegration Programs Are Needed and Who’s Doing It Right
US - Federal Bureau Of Prisons’ Medical Care Falls Short Of Its Own Policy
US - ‘It’s An Emergency’: Tens Of Thousands Of Incarcerated People Are Sexually Assaulted Each Year
https://theappeal.org/cynthia-alvarado-sexual-assault-in-prisons/
US (Nevada) - Low-level parole violations clog prisons, derail parolee progress. Can reforms help?
US - Vermont's Prisons Open to Visitors Again, Ending a Two-Year Restriction
Asia
India - Consider conditional release of single woman prisoners, Orissa HC
Rights groups pull no punches over Indonesian prisons
https://www.ucanews.com/news/rights-groups-pull-no-punches-over-indonesian-prisons/96970
Myanmar junta frees 1,600 from jail but not political prisoners
Taiwan - Lawmakers pass amendment reducing jail time for growing pot for self-use
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2022/04/20/2003776918
Thailand - New rule on royal pardon put in place
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2294646/new-rule-on-royal-pardon-put-in-place
Europe
Hundred new prison welfare projects launched in Belgium will ‘cost society nothing’
England and Wales - HM Prison and Probation Service COVID-19 Statistics, March 2022
England and Wales - HMP Bullingdon: Concern over drugs in jail after prisoner's death
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-61105053
Around 5% of all Irish prison staff to get randomly drug tested under new scheme
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/around-5-irish-prison-staff-26743718
Romanian prisons continue to face extensive challenges
https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/romanian-prisons-continue-to-face-extensive-challenges
Scotland - SNP accused of ‘hopelessly mismanaging’ prisons as over 1,500 cons doubling up in cells
Oceania
Australia - WA prison staff shortage will lead to disaster, Prison Officers' Union warns
Australia - WA prison inspector uncovers cruel conditions inside Banksia Hill Detention Centre
Australia (Tasmania) - COVID prisons outbreak puts staff and inmates at risk
https://taslabor.com/covid-prisons-outbreak-puts-staff-and-inmates-at-risk/
News 13 April
Africa
Ghana - Hold national dialogue on prison reform - CCF to Government
Americas
US - There are thousands fewer people in Wisconsin’s prisons than before the pandemic. What happened?
Asia
Iran: seriously ill prisoners denied medical care and left to die - new report
Europe
Authorities launch AI project to modernise Finnish prison labour
https://yle.fi/news/3-12402053
Oceania
New Zealand - Mental health focus for prison reform
https://waateanews.com/2022/04/13/mental-health-focus-for-prison-reform/
News 12 April
Africa
Nigeria - Riot in Rivers prison leaves one dead, many others with bullet wounds
Zimbabwe - ZPCS brings back family week
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/zpcs-brings-back-family-week/
Americas
Trinidad & Tobago - Prison Service resumes in-person visits
https://tt.loopnews.com/content/prison-service-resumes-person-visits
Europe
England and Wales - Inspectorate of Prisons criticises progress at YOI Deerbolt
England and Wales - Isle of Wight prison failings revealed after murderer's suicide
https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/20060654.isle-wight-prison-failings-revealed-murderers-suicide/
England and Wales - HMP Ford near Arundel criticised for living conditions
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/20060108.hmp-ford-near-arundel-criticised-living-conditions/
Serious incidents of self-harm more than double at Jersey's La Moye Prison
Oceania
Australia - Risdon Prison minimum-security facility locked down after surge in COVID-19 cases
Australia - Call to rehabilitate SA prison system
https://indaily.com.au/news/2022/04/12/call-to-rehabilitate-sa-prison-system/
News 9 – 11 April
Africa
HRW raises alarm after outbreak of cholera in Cameroon prison
https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20220409-hrw-raises-alarm-after-outbreak-of-cholera-in-cameroon-prison
Egypt: Prisons employ 'systemic sexual violence' against detainees
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-sexual-violence-detainees-human-rights-report
South Africa - Prison visits allowed again after long lockdown ban
Americas
US - Report finds systemic issues increase COVID-19 cases in incarcerated communities
Asia
India - Maharashtra among six states where women in jails exceed capacity
Jordan plans electronic tags for detainees to avoid prison overcrowding
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2059921/middle-east
Malaysia - Prisons chief: Only 14.97% of ex-convicts reoffend
Philippines - BuCor: 88% of 48,991 inmates fully vaccinated; 19% with booster jabs
Thailand - 120,000 busted for drugs in past 6 months
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2292758/120-000-busted-for-drugs-in-past-6-months
Thailand - Jail-term reduction rules set
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2292498/jail-term-reduction-rules-set
Europe
England and Wales - Governor says more time in cell has made prison safer
https://insidetime.org/governor-says-more-time-in-cell-has-made-prison-safer/
Ireland - Long-awaited reports into Dóchas women's prison kept under wraps by Department
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40848545.html
Jersey - Prison governor: Staff shortages ‘not as dire as being made out’
Jail attacks on Northern Ireland prison officers double in year
High levels of jail time in Portugal
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-04-08/high-levels-of-jail-time-in-portugal/66300
Shock as 25 inmates at Scots prisons die by suicide as victim's family lawyer demands bosses face criminal sanctions
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/shock-25-inmates-scots-prisons-26677343
Prisons population at highest in Turkey’s history
https://ahvalnews.com/turkey-prisons/prisons-population-highest-turkeys-history
Oceania
HCV reinfection common in Australian prisons, study finds
News 8 April
Americas
US (Vermont) - In-person visits at all Vt. prisons expected to resume soon
https://www.wcax.com/2022/04/07/in-person-visits-all-vt-prisons-expected-resume-soon/
Europe
England and Wales - Female black and Asian prisoners detail racism endured in landmark report
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/black-asian-women-prison-racism-b2053323.html
Turkey Builds More Prisons to Hold Exploding Jail Population
https://balkaninsight.com/2022/04/08/turkey-builds-more-prisons-to-hold-exploding-jail-population/
Implementation of novel and conventional outbreak control measures in managing COVID-19 outbreaks in a large UK prison
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-12991-7
Oceania
New Zealand - Inspectorate launches review into prisoner suicides, serious self-harm incidents after 'sharp increase'
News 7 April
Africa
South Africa - Prison visits reinstated as National State of Disaster ends
Zimbabwe - Prison officers get training on human rights
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/04/prison-officers-get-training-on-human-rights/
Americas
Canadian inmates still face isolation amounting to torture, experts say
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/federal-inmates-solitary-confinement-enquete-1.6410882
Ecuador's deadly prison riots show no signs of slowing
Europe
Ireland - Covid outbreak in two prisons sees visits suspended and rollout of mass testing
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40846061.html
Turkey’s Justice Ministry to ask prison administrations about widespread torture claims
News 6 April
Americas
Ecuador prison death toll rises to 20, authorities regain control
https://www.azernews.az/region/191826.html
El Salvador to build prison for 20,000 gang members, says President Bukele
https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40014228
US Virgin Islands - BOC not complying with prison monitoring requirements
Asia
Cambodia - GDP: Nearly 100% of inmates vaccinated for Covid
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/gdp-nearly-100-inmates-vaccinated-covid
Europe
Cyprus’ prison population down almost 30% but still overcrowded
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/04/06/cyprus-prison-population-down-almost-30-but-still-overcrowded/
Ireland – Cork Prison adopts new restrictions after 90 Covid cases
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40845185.html
Irish Prison Service rejects claims Covid prisoners are 'living in a zoo'
https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/irish-prison-service-rejects-claims-23604191
Luxembourg - Prison population declines by one-third over ten years
https://delano.lu/article/prison-population-declines-by-
Northern Ireland leads Europe in level of life sentences handed out to prisoners, says report
Scotland’s prison population rate remains above European average
Oceania
Australia - Life after prison: Victoria expands jobs program for ex-offenders in bid to reduce recidivism
News 5 April
Africa
Tunisia PM pledges to improve detention conditions, reduce overcrowding in prisons
Americas
US - Judge grants class-action status to prisoners sickened by COVID in Oregon
Asia
One Killed, Five Injured as Myanmar Junta Quells Prison Protest
Europe
Council of Europe’s annual penal statistics: Covid-19 pandemic helped reduce Europe’s prison population
Belgian prisons in top 5 most densely populated in Europe
https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/215087/belgian-prisons-among-most-densely-populated-in-europe
England and Wales - Prisoners have no lessons for two years due to Covid, report says
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/prisoners-prisons-covid-ofsted-b992375.html
Ireland - Outbreak of Covid-19 confirmed at Cork Prison
https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-40843994.html
Covid Scotland: Longer time limits for court cases should not be the new normal, say MSPs
Torture, mistreatment not allowed in Turkish prisons, justice minister claims
https://stockholmcf.org/torture-mistreatment-not-allowed-in-turkish-prisons-justice-minister-claims/
News 2-4 April
Africa
Algeria: president pardons 1,000+ prisoners
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220404-algeria-president-pardons-1000-prisoners/
Five prisoners killed as Cameroon’s cholera outbreak spreads to prison
https://newsghana.com.gh/five-prisoners-killed-as-cameroons-cholera-outbreak-spreads-to-prison/
South Africa - Inspectorate launches a probe into G4S prison conduct
https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/inspectorate-launches-a-probe-into-g4s-prison-conduct-20220402
Americas
New riot at Ecuadorian prison leaves at least another 12 inmates dead
Asia
Open Prisons Work - Lessons From India
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2022/04/04/open-prisons-worklessons-from-india/?sh=76a37dd63aa6
Life in Japan: The softer corners and harder edges of the Japanese justice system
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220402/p2a/00m/0op/017000c
Europe
England and Wales - Justice delayed: The human cost of the courts backlog
https://news.sky.com/story/justice-delayed-the-human-cost-of-the-courts-backlog-12579779
England and Wales - End of the line for random drug tests in prisons
https://insidetime.org/end-of-the-line-for-random-drug-tests-in-prisons/
‘Not forgotten’: Prisoners prep to vote in French election
Scotland's prisons must look at wider reform after under-18s rule change
Oceania
Australia - Victorian mentoring program keeping women out of prison at risk of closing due to lack of funds
News 1 April
Americas
US - Bureau Of Prisons Is Overworking Its Most Critical Staff Positions During First Step Act Implementation
U.S. Correctional Population Drops 22% Over Decade
https://thecrimereport.org/2022/04/01/u-s-correctional-population-drops-22-over-decade/
US - Local jails are helping drive America’s mass incarceration problem
https://www.vox.com/23003673/jail-prison-mass-incarceration-problem
US - New York's new solitary confinement guidelines take effect Friday
Asia
New norms in Brunei judiciary due to pandemic: Chief Justice
Europe
England and Wales - Crime victims left in limbo as ‘unacceptable’ court backlogs increase wait for justice
France - Prisons: the number of detainees rises above 70,000 for the first time since the pandemic
Latvia - Restrictions on prison inmates' participation in local elections ruled unconstitutional
News 31 March
Fighting COVID-19 in prisons: WHO report presents best practices from countries
Africa
Eight Egyptian rights organisations call for real reform to prisons
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/eight-egyptian-rights-orgs-urge-real-reform-prisons
Asia
India - From now, 'FASTER' release of prisoners granted bail; CJI launches software for e-transfer of orders to jail
India - Personal loans up to Rs 50,000 at 7% interest for prisoners in Maharashtra jails
Japan's revised Juvenile Law set to take effect as age of adulthood lowered to 18
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/03/31/national/crime-legal/juvenile-law-changes/
Europe
Cyprus - Cabinet gives green light for prison facility for juveniles to be set up
England and Wales - As life returns to normal, how come prisons are still in lockdown?
Scotland - Under-18s will no longer be sent to young offender institutions
https://news.stv.tv/west-central/under-18s-will-no-longer-be-sent-to-young-offender-institutions
Scotland - £3.2m to strengthen remand alternatives
https://www.gov.scot/news/gbp-3-2m-to-strengthen-remand-alternatives/
News 30 March
Africa
Egypt - All inmates nationwide to be granted 2 exceptional visits on occasion of Holy month of Ramadan
Americas
Canada - 'It's inhumane': Many federal inmates haven't seen their loved ones in over 2 years
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/federal-inmates-denied-visits-covid-1.6401334
Guyana: Prisoner stabbed to death over bed space
https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/guyana-prisoner-stabbed-death-over-bed-space
US - Connecticut legislature looks to establish oversight for prison health care
Asia
Bangladesh - 72pc of death sentence recipients poor
https://www.newagebd.net/article/166706/72pc-of-death-sentence-recipients-poor
India - Rules amended to carry out prisoner-centric reforms
Europe
England and Wales - Six out out of 10 women in prison are victims of domestic abuse, says new report
Ireland - Prisoners need 'decent second chance', committee hears
https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2022/0329/1289185-committee-prison/
News 29 March
Americas
El Salvador locks down prisons after wave of 87 killings over weekend
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/28/el-salvador-prisons-gang-killings
US - Preliminary report shows no spike in recidivism for prisoners released early by Oregon governor
US - 2 Mass. prisons mishandled COVID and neglected prisoners, report by disability advocates claims
Asia
Philippines - BuCor’s 7 prison facilities Covid free
https://mb.com.ph/2022/03/29/bucors-7-prison-facilities-covid-free/
Europe
Ireland - COVID concerns as prison population 'creeping upwards'
https://www.newstalk.com/news/covid-concerns-as-prison-population-creeping-upwards-1326320
Turkey - Mothers and children suffer from overcrowding, sickness and neglect in Izmir’s Şakran Prison
Mothers and babies join protest against UK imprisonment of pregnant women
Oceania
Australia - COVID-19 lockdowns see WA prisoners go days without washing or exercise
News 26 – 28 March
Americas
El Salvador isolates imprisoned gang members after emergency decreed
https://www.laprensalatina.com/el-salvador-isolates-imprisoned-gang-members-after-emergency-decreed/
US (Connecticut) - CT prisoners testify on solitary confinement bill
Asia
Cambodia - GDP: Prison conditions improve in 2021
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/gdp-prison-conditions-improve-2021
Philippines - 86% of BuCor’s PDLs fully vaccinated
https://mb.com.ph/2022/03/28/86-of-bucors-pdls-fully-vaccinated/
Europe
England and Wales - Soaring numbers of rape and murder trials delayed as courts fail to get a grip on Covid backlog
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18071583/rape-murder-trials-delayed-covid-backlog-courts/
Ireland - Minister for Justice to examine murder sentencing reforms
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0328/1288831-justice-reforms/
Scotland - Edinburgh prisoner, 34, 'begged' for help before dying alone in cell from Covid
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-prisoner-34-begged-help-23513079
Oceania
New Zealand - Prison staff concerned after serious assaults on workers jump 50 per cent
Exclusive: 'Expensive failure' - New Zealand's cost per prisoner rises while jail population dwindles
News 25 March
Americas
US - Prisoners with links to organized crime are commonly denied compassionate release
US (North Carolina) - Report: 2020 saw a record number of deaths in NC jails
US - Wyoming prisons relax pandemic measures
Asia
Hong Kong - Relief for inmates as visits ban eased
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/4/240175/Relief-for-inmates-as-visits-ban-eased
India - Inmates who have completed half their prison sentence likely to be released, Centre to issue advisory soon
Europe
England and Wales - Prisoner calls to Samaritans helpline increased by 60% during pandemic
England and Wales - New Grendon prison plans rejected by Buckinghamshire Council
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-60872824
Oceania
Australia - ‘Long overdue’: MPs call for review of Victoria’s bail laws that disproportionately affect women
New Zealand - Covid-19: Invercargill Prison creates isolation unit
News 24 March
Americas
US – ‘It’s A Money Grab’: Billions in Covid Relief Going To Fund Police And Prisons
https://theappeal.org/covid-funds-police-prisons-arpa/
Asia
Cambodia - ICRC urged to help mentally-ill women in jail
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501046744/icrc-urged-to-help-mentally-ill-women-in-jail/
India - UP govt lifts ban on visitors to jail after dip in Covid cases
India - Coimbatore: As Covid ebbs, Central prison starts admitting prisoners directly
Thailand - Annual prison report highlights inadequate COVID-19 response, sub-standard conditions
Europe
England and Wales - Durham Prison sees violence fall during lockdown – but overcrowding concerns remain
England and Wales - Woman prisoner with brain injury held in solitary confinement for over 1,000 days, IMB reveals
Oceania
New Zealand - New Waikeria Prison facility delayed to 2023 due to Covid-19 disruptions
News 23 March
Americas
Trinidad & Tobago - Immediate changes to prison infrastructure after jail break
US - COVID-Fueled Solitary Confinement Still Plagues Prisons and Jails
Asia
India - Union Cabinet approves release of prisoners in jail for minor offences
Malaysia - 86.5% of prisoners vaccinated against Covid-19, says minister
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/373163
Europe
Greece - Covid outbreak reported at maximum-security wing of Domokos Prison
Covid-19 spread twice as fast in Greek prisons
Ireland - 31 cases of Covid confirmed in Portlaoise Prison in March
Oceania
Outbreak of Covid-19 in Cook Islands prison
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/463869/outbreak-of-covid-19-in-cook-islands-prison
News 22 March
Americas
US - Cap on ‘Egregious’ Prison Phone Costs Set for Senate Panel Vote
Asia
India - Overcrowded District Jail in Shillong Forced to Keep Inmates 3 Times the Capacity
Malaysia - Community rehabilitation can save prison system RM182mil annually, says Home Minister
Europe
England and Wales - Ofsted prisons report finds literacy skills neglected
https://www.thenational.wales/news/20010175.ofsted-prisons-report-finds-literacy-skills-neglected/
England and Wales - Hundreds object to new Grendon prison plans
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-60826180
Portugal - Courts “in danger of collapse”
https://www.portugalresident.com/courts-in-danger-of-collapse/
Oceania
Australia - People In Prison Still In Covid-19 Lockdown
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/people-in-prison-still-in-covid-19-lockdown
News 19-21 March
Africa
COVID-19 Prevention Practices Among Prisoners, in Southern Ethiopia
Americas
US - The Justice Lesson of the Pandemic
https://thecrimereport.org/2022/03/21/the-justice-lesson-of-the-pandemic/
US - Arkansas to release 387 potential parolees as prison population bulges
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/mar/18/arkansas-to-release-387-potential-parolees-as/
Asia
Covid-19 and prisons: lockdown to contain outbreak difficult but needed, outgoing Hong Kong correctional services chief says, insists he did ‘fair’ job
India - 7,524 jail inmates faced mental health issues: Govt’s 2020 data
New Video Leak Keeps Spotlight On Inhumane Prison Conditions In Iran
https://www.rferl.org/a/leaked-video-evin-abuses/31760193.html
Maldives - 73 percent of inmates fully vaccinated against COVID-19
Philippines - 119,175 inmates fully vaccinated – BJMP
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/03/21/2168689/119175-inmates-fully-vaccinated-bjmp
Europe
Cyprus - Women’s wing in overcrowded Nicosia prisons in shocking state
https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/womens-wing-in-overcrowded-nicosia-prisons-in-shocking-state/
Ireland - Prisoners were locked up for 23 hours a day in pandemic
https://extra.ie/2022/03/21/news/irish-news/prisoners-locked-up-23-hours-a-day
News 18 March
Americas
Ecuador's prisons blighted by state abandonment -IACHR
US (Nebraska) - Senators Discuss Causes of Prison Overcrowding
US (New York) - An Overhaul of Prison Health Care Is Long Overdue
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/correctional-health-care/
US - Contact visitations reinstated at Louisiana's state-run prisons
Venezuela Judicial Woes Exacerbated as Prison Guards Extort Inmates
https://insightcrime.org/news/venezuelan-guards-extort-prisoners-court-hearings/
Asia
Visits set to resume in Hong Kong prisons after Correctional Services Department brings Covid-19 outbreak under control
India - After Covid relief in 2020 and 2021, 6K prisoners yet to return to Delhi jails
Macau - Correctional Services Require Negative NAT Prior To Visiting Facilities
Europe
Ireland - Prisoner takes court action over period of ‘almost solitary confinement’
News 17 March
Africa
Ghana - GHS1.80 per day feeding money for prisoners inadequate – Former director
Americas
US - More Than 800 New Jersey Prison Inmates Released Under COVID-19 Pandemic Law
Asia
India - Mumbai: State prisons to get video conferencing units to facilitate production of inmates before courts
India - Bengaluru: Prisoners visit in jails allowed from March 21
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=937840
Prisoners in Israeli jails to start open-ended hunger strike to protest prison measures
https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/128452
South Korea - 735 prisoners to be released on parole to free up prison space, including two ex-Samsung execs
http://www.arirang.com/news/News_View.asp?nseq=295416
Europe
England and Wales - Proportion of remand prisoners who are minority ethnic rises 17% in six years
Isle of Man - Inspection at the prison will focus on mental health
https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/inspection-at-the-prison-will-focus-on-mental-health-515688
Oceania
Australia - Justice Department responding to Hakea Prison COVID-19 outbreak
News 16 March
Americas
US - ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’: The Failure of Prison Oversight
https://thecrimereport.org/2022/03/16/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-the-failures-of-prison-oversight/
US - Incarcerated workers: overlooked as essential workers
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-12886-7
US (California) - Study highlights risk of low COVID vaccine uptake in prison staff
Asia
India - Jail inmates will be allowed to meet fully vaccinated relatives
Europe
England and Wales - Wetherby Young Offender Institution lost ground during Covid - report
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-60763730
Number of inmates exceeds 309,000 in Turkish prisons
https://stockholmcf.org/number-of-inmates-exceeds-309000-in-turkish-prisons/
Oceania
Australia - COVID sweeping through Hakea Prison as prisoners climb on roof
News 15 March
Americas
Canada - Courts will have to consider reasonableness of delays during COVID-19, experts say
US - COVID-19 in US prisoners, staff at triple the community rate
Asia
UN committee raises concern over Cambodia’s crowded, unsanitary prisons
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/human-rights-committee-03142022191656.html
Red Cross say it hasn't visited Myanmar prisons since COVID
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/red-cross-visited-myanmar-prisons-covid-83437695
Europe
England and Wales - How UK prison policy locks women into homelessness
Oceania
New Zealand - Prisoner and 11 staff test positive at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison
News 12 – 14 March
Africa
Ghana - Media urged to promote benefits of community sentencing
Americas
US - A study of SARS-COV-2 outbreaks in US federal prisons: the linkage between staff, incarcerated populations, and community transmission
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-12813-w
US - Federal Prison Compassionate Releases Soared In 2020
US - The Pandemic Isn’t Over Inside Prisons—And It Might Never Be
https://theappeal.org/covid-prisons-quarantine-lockdown/
US - New Jersey Prison Population Experiences One of the Largest Drops in the U.S.
US - COVID cases continue to drop at Washington state prison
US - Missouri prison inmates will be able to have visitors without restrictions in April
Asia
India - To minimise Covid risk, Delhi jails to keep video call option for inmates
Philippines - BuCor inmates start receiving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots
https://ptvnews.ph/bucor-inmates-start-receiving-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots/
Europe
England and Wales - HM Prison and Probation Service COVID-19 Statistics, February 2022
Turkey: the report on violation of right to food access in prisons
https://medyanews.net/turkey-the-report-on-violation-of-right-to-food-access-in-prisons/
Oceania
New Zealand - Claims Mt Eden inmates locked down 24-7 as Covid sweeps Auckland jail
News 11 March
Americas
Canada - Newly unveiled records chart struggles in Manitoba’s criminal justice system during pandemic
US - Prison Populations Declined Only 1.1% In 2021, With 19 States And The Federal Government Increasing Prison Incarceration
US - The Powerlessness of Parenting From Prison
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2022/03/11/the-powerlessness-of-parenting-from-prison
US - New York closes 6 state prisons as inmate numbers drop
https://www.wcax.com/2022/03/10/new-york-closes-6-state-prisons-inmate-numbers-drop/
Asia
India - Supreme Court requests committee on prison reforms to submit final report within six months
Possible revision to Japan's Penal Code to emphasize rehabilitation over retribution
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/03/11/national/penal-code-rehabilitation-prisoners/
Thai prisons ban alcohol-based sanitiser after abuse by prisoners leading to death, blindness
Europe
England and Wales - HMP Durham praised after significant fall in violence – but concerns remain over access to healthcare for prisoners and post-release support
France - Prison de Béziers : des détenus sains confinés à cause d'environ 40 cas positifs
Oceania
Australia - COVID in WA: Children, staff at Banksia Hill Detention Centre test positive for coronavirus
News 10 March
Americas
US - Missouri prisons to drop COVID-19 precautions for visits in April
https://www.newstribune.com/news/2022/mar/10/missouri-prisons-to-drop-covid-19-precautions-for/
Asia
‘Love is what sustains them’: Hong Kong prisoners cut off from family amid coronavirus outbreak
Why are India's jails so overcrowded?
https://www.dw.com/en/why-are-indias-jails-so-overcrowded/a-61063696
India - Lift ban on meetings in jails across Punjab: Bikram Majithia
Philippines - Covid vaccination at BuCor’s NBP set March 12
https://mb.com.ph/2022/03/10/covid-vaccination-at-bucors-nbp-set-march-12/
Europe
Isle of Man - Prison service 'could do more' to provide mental health support
Activists demonstrate against high number of female inmates in Turkish prisons
News 9 March
Americas
Prison Pandemic Papers Documenting Impact Of Covid-19 In Jails, Prisons & Penitentiaries Across Canada Launched
US - COVID-19 Inmate Deaths in Prisons
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/07/1085020336/covid-19-inmate-deaths-in-prisons
Europe
England and Wales - Winchester prison staff 'almost lose control of yard'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-60665837
Oceania
New Zealand - Corrections managing hundreds of Covid-19 cases among inmates
New Zealand - Corrections on Covid prison lockdowns - 'we have saved lives'
New Zealand - ‘Blood bath from hell’: Inmates at private prison tell of suicides, allege negligence in Covid outbreak
News 8 March
Americas
Barbados - Judge tells Dodds to get COVID plan
https://www.nationnews.com/2022/03/08/judge-tells-dodds-get-covid-plan/
Canada - There is still a prison pandemic
https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/march-2022/prison-covid-19-cases/
Canada - With so few people in NWT jails, territory looks at options
https://cabinradio.ca/87169/news/justice/with-so-few-people-in-nwt-jails-territory-looks-at-options/
US - How Corporations Turned Prison Tablets into A Predatory Scheme
https://theappeal.org/prison-tablets-ipads-jpay-securus-gtl/
US - Prisons skimp on Covid treatments like Paxlovid, even as Biden plans to flood pharmacies with it
https://www.statnews.com/2022/03/08/prisons-skimp-covid-treatments-paxlovid/?utm_campaign=rss
Asia
Myanmar Junta Denies Medical Treatment to Prisoners Sick With COVID-19
Europe
England and Wales - MPs ‘unconvinced’ by MoJ’s ‘meagre ambition’ to tackle Crown Court backlog
https://www.thejusticegap.com/mps-unconvinced-by-mojs-meagre-ambition-to-tackle-crown-court-backlog/
Oceania
New Zealand - Prison Covid restrictions could trigger Waikeria riots repeat, warns partner
New Zealand - Covid at Otago prison
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/south-otago/covid-otago-prison
News 5-7 March
Africa
South Africa - Overcrowded Westville female prison in KwaZulu-Natal a concern
Uganda - Parliament committee ready to support prisons
https://www.kfm.co.ug/news/parliament-committee-ready-to-support-prisons.html
Americas
COVID cases have doubled in Canadian prisons as uptick in vaccination across prisoners lull
US - As COVID spread in federal prisons, many at-risk inmates tried and failed to get out
US (Florida) - Bail amounts lowered for COVID, and crime didn't rise. Officials debate making it permanent.
Oceania
New Zealand - Prisoners need a bail-out from Omicron, say advocates
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/prisoners-need-a-bail-out-from-omicron-say-advocates
New Zealand - Covid-19: Suspension of prison visits tough on families
News 4 March
Americas
US - Nevada prisons abandon plan to fire employees who did not get COVID vaccine
US - Wyoming DOC allows normal prison visits to resume, begins easing other COVID-19 restrictions
US - In-person visits to resume at Philadelphia prisons
https://whyy.org/articles/in-person-visits-to-resume-at-philadelphia-prisons/
Asia
Hong Kong - Outbreaks at prisons leave manpower stretched: CSD
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1637021-20220303.htm?spTabChangeable=0
Europe
England and Wales - County court delays still much higher than pre-pandemic, MoJ reveals
Northern Ireland - NI prisons are seeing a spike in cases of Covid-19
https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/19967943.ni-prisons-seeing-spike-cases-covid-19/
Oceania
New Zealand - Chief justice: Covid-19 has caused unprecedented challenges in NZ's courts
News 3 March
Africa
Ghana - Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative calls for decriminalisation of petty offences
Americas
US (Minnesota) - Drop in MN COVID numbers means back to jail for some work-release participants
US - Fewer than 10% of applicants have been granted medical parole, frustrating some Mass. lawmakers
https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/03/03/mci-norfolk-wellpath-medical-parole-debate
Asia
Coronavirus: Hong Kong prisons report 1,000 cases among inmates, third correctional facility repurposed for isolation
Europe
England and Wales - Nightingale Courts extended to support justice recovery
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nightingale-courts-extended-to-support-justice-recovery
Shock Scottish Prison Service figures obtained through Freedom of Information Act show drugs, weapon and mobile phone seizures from Her Majesty's Inverness Porterfield prison rose dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic
News 2 March
Americas
US - COVID impact on NY courts still felt, but isn't the sole factor for backlogs
US (New York) - Two Years Into Pandemic, Basic Critiques of Prison Covid Policies Remain Unaddressed
https://www.nysfocus.com/2022/03/01/covid-prison-policies-unaddressed-critiques/
US (Wisconsin) - 'People really depend on the visits': Inmate advocates celebrate return of in-person visits at state prisons
Asia
Thailand - Prisons warned over work rules
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2272235/prisons-warned-over-work-rules
Europe
England and Wales - Holme House Covid outbreak - but prisoners 'still must isolate if they are positive'
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/holme-house-covid-outbreak-prisoners-23248330
Maltese prisons during Covid-19 didn’t violate human rights
https://www.courthousenews.com/maltese-prisons-during-covid-19-didnt-violate-human-rights/
News 1 March
Africa
Uganda - Prison Service Closes 59 Isolation Centres, Removes Restriction on Visits
Americas
US - Will Biden Step Up on Solitary Confinement?
https://theappeal.org/biden-federal-prison-solitary-confinement-ban/
US - California prisoners given substandard medical care and families left in the dark, loved ones say
Europe
England and Wales - 'Failing' HMP Swaleside 'understaffed' and 'unsafe' says new prison report
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/kent-jail-is-failing-says-new-report-263207/
England and Wales - Exeter Prison Covid outbreak affected more than 100 people
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/exeter-prison-covid-outbreak-affected-6731094
News 26 – 28 February
Americas
US - Wisconsin prisons to allow in-person visits again
https://www.nbc15.com/2022/02/26/wisconsin-prisons-allow-in-person-visits-again/
US - Releases From Hawaii Prisons Slowed During Pandemic Despite Supreme Court Orders
Asia
Covid-19: Omicron breaches Hong Kong’s prisons, with more than 200 inmates infected
India - 'Poor suffer in jail, rich get bail': SC for early release of prisoners serving over 10 years
Philippines -94% of BuCor personnel COVID vaccinated
https://mb.com.ph/2022/02/27/94-of-bucor-personnel-covid-vaccinated/
Europe
Northern Ireland - Prison Service staff brave and exemplar during pandemic - Director General
Northern Ireland - Concerns raised over drug use at Magilligan Prison
Oceania
Australia - Acacia Prison inmates riot in 'protracted incident' after COVID-19 control measures deployed
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-27/acacia-prisoners-riot-after-partial-covid-lockdown/100866380
Australia - NSW fails to parole low-risk prisoners despite Covid-19 provision
New Zealand - Omicron prison amnesty not possible
https://waateanews.com/2022/02/28/omicron-prison-amnesty-not-possible/
New Zealand - Statement: Protect People In Prison From COVID-19
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2202/S00230/statement-protect-people-in-prison-from-covid-19.htm
Tonga - 68 new COVID cases, include 1 in Vava'u and 42 in prison
https://matangitonga.to/2022/02/26/68-new-covid-cases-include-1-vavau-and-42-prison
News 25 February
Americas
US - Study: Suicide rate 3 times higher for people in jail than prison, general public
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2022/02/24/study-suicide-jail/1781645733000/
US - North Carolina prison inmates initiate hunger strike against inhumane treatment and grossly inadequate pandemic response
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/02/25/hung-f25.html
US - State looks to ease COVID restrictions in Vermont prisons
https://www.wcax.com/2022/02/24/state-looks-ease-covid-restrictions-vermont-prisons/
Asia
Hong Kong's Omicron-fuelled outbreak spreads within prisons
Oceania
New Zealand - Covid in prisons – a wake up call
https://waateanews.com/2022/02/25/covid-in-prisons-a-wake-up-call/
New Zealand - Covid-19: Three staff at Rolleston Prison test positive for virus
News 24 February
Americas
US - Covid Aid to Protect Montana Prisons and Jails Sits Unused
https://khn.org/news/article/covid-aid-to-protect-montana-prisons-and-jails-sits-unused/
US (California) - When Omicron Surges, Prisoners Have Little Protection
https://knock-la.com/california-prisons-omicron-covid/
Asia
Israel's Prisons Hold Thousands of Inmates in Solitary Confinement, Some for Years
Europe
Defendants waiting over six months for trial up 15% in England and Wales
England and Wales - Prisoners faced ‘significant human rights concerns’ during pandemic, say watchdog
Scotland - Hundreds of prisoners freed early without being tested for Covid-19
Oceania
Australia - Fears COVID will spread like 'wildfire' in WA prison system as Roebourne vax rate revealed
New Zealand - Fifty per cent increase in prisoners with Covid after RAT tests included in figure
News 23 February
Americas
Jolted by deadly prison riots, Ecuador to pardon 5,000 inmates
US - Non-contact visitation reinstated at Louisiana’s state-run prisons
https://www.kalb.com/2022/02/22/non-contact-visitation-reinstated-louisianas-state-run-prisons/
Europe
Concerns raised over Scotland's record court backlog for SNP ministers to solve
Oceania
Australia - Few WA prisoners have had COVID-19 booster jab despite Omicron's steady rise
New Zealand - Covid-19: Outbreak in Paremoremo maximum security prison
News 22 February
Africa
Ugandans would face fines, jail for refusing COVID jab under new law
Americas
Fight in a Brazilian jail causes five dead and 18 wounded
Riot inside Mexican prison injures 20 officers in Acapulco
Asia
Dozens of woman prisoners contract Omicron in Iran’s Orumiyeh
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/dozens-of-woman-prisoners-contract-omicron-in-irans-orumiyeh/
Europe
England and Wales - Our criminal justice system needs major surgery, not a band aid
France - Covid-19 : 83 détenus positifs à la prison de Saint-Martin-de-Ré en Charente-Maritime
Oceania
Australia (Victoria) - Keeping Justice System Moving Through Covid
https://www.miragenews.com/keeping-justice-system-moving-through-covid-729230/
New Zealand - Release prisoners amid Covid surge - Māori Pandemic Group
https://www.teaomaori.news/release-prisoners-amid-covid-surge-maori-pandemic-group
News 19 – 21 February
Asia
Coronavirus: lawyers voice concern after Hong Kong prison service stops visits, court trips for all inmates to conduct Covid-19 testing
Nepal - President grants amnesty to 513 prisoners
https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/president-grants-amnesty-to-513-prisoners
Europe
Ireland - Covid outbreak confirmed at Castlerea Prison
Italy - 29 served warrants for pandemic prison riot
Over one million remote links in Northern Ireland courts since pandemic began
Scotland - Ministers urged to take action over prison self-harm incidents
Oceania
New Zealand - 600 locked down amid Prison Covid outbreak
https://www.teaomaori.news/600-locked-down-amid-prison-covid-outbreak
News 18 February
Africa
Morocco - Prisons: reprise des visites familiales à partir du 28 février
https://www.barlamane.com/fr/prisons-reprise-des-visites-familiales-a-partir-du-28-fevrier/
MPs decry state of prison facilities in Northern Uganda
Americas
Cuba’s prison population is vaccinated and administration of boosters underway
US - A Pandemic of Litigation: Prisons and COVID-19 Class Actions
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=23512506-8ec5-46ce-a9fa-41e01bbc1c69
Senate launches group to examine embattled US prison system
US - Covid-19 rips through West Virginia women's prison as federal agency takes heat
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/18/health/covid-19-inmate-deaths/index.html
Asia
Coronavirus: more than 7,000 inmates, persons remanded in Hong Kong prisons to test for Covid-19 amid ‘first widespread infections’
Malaysia - Japan contributes saliva test kit, surgical isolation suits to Prison Dept
Pakistan - Prisoners across Punjab await booster jabs
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2344090/prisoners-across-punjab-await-booster-jabs
Europe
England and Wales to get extra 4,000 prison places in record expansion
England and Wales - Kent's Crown Court case backlog rises by 46%
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-60423173
Oceania
New Zealand - Covid-19: Auckland South prison cluster grows to 50 prisoners and 13 staff
New Zealand - Access to justice a concern as backlog grows in district courts
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/02/18/access-to-justice-a-concern-as-backlog-grows-in-district-courts/
News 17 February
Africa
Mauritius - COVID-19 : Le Virus Sévit À La Prison Des Femmes
https://www.zinfos-moris.com/Covid-19-Le-virus-sevit-a-la-prison-des-femmes_a27985.html
Nigeria - Reps order probe of prison inmates’ welfare, officials’ working condition
Americas
US (New Jersey) - More than 50% of N.J. corrections workers remain unvaccinated hours before mandate deadline
US (Connecticut) - Opinion: COVID lessons from a CT prison
https://www.nhregister.com/opinion/article/Opinion-COVID-lessons-from-a-CT-prison-16923728.php
Asia
Covid-19: Detention centre to be converted into quarantine facility for Hong Kong prisoners amid outbreak
India - Representation in Delhi HC seeks premature release of old aged, infirm prisoners from overcrowded prisons
India - Social distancing not feasible in jails, says representation in Delhi HC
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=927728
For First Time Since COVID, Israel to Allow Visitation Rights for Gaza Prisoners
Europe
France - Crise du Covid. 68 millions d’euros de dépenses supplémentaires dans les prisons en 2020
Northern Ireland prisons to relax Covid rules over six-week period
Oceania
New Zealand - Lockouts and lockdowns slow Omicron’s ‘wildfire spread’ through prisons
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lockouts-and-lockdowns-slow-omicrons-wildfire-spread-through-prisons
News 16 February
Americas
US (Illinois) - Low vaccination rates among IDOC staff having trickle-down effect, activists say
US (Michigan) - Riskiest place for COVID-19? Jails and prisons, advocates say
US - COVID updates: In-person visitation to remain suspended at California prisons
https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article258418633.html
US (Washington DC) - D.C. jail settles lawsuit over inmate covid conditions by ACLU, Public Defender Service
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/15/dc-jail-covid-settlement/
US - South Jersey prison inmates rioted in early days of pandemic; the legal fallout is ongoing
Asia
India - Covid restrictions lifted, prisoners across TN allowed to have visitors once a week
Malaysia - Kepayan Prison hit by cluster for the third time
https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/187083/kepayan-prison-hit-by-cluster-for-the-third-time/
Europe
England and Wales - HMP Bristol prisoners without heating as issues are 'urgently resolved'
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/hmp-bristol-prisoners-without-heating-6661482
Northern Ireland - Courts backlog could stretch beyond 2027 without extra funding, minister warns
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/naomi-long-courts-b2015610.html
Oceania
Australia - Omicron reaches WA prison, 115 new cases
https://www.begadistrictnews.com.au/story/7623569/omicron-reaches-wa-prison-115-new-cases/
New Zealand - Covid-19: Six prisons report cases, 45 staff stood down
News 9 – 15 February
Americas
Barbados - Prison boss apologises to officers for ad hoc COVID testing
https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/02/10/prison-boss-apologises-to-officers-for-ad-hoc-covid-testing/
Canada - Inmates, advocates denounce 'inhuman' 24/7 COVID-19 lockdowns at Quebec's Leclerc jail
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/laval-leclerc-detention-centre-covid-conditions-1.6347221
US - Omicron is creating new havoc in our criminal justice system
US (New Jersey) - N.J. releases more than 200 prisoners over COVID concerns
https://www.nj.com/politics/2022/02/nj-releases-more-than-200-prisoners-over-covid-concerns.html
US - Mask mandate lifted at Nevada prisons, visitation to resume Monday
https://mynews4.com/news/local/mask-mandate-lifted-at-nevada-prisons-visitation-to-resume-monday
US - Minnesota prisoners face continued crises as COVID runs unchecked
US - Delaware resumes in-person prison visits to ‘strengthen those connections’ interrupted three times during pandemic
US - Drug Confiscations in NYC Jails Doubled During Pandemic Visitor Ban
https://www.newsweek.com/drug-confiscations-nyc-jails-doubled-during-pandemic-visitor-ban-1678112
Asia
India - Mass jailing of undertrials must end
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/mass-jailing-of-undertrials-must-end-7771426/
India - COVID-19: Don't insist prisoners out on parole to surrender, says Supreme Court to Kerala
Iran - Omicron outbreak in Qarchak and Evin prisons
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2022/02/14/omicron-outbreak-in-qarchak/
Philippines - Gov’t urged to address needs of women prisoners
https://www.bulatlat.com/2022/02/15/govt-urged-to-address-needs-of-women-prisoners/
Philippines - 96 percent of BuCor’s PDLs vaccinated
https://mb.com.ph/2022/02/15/96-percent-of-bucors-pdls-vaccinated/
Thailand - All prison inmates to get third Covid dose by month-end
https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012180
Europe
England and Wales - HMPPS COVID-19 statistics : January 2022
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-covid-19-statistics-january-2022
England and Wales - Record levels of self-harm found at Derbyshire women’s prison – report
England and Wales - Covid: HMP Northumberland hit by new coronavirus outbreak
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-60337643
Ireland - Prison service ups limit for in-person visits
https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/2022/prison-service-ups-limit-for-in-person-visits
Four in 10 jail inmates in Northern Ireland have not had their day in court
Scotland - ‘40,000 trials waiting so why are courts empty day after day?’
https://news.stv.tv/feature/40000-trials-waiting-so-why-are-courts-empty-day-after-day
Oceania
Australia (NSW) - Jail reform advocates call for prisoners to be released amid COVID-19 lockdowns
https://7news.com.au/news/coronavirus/call-for-prisoners-release-amid-covid-19-c-5645963
Australia (Queensland) - Prison COVID Tally Hits 454
https://southburnett.com.au/news2/2022/02/14/prison-covid-tally-hits-454/
New Zealand - Government Must Protect People In Prisons
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2202/S00124/government-must-protect-people-in-prisons.htm
New Zealand - Covid-19: 'High risk' Auckland prison cluster passes 50 cases
News 8 February
Americas
US - Statistics Show Federal Bureau Of Prisons Unable To Implement Key Policies During Crisis
US - ‘Just kind of bracing for the worst possible scenario’: Michigan inmates worry as omicron spreads
US (Illinois) - State resumes prisoner transfers after virus surge
Europe
England and Wales - Seven suicides in a year at Wandsworth
https://insidetime.org/seven-suicides-in-a-year-at-wandsworth/
Irish prison chief welcomes criticism as report condemns overcrowding, sharing cells and poor out-of-cell time
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irish-prison-chief-welcomes-criticism-26164510
News 5-7 February
Americas
St Lucia - Bordelais Correctional Facility Managing Impact of COVID-19 Fifth Wave
US - Omicron amplifies challenges across Vermont’s prison system
https://vtdigger.org/2022/02/06/omicron-amplifies-challenges-across-vermonts-prison-system/
Asia
India - The trials and tribulations of inmates’ kin
Europe
England and Wales - Charity warns of 'mental health crisis in prisons'
https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/19897460.charity-warns-mental-health-crisis-prisons/
England and Wales - Continued Covid lockdown could cause unrest, Prison Service warns
https://insidetime.org/continued-covid-lockdown-could-cause-unrest-prison-service-warns/
England and Wales - The Verne: Five prisoners died in coronavirus outbreak
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-60260944
Ireland - Short jail terms being handed ‘too often’ ahead of community service, report warns
Conditions in Irish prisons have worsened, report warns
Ireland - Pandemic had 'devastating' impact on family contact for prisoners - IPRT
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0207/1278220-prison-visits/
Oceania
Australia - WA prisoners ‘fear’ contracting COVID-19 after not being given proper access to vaccines
News 4 February
Americas
Barbados: COVID outbreak at Dodds prison
https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/barbados-covid-outbreak-dodds-prison
US - California Prisons Face 3rd Wave of COVID, Some Without Vaccine Mandates
Asia
India - Prison Statistics Report 2020 Shows Govt’s Negligence of Prisoners During the Pandemic
https://thewire.in/health/prison-statistics-report-2020-government-negligence-health-rights-pandemic
Europe
Europe - Covid-19 and prisons: painful closures and encouraging innovations
England and Wales - Prisoners die and staff hospitalised during major Covid outbreak at Dorset prison
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/prisoners-die-staff-hospitalised-during-083918925.html
Gibraltar - No impact on visits despite more Covid cases at Windmill Hill prison
https://www.chronicle.gi/no-impact-on-visits-despite-more-covid-cases-at-windmill-hill-prison/
Ireland - No Covid-19 pandemic bonus for prison nurses - Laois TD calls on Govt to cough up
News 3 February
Africa
Uganda - MPs Ssewanyana, Ssegirinya Protest Ban on Visitors in Prison
https://softpower.ug/mps-ssewanyana-ssegirinya-protest-ban-on-visitors-in-prison/
Americas
Canada - Op-ed: The pandemic sentences prisoners to endless COVID lockdowns
https://nowtoronto.com/news/op-ed-the-pandemic-is-sentencing-prisoners-to-covid-lockdowns
Inmates vaccinated against Covid-19 in Cuba
https://www.plenglish.com/news/2022/02/02/inmates-vaccinated-against-covid-19-in-cuba/
Covid ‘Raging’ Among Prisoners Across US
https://khn.org/morning-breakout/covid-raging-among-prisoners-across-us/
US - COVID Cases in Youth Prisons Are Cutting Vulnerable Kids Off From Their Parents
US - Advocates call for COVID-19 protections for Minnesota prisoners
Asia
Cambodia - Ministry and Red Cross discuss new ‘early release from prison’ programmes
Oceania
New Zealand - Covid-19: No known virus transmission in NZ prisons, so far
News 2 February
Americas
Canada - Prison guards deserve PCR tests, COVID hazard pay, says union for Pacific Region officers
Canada - 4 inmates at HMP test positive for COVID-19
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/hmp-covid-nl-1.6334775
Europe
France - Cluster à la prison de Roanne : 193 détenus sont positifs au Covid-19
Northern Ireland - Eleven Maghaberry prisoners take legal action over use of solitary confinement
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/eleven-maghaberry-prisoners-legal-action-160612045.html
Two-thirds of Serbia’s convicts vaccinated against COVID-19
News 1 February
Americas
Antigua - Five prison inmates test positive for Covid
https://antiguaobserver.com/five-prison-inmates-test-positive-for-covid/
Canada - At least one unit at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's reportedly on COVID-19 lockdown
US (Pennsylvania) - Inmates Say They Were Denied Court, Attorney Access Amid COVID
https://www.governing.com/now/inmates-say-they-were-denied-court-attorney-access-amid-covid
US - Op-Ed: California’s blocked vaccine mandate for prison guards is public health idiocy
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-02-01/california-covid-prison-guards
US - Idaho National Guard to Aid COVID-Hit Prisons, Clinics
US (North Carolina) - Breaking Point: Families and loved ones of incarcerated people feel the collateral damage of incarceration in COVID
Asia
Thailand - 76 inmates escape over the past several months, many from prison quarantine
Europe
England and Wales - Rochester Prison inspection finds rodent infestation, dangerous electrics and undignified toilets
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/poor-living-conditions-found-in-prison-inspection-261642/
Northern Ireland prisons: 'Solitary confinement' breaking UN standards
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60199921
Scotland - Court-related social work orders slumped during lockdown
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19887179.court-related-social-work-orders-slumped-lockdown/
Oceania
Australia (NT) - COVID-19 outbreak grows at Alice Springs prison as almost half of all inmates test positive
Australia (NSW) - COVID Positive Inmates Try to Avoid Detection, as Hundreds Infected Inside
New Zealand - Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Prisoner at Northland Region Corrections Facility tests positive
News 29 – 31 January
Africa
Liberia prisons: Where inmates are short of food, space and uniforms
Americas
Canada - Dozens infected as COVID outbreak at the Ottawa jail extends into fifth week
Cayman Islands - Thirty-one prisoners and 16 prison staff have COVID-19
https://cayman.loopnews.com/content/thirty-one-prisoners-and-16-prison-staff-have-covid-19
US - To Better Address COVID-19 Among Incarcerated People, More Collaboration Is Needed Between State Departments Of Health And Departments Of Corrections
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20220127.35520
US (California) - Op-Ed: We pleaded for social distancing here in San Quentin. The state refused, and now COVID is raging
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-01-28/covid-prison-san-quentin-ruling
Asia
India - How counselling helped inmates in Delhi's Tihar Jail tide over Covid-19 anxiety
India - e-Mulaqat a boon for foreign prisoners during Covid times
Europe
Covid dans les prisons en Luxembourg: détenus positifs et négatifs ensemble
Scotland - Shotts Prison staff hospitalised following 'near riot'
Oceania
New Zealand - Covid-19: How prepared is NZ’s prison system for Omicron?
News 28 January
Americas
Guyana - Gov’t still ‘wrestling’ with reform in prisons – Benn
https://newsroom.gy/2022/01/28/govt-still-wrestling-with-reform-in-prisons-benn/
US (Texas) - Man’s death marks the 17th prisoner death from COVID at Federal Medical Center Fort Worth
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/coronavirus/article257768453.html
US (Illinois) - Protest demands freedom for prisoners facing COVID outbreak
http://www.fightbacknews.org/2022/1/27/protest-demands-freedom-prisoners-facing-covid-outbreak
Asia
India - Don't Insist On Surrender Of Prisoners Released On Parole; Consider Releasing Prisoners Due To COVID Surge : Supreme Court Directs Kerala Govt
Europe
England and Wales - Deaths in prison reach record high as one person self harms every 10 minutes
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/deaths-prison-reach-record-high-22902124
Spain - Sevilla prison dealing with huge Covid outbreak among inmates
News 27 January
Africa
Egypt reforms prisons and highlights rights, in moves critics call hollow
Americas
Canada - Alta. prison a ‘pressure cooker’ amid guard absences, enhanced security protocol: lawyers
Canada - 66 inmates, 40 staff test positive for COVID at jail
US - Senators say they were denied full access to federal prison
US - 34 Illinois Prisons on Lockdown due to Covid-19 Surge
https://wlds.com/34-illinois-prisons-on-lockdown-due-to-covid-19-surge/
Asia
Malaysia - Prisoners allowed visitors for Chinese New Year, says Prisons Dept
Europe
Northern Ireland - In-person prison visits to resume – Prison Service
https://news.causewaycoastcommunity.co.uk/in-person-prison-visits-to-resume-prison-service/
Oceania
New Zealand - Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Dozens of Corrections staff lose jobs over vaccine mandate
News 26 January
Americas
Canada - Advocates concerned as Saskatoon, Prince Albert correctional centres see large spike in COVID-19
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatchewan-saskatoon-corrections-covid-inmates-1.6327027
9 dead, 7 injured as inmates riot inside Mexican prison
https://www.titusvilleherald.com/news/article_3659390b-99b3-5330-b11a-678252e658f7.html
US - Bureau of Prisons needs to do more to address staff confusion over COVID-19 policies, report says
US - Unvaccinated Pennsylvania Prisoners Stuck in Lockdown
Asia
Malaysia - Prisons Dept will form committee to tackle overcrowding in prisons
https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/prisons-dept-will-form-committee-tackle-overcrowding-prisons
Europe
Ireland - Covid playing havoc with Courts as no more hearing dates available in 2022
News 25 January
Americas
US - Reported COVID cases in Louisiana prisons more than double in a week
US - Illinois prisons on COVID lockdown as cases soar among inmates
https://abc7chicago.com/illinois-covid-cases-state-prison-lockdown/11505855/
US (Michigan) - MDOC reports record high COVID cases in prisons statewide
US (Pennsylvania) - State prisons to halt in-person visitation through February
Asia
Prisoners in Iran go on hunger strike over Covid-19 death of inmate
Maldives - Maafushi Prison: 51positive cases, 211 quarantined
Europe
England and Wales - Report finds policy to vaccinate inmates and not staff at HMP The Verne 'indefensible'
Oceania
Australia - NSW prisons urged to use emergency release powers as Covid cases surge
Australia (Queensland) - COVID-19 outbreak in Lotus Glen Correctional Facility, more than 100 inmates test positive
News 22 – 24 January
Americas
British Virgin Islands - COVID scare! 23 prison officers, several inmates ‘down’ — Malone
https://bvinews.com/covid-scare-23-prison-officers-several-inmates-down-malone/
Canada - COVID-19 outbreak impacts Springhill prison
https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/covid-19-outbreak-impacts-springhill-prison-100683522/
Covid danger in St Lucia’s tiny courts puts stop to murder trials
US - New data shows startling rise in prison deaths during 2020
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/22/1075108313/new-data-shows-startling-rise-in-prison-deaths-during-2020
US - Federal Prisons: Monitoring Efforts to Implement COVID-19 Recommendations and Examining First Step Act Implementation
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105691
Asia
India - Thiruvananthapuram: 239 prison inmates at Poojapura test Covid positive
Nepal - High vigilance in prison as COVID-19 infection rises
https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/high-vigilance-in-prison-as-covid-19-infection-rises/
Europe
Ireland - Some restrictions to prison visits to remain
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0124/1275484-prison-visits/
Ireland - Covid outbreak at Cork prison
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40790994.html
Ireland - 100 Inmates At Midlands Prison Test Positive For Covid
Deaths in Scots prisons are on the rise as shock figures confirm 'worst fears' of grieving families
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/deaths-scots-prisons-rise-shock-26017387
Turkey’s economic crisis hits prison visits
https://ahvalnews.com/turkey-prisons/turkeys-economic-crisis-hits-prison-visits
Oceania
Australia - COVID-19 scare in Hakea Prison as worries grow over vaccination rollout for prisoners
News 21 January
Americas
Canada - COVID-19 exacerbates ‘filthy and inhumane’ conditions in Montreal jail
https://ricochet.media/en/3830/covid-19-exacerbates-filthy-and-inhumane-conditions-in-montreal-jail
US - North Dakota prison system feeling impact of omicron variant
https://www.westport-news.com/news/article/North-Dakota-prison-system-feeling-impact-of-16791114.php
US (California) - Gavin Newsom Is Fighting A Vaccine Mandate For Prison Staff — At The Expense Of Prisoners
US - Florida Prisoners Lack Access to COVID Boosters Amid Omicron Uptick
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-prisoners-booster-shots-covid-19-13652844
Asia
India - Only 39 per cent fully jabbed in 3 Delhi prisons
Europe
England and Wales - Victims face waits of nearly two years to get justice in crown courts
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/victims-face-waits-nearly-two-22820380
News 20 January
Americas
Canada - 28 inmates catch COVID-19 at federal prison in B.C.'s Fraser Valley
Canada - Over a dozen inmates, staff at central Ontario jail test positive for COVID-19
US - Jails In Jeopardy Following New Treasury Rule: Federal Covid Relief Must Help People
US - Current COVID surge also affecting Indiana prisons
https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/covid-cases-indiana-prisons
Asia
India - Yerawada jail officials seek for more space as Covid cases rise
Europe
Forcing jab will only worsen jail overcrowding: Belgian MP
https://www.brusselstimes.com/202256/forcing-jab-will-only-worsen-jail-overcrowding-belgian-mp
Italy - COVID jail inmate cases more than doubles in 10 days
Scotland - More than 200 inmates isolating after latest outbreak hits HMP Perth
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/courts/2924601/perth-prison-covid-lockdown/
News 19 January
Americas
US (Michigan) - Corrections Department eases rules for COVID-positive prison officers to go back to work
US - Michigan prisoners wait for classes needed to be released
https://www.wilx.com/2022/01/18/michigan-prisoners-wait-classes-needed-be-released/
US - Visits suspended at Idaho prison as COVID cases rise, vaccine and booster requests mount
https://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/from-the-opinion-editor/article257340757.html
US - COVID-19 spreading rapidly in Illinois prisons
Asia
India - Covid centres, constant watch, doctors on duty — how crammed Delhi prisons are tackling 3rd wave
India - Mumbai: Video call facility between prisoners and their relatives resumes
Europe
Turkey - ‘Roof leaks, insects crawl in prison’s quarantine ward’
News 18 January
Mental health care for detainees failing worldwide
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-01-mental-health-detainees-worldwide.html
Americas
St Lucia - BCF Official Supports Electronic Monitoring For Low-Risk Offenders
https://stluciatimes.com/bcf-official-supports-electronic-monitoring-for-low-risk-offenders/
US - Arizona prison to stop accepting nonviolent offenders due to COVID outbreak
US - Detainees Sue Arkansas Jail That Gave Them Ivermectin to Treat Covid
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/17/us/ivermectin-covid-arkansas-jail.html
Europe
England and Wales - Magistrates to be given power to jail offenders for up to a year to help clear court delays
Guernsey Prison bans visitors and enters special measures after Covid cases
Oceania
New Zealand - Calling home: Why phone access for prisoners matters
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/calling-home-why-phone-access-for-prisoners-matters
News 15 – 17 January
Africa
South Africa - Prisons Accused Of Using Solitary Confinement As Torture: Oversight Body
https://ewn.co.za/2022/01/16/prisons-accused-of-using-solitary-confinement-as-torture-oversight-body
Americas
Barbados - Prison Service lauded for controlling outbreak
https://www.nationnews.com/2022/01/17/prison-service-lauded-controlling-outbreak/
Canada - More than half of prisoners at Burnside jail have had COVID-19
Canada - Nearly 30 per cent of Ontario jail inmates are in COVID-19 isolation
Massive drop in US prison population unlikely to hold post-pandemic
https://www.thejusticegap.com/massive-drop-in-us-prison-population-unlikely-to-hold-post-pandemic/
US (North Carolina) - NC prisons chief on COVID: ‘We’ve scrambled, improvised ... and learned from mistakes’
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/article257290287.html
US - In-person visits suspended at Wisconsin prisons as COVID-19 cases triple among inmates in 1 week
Asia
India - COVID-19: Madhya Pradesh government bans visitors from meeting jail inmates till March end
India - Delhi: Over 90 inmates, 80 jail staffers have tested positive for Covid-19
Iran -Covid-19 outbreak spreading women’s ward of Sepidar Prison of Ahvaz
https://iran-hrm.com/2022/01/16/covid-19-outbreak-spreading-womens-ward-of-sepidar-prison-of-ahvaz/
Maldives - Maafushi Prison brought under state of emergency due to Covid-19 outbreak
Europe
England and Wales - ‘Disgraceful’ Covid-19 restrictions on children in prison to end in March
Ireland - Covid-19 outbreak team reactivated at one of Portlaoise's jails
News 14 January
Africa
Inmates stage riot in Kenyan prison
https://newsaf.cgtn.com/news/2022-01-14/Inmates-stage-riot-in-Kenyan-prison-16NBudxQC8E/index.html
Americas
Omicron variant causes full lock-down at Belize Central Prison
Canada - Indigenous Inmates Testing Positive For COVID-19 At Higher Rates In Federal Prisons – National
US - Prison Population Drops as States Revamp Admission Policies
https://www.governing.com/community/prison-population-drops-as-states-revamp-admission-policies
US - New Rule Makes Thousands of Federal Inmates Eligible for Release
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/us/politics/federal-prisoners-release.html
US - COVID Cases Triple In California Juvenile Prisons
https://laist.com/news/criminal-justice/covid-cases-triple-in-california-juvenile-prisons
US - Significant COVID-19 outbreaks reported at New Orleans jail, Louisiana state prisons
Asia
India - Physical meetings with family and lawyer stopped, but phone call facility yet to resume: Inmates to court
Malaysia - Virtual hearings the way forward post-Covid-19 pandemic, says Chief Justice
Europe
England and Wales - 'Fear, isolation and distress': Pentonville Prison during Covid-19
https://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/health/pentonville-prison-covid-report-8619484
England and Wales - Hindley Prison told to increase face-to-face education for inmates
Oceania
Australia - NT youth detainees test positive for COVID
News 13 January
Americas
Although increasingly authoritarian, Ecuador is unable to get a grip on its prison problem
Jamaica - Stand Up for Ja renews call for early prison release amid COVID outbreak
US - Prison Reforms Since COVID Called Uneven, ‘Disheartening’
US - Omicron hits Michigan's prisons, which rank second in nation for COVID cases
US - Washington prisons close to visitors through Feburary at the earliest due to Omicron outbreaks
US (Oregon) - State corrections reports spike in Covid cases among employees, people in prison over past two weeks
Asia
Probe into deadly riots at prisons in Philippines
https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/185160/probe-into-deadly-riots-at-prisons-in-p-pines/
Europe
France - En prison, alerte sur "l'épuisement physique et moral" des détenus
Ireland - No temporary release for Limerick prisoners despite Covid cases
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40783602.html
At least 59 ill prisoners lost their lives in Turkey in a year
Oceania
Australia - Visits suspended at multiple Queensland Correctional Centres
https://www.miragenews.com/visits-suspended-at-multiple-queensland-706316/
News 12 January
Americas
US - As COVID Cases Spike, Federal Bureau Of Prisons Is Not Releasing Eligible Inmates
US - Omicron wreaks havoc across California prison facilities as staff cases surge
US - While Active Cases Remain Low, Omicron Threat Looms in Oklahoma Prisons
US (Nebraska) - Overcrowded and understaffed, prisons costly for taxpayers; unsafe for prisoners and guards
US - Illinois prisons pause county intakes due to pandemic
US (New York) - Rikers inmates on hunger strike to protest conditions, COVID lockdown
Europe
European Prisons Push Back Against COVID-19
England and Wales - Covid-19 restrictions 'caused increase in violence at women's prison'
England and Wales - HMP Hewell: Troubled prison improving but problems persist
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-59954611
News 11 January
Americas
British Virgin Islands - Court hearings move online, prison visits suspended amid COVID surge
https://bvinews.com/court-hearings-move-online-prison-visits-suspended-amid-covid-surge/
US (Wisconsin) - Inmates Flood Toilets to Protest Food, Hygiene Issues as Omicron Fuels Staffing Shortage
US (Nevada) - Prison system details rise COVID-19 cases that led to halt in visitations
US - More than 3,800 California prison staffers have coronavirus amid massive surge this month
Asia
India - Central jail authorities revive anti-Covid measures
Philippines - Rights group says PH jails ‘least safe from Omicron’
https://www.bulatlat.com/2022/01/11/rights-group-says-ph-jails-least-safe-from-omicron/
Europe
Ireland - Mass testing after Covid cases detected in Limerick Prison
https://www.limerickpost.ie/2022/01/10/mass-testing-after-covid-cases-detected-in-limerick-prison/
Scotland - 'Credible' options to jail needed to cut prisoner numbers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59940840
Oceania
Australia - Tasmania's Risdon prison battles COVID outbreak, fears workers and prisoners
News 8-10 January
Americas
Antigua - Prison inmates begin to get booster shots
https://antiguaobserver.com/prison-inmates-begin-to-get-booster-shots/
Canada - 82 prisoners at Burnside jail have COVID-19
https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/province-house/82-prisoners-at-burnside-jail-have-covid-19/
US - Most Illinois prison staff haven’t gotten Covid-19 boosters
https://www.injusticewatch.org/news/prisons-and-jails/2022/illinois-prison-staff-covid-19-boosters/
US - A Year After NJ Released Thousands Early From Prison, Only 9% Are Back in Custody
https://gothamist.com/news/year-after-nj-released-thousands-early-prison-only-9-are-back-custody
US (Texas) - Tablets for inmates: the tech easing isolation and improving behavior during COVID lockdown
US - Nevada prison system suspends inmate visitations due to COVID surge
US (California) - CDCR: In-Person Inmate Visits Suspended Due To Surge In COVID Cases
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2022/01/07/prison-inmates-cdcr-surge/
Asia
Data: Prisons in India continue to be Overcrowded despite COVID-19
https://factly.in/data-prisons-in-india-continue-to-be-overcrowded-despite-covid-19/
India - Amid Covid surge, West Bengal’s jails switch to ‘e-Mulakat’ between prisoners and families
India - About 1,000 Delhi Police personnel, 46 prisoners in Delhi jails test COVID-19 positive
Covid-19 infections on the rise among Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails – Prisoner’s Society
http://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127582
Nepal - Dilapidated Salyan Prison overcrowded with inmates
Europe
HDP demands action over torture and medical negligence in Turkish prisons
England and Wales - ‘The system has collapsed’ Covid backlog sees number of people on remand in prison at highest level since 2010
https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-court-backlog-remand-prisoners-at-highest-level-since-2010-1368038
England and Wales - ‘Delay and uncertainty is killing people’ as remand inmates account for 40 per cent of suicides in prison
Ireland - Mountjoy Prison hit with riot as lags furious about isolation due to Covid outbreak
https://www.thesun.ie/news/8171599/mountjoy-prison-riot-covid-outbreak/
Irish Prison Service suspends physical visits for two weeks
Isle of Man - Visiting resumes at prison after Covid outbreak
Scotland - More than 100 inmates at Perth Prison isolating after Covid outbreak
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/perth-kinross/2888433/perth-prison-covid-outbreak-isolating/
News 7 January
Americas
Canada - Prison staff shortage possible amid Quebec COVID-19 outbreaks: Union
US - Omicron Outbreaks in Prisons Put Everyone at Risk, But Data Is Scarce
https://truthout.org/articles/omicron-outbreaks-in-prisons-put-everyone-at-risk-but-data-is-scarce/
US - Louisiana prison visits halted for third time due to COVID-19
https://lailluminator.com/briefs/louisiana-prison-visits-halted-for-third-time-due-to-covid-19/
US - How Vermont prisons are dealing with COVID behind bars
https://www.wcax.com/2022/01/06/how-vermont-prisons-are-dealing-with-covid-behind-bars/
Europe
France - Covid-19 : 47% des détenus ont un schéma vaccinal complet, contre 76,9% de la population générale
Italy - COVID: Over 1,000 jail inmates positive, close to 2020 peak
News 6 January
Africa
Uganda: Prisons Restrict Visits Due to Covid-19
https://allafrica.com/stories/202201050587.html
Americas
US - Opinion: The Public Health Case for Decarcerating America’s Prison System
https://undark.org/2022/01/06/the-public-health-case-for-decarcerating-americas-prison-system/
US - Federal prisons director Carvajal announces retirement amid coronavirus deaths, security lapses
US - Unvaccinated staff spread COVID-19 in California prisons
https://www.workers.org/2022/01/60939/
US - Arkansas prisons crack down on safety measures with rising COVID cases
US - As COVID-19 cases surge, Delaware's prison staff have higher infection rate than prisoners
Asia
India - Covid enters Delhi jails: Authorities in ‘wait and watch’ mode
Europe
England and Wales - ‘Vermin-infested’ London prison blighted by sexist and racist staff, warns watchdog
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/london-wandsworth-prison-watchdog-b975048.html
England and Wales - HMP Aylesbury is Covid 'outbreak site' as more prisoners test positive for coronavirus
Covid in Scotland: Backlogged courts about to face worst disruption yet, says official
News 5 January
Africa
Liberia: Major Prison Facilities Shutdown Due to Lack of Food Supply
https://allafrica.com/stories/202201050259.html
Americas
Calls grow for inmate releases as COVID-19 cases climb in Canada’s jails and prisons
https://globalnews.ca/news/8487449/covid-19-jails-prisons-inmate-release/
Canada - COVID-19 spreads to inmates from staff at Drumheller prison; more than 100 cases total
US - Latest COVID surge hitting Missouri prisons, treatment centers
Asia
Philippines - Over 46K BuCor inmates jabbed vs. Covid-19
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164551
Philippines - 4,610 PDLs released by BuCor in 2021
https://mb.com.ph/2022/01/05/4610-pdls-released-by-bucor-in-2021/
Europe
France - Covid-19 : 200 Détenus Isolés Après La Découverte D'un Cluster Au Centre Pénitentiaire De Beauvais
Gibraltar - Prison visits suspended as 19 inmates test positive for Covid-19
https://www.chronicle.gi/prison-visits-suspended-as-19-inmates-test-positive-for-covid-19/
Irish prison chiefs splash out over €485,000 on library books to get inmates through Covid-19 pandemic
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irish-prison-chiefs-splash-out-25852473
Pandemic in Turkey’s prisons | ‘36 people stay in a quarantine ward’
News 21 December 2021 – 4 January 2022
Americas
Canada - COVID-19 outbreaks now reported at 7 federal prisons, more staff than inmates infected
https://globalnews.ca/news/8482951/covid-canada-prison-outbreaks-2021/
Canada - Advocates want Ottawa to release vulnerable inmates as COVID-19 hits N.S. women's prison
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/outbreak-nova-institute-1.6299971
Haiti: 11 killed in foiled prison break
https://www.tbsnews.net/worldbiz/africa/haiti-11-killed-foiled-prison-break-352882
US - Omicron Has Arrived. Many Prisons and Jails Are Not Ready.
US (California) - Inmates’ attorneys warn of potential coronavirus outbreaks sparked by unvaccinated prison staff
US - ‘It's definitely coming to a boiling point’: Families, inmates worry about what comes next in Kansas prisons
US - Delaware Dept. of Correction suspends prison visitation amid COVID surge
US - Arkansas prisons lockdown amid record coronavirus case count
US Virgin Islands - Corrections Counts 13 COVID-Positive Cases At Facilities
Asia
India - Prisoners’ meetings with relatives suspended amid Covid surge in Bihar
India - Over 21,900 doses of Covid vaccine administered to inmates of 3 jails
India - To deal with Covid case spike, Tihar jail gets its own oxygen plant
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-covid-19-tihar-jail-oxygen-plant-7700410/
Europe
In under-vaccinated Bosnia, inmate population stands out
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/bosnia-europe-sarajevo-balkans-b1983881.html
England and Wales - Prison officer battered senseless and gangs clash in jail violence
England and Wales – The pandemic has been a catastrophe for people in prison. We must learn from it.
England and Wales - Tougher criminal sentences contributing to the courts backlog - new bar chair
Ireland - Covid-19 outbreaks confirmed in four prisons
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/covid-19-outbreaks-confirmed-in-four-prisons-1.4766772
Ireland - Prison Inspector criticises use of solitary confinement to contain Covid-19
Isle of Man - Covid: Jurby prison lockdown eases but visits still suspended
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-59768185
Scotland - Prison suspends in-person and online visits amid 'unforeseen circumstances'
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/prison-suspends-person-online-visits-22621768
Rights violations in Turkish prisons increased in 2021, says Diyarbakır Bar’s annual report
Despite normalisation, COVID-19 restrictions not lifted in Turkey’s prisons
Oceania
New Zealand - Inmates cause $4.3m worth of damage to prisons in 12 months
New Zealand - Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Auckland women's prison worker tests positive, staff, prisoners in isolation
News 20 December
Americas
US - DOJ says inmates on home confinement can stay out of prison
US - Wisconsin prisons struggle with staffing shortage
https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/wisconsin-prisons-struggle-with-staffing-shortage/6338610/?cat=12196
Europe
Ireland - Prison officers' stress at work worsened during pandemic
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40770978.html
Prison visits in Northern Ireland to be suspended
https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/prison-visits-in-northern-ireland-to-be-suspended
Scotland - West Lothian prison Covid outbreak causes chaos as 'several' staff forced to isolate
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/west-lothian-prison-covid-outbreak-22539718
Oceania
Australia - Visits cancelled at Arthur Gorrie and Brisbane Correctional Centre
https://www.miragenews.com/visits-cancelled-at-arthur-gorrie-and-brisbane-699221/
News 19 December
Americas
US - What Officials Can Do to Keep Omicron From Ravaging One of Our Most Vulnerable Populations
Europe
England and Wales - HMP Manchester inmates locked up for 22 hours a day, report finds
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-59733445
Northern Ireland - NI Prison Service Covid-19 measures revised to keep vital system safe
News 18-20 December
Americas
Canada - Indigenous women make up almost half the female prison population, ombudsman says
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/indigenous-women-half-inmate-population-canada-1.6289674
Canada - Depopulate prisons before Omicron hits, Ottawa criminologist urges
Cayman Islands - Same-day testing rules kick in for hospital, home care and prison visits
Trinidad & Tobago - Police, Prisons & Fire Services associations reject 'vaccination-for-pay' initiative
Only four US states are providing data about inmate vaccinations
https://qz.com/2103312/most-us-states-are-not-sharing-information-on-boosters-in-prisons/
Asia
India - Prison population increased by 14% in last 2 years
India - Omicron: Delhi prisons to isolate inmates with Influenza-like illness
India - Gurugram: New inmates at Bhondsi jail to undergo five tests
Philippines - BuCor: 91% of those in jail received anti-Covid vaccine
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/12/20/bucor-91-of-those-in-jail-received-anti-covid-vaccine/
Europe
England and Wales - Male prisoners' free family phone calls are scrapped – but women's aren't under MoJ decision
Backlog in court cases doubles in East of England during pandemic
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-59689118
Ireland - Arbour Hill prisoners hit out after being denied showers while being in Covid-19 isolation
In-person visits reduced as tighter Covid restrictions brought in at Jersey's prison
https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2021-12-20/tighter-covid-restrictions-for-inmates-at-jerseys-prison
Malta - Inquiry report calls for major overhaul of prison system
Oceania
Australia - Life on the ward: how do you care for Covid patients in prison?
News 17 December
Africa
Nigeria - Ekiti prison overcrowded, housing 700 inmates instead of 400: Prison Controller
Nigeria - Federal High Court with 75 judges has 128,000 pending cases – Chief Judge
Americas
Ecuador commission to investigate prison violence - president
https://wtvbam.com/2021/12/16/ecuador-commission-to-investigate-prison-violence-president/
US - An influx of sick, elderly inmates in Florida prisons called a 'crisis'
Asia
Rights watchdog calls for decongesting India’s prisons
Israel's Justice Minister Says More Prisons Are the Solution to Overcrowding
Malaysia - Prisons Dept: Families allowed to visit inmates for Christmas from Dec 26 to 31
Thailand - Prison riot “under control” after hundreds of inmates lashed out over Covid-19 treatment
Thailand - Krabi prison dorm ablaze in second riot
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2233771/krabi-prison-dorm-ablaze-in-second-riot
Europe
England and Wales - Wing of Durham prison locked down due to escalating Covid cases
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/durham-prison-locked-down-covid-22484043
'Turkey’s prisons have turned into houses of death'
Oceania
Australia - WA jails are understaffed and under pressure, say WA prison officers
News 16 December
Global COVID Vaccination Rates for People in Prison Remain Far Too Low
https://filtermag.org/covid-vaccination-prisons/
Americas
US (North Carolina) - Prisoners on work release fear bringing in COVID from the outside, then spreading it inside
US - Tennessee prisons see overdoses surge
https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2021/12/16/tennessee-prisons-see-overdoses-surge
US - Alabama prisoner becomes 69th to die with COVID-19
https://www.alreporter.com/2021/12/15/alabama-prisoner-becomes-69th-to-die-with-covid-19/
US Virgin Islands - V.I. prison population cleared of COVID-19
Europe
Denmark to rent 300 prison cells in Kosovo to ease overcrowding
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/15/denmark-rent-300-prison-cells-kosovo-ease-overcrowding
England and Wales - Covid outbreak at sex offenders prison infects 100 inmates
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-59676911
Ireland sees one of highest rates in world for vaccinations in prisons
Inmates in Turkish prisons complain of lack of heating and inadequate amount of food
News 15 December
Americas
Canada - COVID-19 outbreak at Bordeaux prison infects 75, prompts new lockdown
Canada - Brockville, Ont. jail closes due to COVID-19 outbreak
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/brockville-ont-jail-closes-due-to-covid-19-outbreak-1.5707071
US Prison Population Decreased 15% in 2020
https://thecrimereport.org/2021/12/14/us-prison-population-decreased-15-in-2020/
US (Connecticut) - CT’s strict vaccine mandate for medical staff doesn’t apply to prisons
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/CT-s-strict-vaccine-mandate-for-medical-staff-16700356.php
Asia
Philippines - QC jail congestion rate down to 55% from 1,000%- BJMP
https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/15/qc-jail-congestion-rate-down-to-55-from-1000-bjmp/
Europe
England and Wales - Visits resume at Winchester prison following Covid outbreak
Italy - Two guards hurt in prison riot
Oceania
Australia - Guards walk off Mount Gambier correctional site over prisoner-made food, pay and conditions
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-15/prison-guards-walk-out-over-food-and-conditions/100701108
News 14 December
Americas
US (New York) - “People Need To Go Outside": Rikers Detainees Say Loss Of Rec Time Is Intensifying Jails Crisis
Asia
Pakistan - ‘Mysterious rise’ in inmates’ deaths witnessed in Lahore prison
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2333707/mysterious-rise-in-inmates-deaths-witnessed-in-lahore-prison
Philippines - Bureau of Corrections realizes jail decongestion program
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/12/14/bureau-of-corrections-realizes-jail-decongestion-program/
South Korea: 70000 inmates, officers at correction centres to get tested for Covid
Europe
England and Wales - Milton Keynes prison comes under fire again from inspectors
Scotland - Fife: Community payback hit by pandemic
https://www.dunfermlinepress.com/news/19781802.fife-community-payback-hit-pandemic/
Oceania
New Zealand - High time: Sharp increase in prison drug seizures
News 4-13 December
Africa
Dozens killed in fire at overcrowded Burundi prison
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/07/burundi-prison-gitega-fire-overcrowded
Zimbabwe - 2 000 Prisoners Test Positive For Covid-19
https://www.zimeye.net/2021/12/06/2-000-prisoners-test-positive-for-covid-19/
Americas
Prevalence of COVID-19 infection in the prison system in Espirito Santo/Brazil: persons deprived of liberty and justice workers
Canada - More than 120 off work at GTA jail after health unit bars unvaccinated staff
Canada - Court hears about pandemic conditions at Burnside jail as judge debates inmate's sentence
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/inmate-assault-trial-burnside-jail-covid-19-1.6276480
US - For incarcerated Americans, the pandemic chaos of April 2020 has never ended
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/12/prisons-covid-lockdown-hardships-us
US - Multiple COVID outbreaks reported at Maine correctional facilities
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/me/maine/news/2021/12/09/covid-hits-corrections-facilities
Asia
Bangladesh - Prisoners to be vaccinated
https://www.tbsnews.net/coronavirus-chronicle/covid-19-bangladesh/prisoners-be-vaccinated-339709
A glance at the conditions of women in Iranian prisons – women’s rights are human rights
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2021/12/09/the-conditions-of-women-iran-prisons/
Pakistan - Undue delays : K-P struggles with vaccine hesitancy in jails
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2333627/undue-delays-k-p-struggles-with-vaccine-hesitancy-in-jails
Philippines - 39,155 PDLs in BuCor jails vaccinated
https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/05/39155-pdls-in-bucor-jails-vaccinated/
Europe
COVID: How Europe's prisons have fared in the pandemic
https://www.dw.com/en/covid-how-europes-prisons-have-fared-in-the-pandemic/a-60006262
England and Wales - The double lockdown: How it feels to leave prison during a pandemic
https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/05/in-focus-how-it-feels-to-leave-prison-during-a-pandemic-15658488/
England and Wales - ‘Anger, fear and resentment’: prisoners speak out about lockdown
https://www.thejusticegap.com/anger-fear-and-resentment-prisoners-speak-out-about-lockdown/
England and Wales - Bullingdon Prison report criticises chronic overcrowding and safety standards
England and Wales - Prison service 'closely monitoring situation' at Leyland's HMP Wymott after Covid outbreak
England and Wales - HMP Winchester: What restrictions mean for inmates as Covid cases rise
https://www.hampshirelive.news/news/hampshire-news/hmp-winchester-what-restrictions-mean-6324378
Ireland - Covid outbreak at Cloverhill Prison leads to restrictions
https://www.echo.ie/covid-outbreak-at-cloverhill-prison-leads-to-restrictions/
Isle of Man - Covid: Virus outbreak prompts Jurby prison lockdown
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-59599105
Malta - Two inmates test positive for Covid
https://newsbook.com.mt/en/two-inmates-test-positive-for-covid/
Covid in Scotland: Courts backlog could take five years to be cleared up
Oceania
Australia - Casuarina Prison inmates riot amid union warning of shortages of up to 800 officers
Australia - NSW prisons are failing, new report claims
https://7news.com.au/news/crime/nsw-prisons-are-failing-new-report-claims-c-4895008
New Zealand - Turning Hawke's Bay prison youth unit into Covid-19 ward 'dreadful mistake'
News 3 December
Americas
Canada - Omicron variant of COVID-19 confirmed in Halton and Durham regions cases
Trinidad & Tobago - CCHR calls for independent monitoring of prisons
https://tt.loopnews.com/content/cchr-calls-independent-monitoring-prisons
US (Connecticut) - State Suspends In-Person Visits To Prison Due To High COVID Rates
US - Wyoming Prisons See 5th COVID-19 Death and a New Outbreak
https://k2radio.com/wyoming-prisons-see-5th-covid-19-death-and-a-new-outbreak/
Europe
France - COVID-19: Un Cluster Déclaré Dans Une Prison, Les Surveillants Pas Assez Protégés Selon Un Syndicat
News 2 December
Americas
Canada - National advocacy group joins inmate's lawsuit alleging substandard medical care in prisons
US - High number of deaths in Oregon state prisons
https://www.streetroots.org/news/2021/12/01/prisons-deaths
Asia
Philippines - 30,000 doses of COVID vaccines allotted to PDLs in BuCor jails
https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/02/30000-doses-of-covid-vaccines-allotted-to-pdls-in-bucor-jails/
Singapore - S'pore Prison Service launched new vehicle for infectious inmates 3 weeks before Covid-19 hit
Europe
England and Wales - What it's like to be a mother in prison during a pandemic
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/what-its-like-mother-prison-6255193
Ireland - Prison visits by children to see parents plummets
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40756920.html
Luxembourg – Schrassig prison: Sanitary measures reinforced as 45 infections reported
https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/1826645.html
Malta - Prisons are overcrowded, lacking rehabilitation efforts, audit finds
News 1 December
Americas
US - About 200 Massachusetts prison guards, Department of Correction employees suspended over vaccine mandate
US - NY jail and prison staff not complying with COVID mandates face suspension
US (Delaware) Del. DOC expands inmate visitation to children
https://www.wmdt.com/2021/11/del-doc-expands-inmate-visitation-to-children/
Europe
England and Wales - HMP Bullingdon report criticises overcrowding due to Covid
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-59478980
England and Wales – Thousands in prison on remand face second Xmas behind bars as court chaos deepens
France - Cluster à la prison d’Argentan : 72 cas positifs au Covid-19
Luxembourg - Covid-19 : les contaminations se multiplient à Schrassig
https://lequotidien.lu/police-justice/covid-19-les-contaminations-se-multiplient-a-schrassig/
News 30 November
Africa
Concerns over Covid-19 spread at notorious Egyptian prison
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/concerns-over-covid-19-spread-notorious-egyptian-prison
Americas
Ecuador's president extends state of emergency for prisons
US - Unnecessary and Complicated Transfers Are Spreading COVID in Federal Prisons
US - California now limits medical parole to those on ventilators
Asia
Philippines - 77% of 48,539 PDLs in BuCor jails vaccinated
https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/30/77-of-48539-pdls-in-bucor-jails-vaccinated/
Thailand - Joint letter on restrictions on prison visits and correspondence
Europe
Scottish prisons: Independent review calls for radical reform following deaths
Oceania
Australia - Canberra's COVID rapid antigen screening pilot introduced at jail, the Alexander Maconochie Centre
News 27 – 29 November
Americas
US - Prison visits in Alabama to restart after almost two-year pause
US - Appeals court blocks order requiring COVID vaccines for California prisons
Asia
Kazakh ‘torture’ jail using virtual reality to help prisoners feel joy
Malaysia - 63% of inmates minor drug offenders, says Azalina, in calling for prison reform
Philippines - Gov’t assures COVID vaccination of BuCor’s PDLs
https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/28/govt-assures-covid-vaccination-of-bucors-pdls/
Europe
Albania Closes Prison Hospital Criticized by Human Rights Organizations
England and Wales - Gym restrictions and 'goodybags' for HMP Liverpool inmates at height of covid
Turkey to lift ban on contact visitation in prisons
https://stockholmcf.org/turkey-to-lift-ban-on-contact-visitation-in-prisons/
News 26 November
Africa
Kenya - 43 inmates at Bungoma prison test positive for Covid-19
Americas
Cayman Islands - Lawyer: HMP Northward a ‘scary place right now’
https://caymannewsservice.com/2021/11/lawyer-hmp-northward-a-scary-place-right-now/
US - Inmate claims Utah prisons mismanaged pandemic care
https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/inmate-claims-utah-prisons-mismanaged-pandemic-care
“Abandoned and deprived”: the women trapped in Venezuela’s overcrowded prisons
https://www.stylist.co.uk/long-reads/women-venezuela-prisons-ana-maria-arevalo-gose/592838
Asia
Cambodia - GDP, ICRC talk sprucing up prison management
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/gdp-icrc-talk-sprucing-prison-management
Philippines - Majority of BJMP, BuCor inmates now vaxxed
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1520013/majority-of-bjmp-bucor-inmates-now-vaxxed
Europe
Belgium - Covid et surpopulation: les prisons sont de nouveau au bord de l'implosion
England and Wales - Winchester Prison Covid outbreak as cases for the area rise
https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/19741849.winchester-prison-covid-outbreak-cases-area-rise/
Ireland - Total of 277 cases of Covid-19 in prisons since pandemic began, Dáil told
Scotland - West Lothian prisoners slashed guard and sparked riot in violent Covid protest