The practice ofimprisonment as punishmentfor crime date stamp back as far as the 17th century when masses — even orphans — were held for minor thing or for awaiting trial . But according toscholar Ashley Rubin , those " prisons " were more consanguineal to today ’s jails — not pen — and were not places for penalisation .
Today , theworst prisons in the worldare a far cry from the pre - trial obtain cubicle of the past . Poor living conditions go beyond overcrowded prisons ( or , at the other end of the spectrum , alleviate minimum human contact with extreme closing off ) . The earth ’s worst prisons lack right medical care , put occupants atsevere risk of violenceand adventure the physical and genial health of yard bird .
Mendoza Prison, Argentina
With a population roughly three times its capacity ( as of 2021 ) , Mendoza Prison in Argentina isseverely overcrowded . As many as five inmate are crowded into cells that measure only 51 square feet ( 4.7 square meters ) , and many inmates are forced to sleep on the floor without mattress .
Amnesty International reportedon the conditions back in 2005 , alert that " people immure in Mendoza are in such a desperate situation that they have run as far as to tailor their mouths up in demand of better living conditions . " The consideration at that time were so fearsome , they included torture and in some case even expiry to inmates .
captive had inadequate medical care , and the prison miss a proper sewage system , forcing inmates no other selection but to habituate plastic bagful and bottles as their washrooms .
La Modelo, Colombia
La Modelo Prison , locate in Bogotá , Colombia , is notorious for its violent environment and high levels of crew influence .
The deftness has a foresighted account of overcrowding and inadequate state control , which has led to riots and frequent clashes between rival faction . Corruption among guards has allowed weapon and drug to flow into the prison , exacerbating the ferocity . inmate live on in squalid conditions , with limited entree to healthcare and basic services .
La Modelo has become a symbol of the broader challenge facing Colombia ’s prison system , where overcrowding , gang control and rottenness remain pervasive issue . Despite effort to reform the deftness , the prison house remains one of the most dangerous in the state .
Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, Cuba
Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp , fix within a U.S. naval base in southeasterly Cuba , is one of the most controversial detention facilities in the human beings .
establish in 2002 to detain surmise terrorist in the aftermath of 9/11 , it has faced intense unfavorable judgment for its use of indefinite detention without test and enhanced interrogation technique , which human rights groups have label as torment . Over the years , reports of waterboarding , nap neediness and psychological abuse have emerged .
Detainees have been held in prolonged isolation , often without being officially file , leading to international call for the facility ’s closure . Although its universe has significantly fall , Guantanamo remains open , stand for a disputatious chapter in the global fight against terrorism .
Ciudad Barrios Prison, El Salvador
Ciudad Barrios Prison is locate in the eastern part of El Salvador and is notorious for its overcrowded conditions and violent environment .
The quickness is chiefly known for bear members of the Mara Salvatrucha ( MS-13 ) gang , one of the most violent felonious organizations in the world . Inside the prison , MS-13 fellow member often retain significant ascendance , moderate to an atmosphere where violence and intimidation are well-worn .
Prisoners hold up in halter quarters , with many facilities operating well above capacitance , lead to a lack of basic necessary such as clean water , right sanitization and aesculapian care . Despite occasional government activity crackdowns , the prison rest a dangerous blank space , ruminate the broader challenges El Salvador faces with gang violence and prison reform .
Black Beach, Equatorial Guinea
Black Beach Prison , located on Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea , is wide believe one of the harshest prisons in the globe . It has long been associated with human rights maltreatment , including routine torture , malnutrition and poor sanitisation . Political captive are often hold up here under brutal precondition , facing overcrowded cells and constant surveillance .
The prison clear international notoriety during the regimen of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo , when allegement of torture and extrajudicial killings within the prison wall became public . yardbird report living in squalid conditions with picayune access to fresh piss or medical care .
Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the facility , urging reform to address its terrible conditions , but little has commute over the year .
Le Santé Prison, France
Le Santé Prison , locate in Paris , has a long history date back to the nineteenth century and is known for its rigid conditions and notorious gamy - profile inmate .
The prison ’s overcrowded cells and outdated facilities have been a persistent issue . A lack of right ventilation and minimal admission to natural luminosity contribute to the trouble prisoners face . Inmates get strict regimentation and intense surveillance , with circumscribed opportunities for rehabilitation .
Le Santé has been criticized for its poor health care service , which have lead to several inmate deaths over the years . late reforms have aim to modernize the prison and improve bread and butter experimental condition , but it remains a symbol of the challenge facing France ’s correctional system .
Gldani Prison, Georgia
A 2012 scandal at Gldani Prison , located in Tbilisi , Georgia , called international attention to the country ’s recitation ofprisoner torture at the hands of guards .
Numerous ill-treatment , include rape and violation , were let out in picture film by a 35 - year - old former prison house - guard - turned - whistleblower . The videos sparked major protest across the country , andinspired existent reformin how inmate there are treated .
Though conditions in the country ’s prison have better in the past decade , Gldani Prison is in the spotlight once again as the site ofprotests spark off by the imprisonmentof the rural area ’s former President of the United States , Mikheil Saakashvili .
Though various groups of protestors are both in favor of and against Saakashvili ’s release , the position is calling tending to the facility ’s notoriety and repute .
Mumbai Central Jail, India
Mumbai Central Jail , commonly known as Arthur Road Jail , is the oldest and largest prison in Mumbai , India . earlier built in 1926 , the facility has long struggled with overcrowding , holding more than double its intended capacity .
yard bird frequently confront unsanitary precondition , limited access to fresh pee and poor breathing . The prison has house many high - visibility malefactor and terror suspect , which has direct to besotted surety measures and a highly controlled environment .
However , the living atmospheric condition have thread critique from human rights groups , who cite inadequate healthcare and insufficient opportunities for reclamation . Despite attempts to modernise the facility , Mumbai Central Jail stay emblematic of the challenges face by India ’s overcrowded and underfunded prison house system .
Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, Kenya
Kenya is notorious for tough conditions in its prison house and Kamiti Maximum Security Prison , located in Roysambu Constituency , is wide regarded as the worst .
It was built in 1954 by the British and modeled after an erstwhile - way colonial system to house offenders during a state of emergency declared in October 1952 . Kamiti still has itsoriginal gallows , though the last execution there was in 1987 .
It is notoriously overcrowded and the conditions are insanitary — the prison house ’s capacity is approximately 1,200 to 1,400 , though story suggest there arebetween 1,800 and 2,500inmates crammed inside . Serious wellness condition , include HIV and AIDS , gonorrhea , syphilis , TB and dysentery are rearing .
Though Kamiti was already well - known for housing political prisoners and executions by hanging , its infamy uprise in 2008 , when a riot actuate by a contraband search was captivate on cellphone and shown on television .
It made headline again in 2021 when three convicted terror suspect get away . Seven wardens were later arrested for help help their escape .
Camp 14, aka Kacheon, North Korea
Near the middle of North Korea is a 60 - square - mile ( 155 - straight - kilometer ) prison house adroitness known both asCamp 14 and as Kacheon . accord toreports by the U.S. Department of State , Camp 14 was built in 1959 near the center of the res publica , about 40 miles ( 64 kilometers ) north of Pyongyang .
inner circle 14 is conceive a political prison camp and can hold 15,000 prisoners . That means they are dish up life sentences for being " enemy of the State Department . " Inmates here are routinely starved , and forced into striver labor in mining , textiles and farming .
inner circle 14 also employs a policy known as " three generations of punishment , " which means many prisoners are there for only being related to someone suspected of a crime — and they ’ll probably will die there without ever committing a law-breaking themselves .
Black Dolphin Prison, Russia
Black Dolphin Prison ( aka penal dependency No . 6 ) is located near Russia ’s border with Kazakhstan . It ’s reserve for the country ’s most dangerous and violent convicted criminals , admit serial killer , cannibals , pedophiles and Chechen terrorists .
It isnamed for the dolphin sculpturecreated by the con that sits on the grass at the front of the prison house response .
Prisoners here are ascertain 24 hours a day via video surveillance , and guards make rounds every 15 minutes . Two inmate are assign to each 50 - square - foot ( 4.6 straight - meter ) cell that is behind three sets of steel door to keep it extra - isolated from guards and other inmates .
Prisoners are allow outside their cells for only90 moment per dayin a barren concrete practice session grand . If they ’re moved anywhere within the facility , they ’re cuffed , blindfolded and forced to take the air out to over so they ca n’t learn the prison ’s layout , interact with other prisoner or overwhelm the guards .
This practice is allegedly unequalled to Black Dolphin .
Butyrka Prison, Russia
Butyrka Prison , locate in Moscow , is one of Russia ’s previous and most infamous correctional facilities . Built in the 19th century , it has a foresightful history of overcrowding , deficient condition and force . Initially a pre - trial detention center , Butyrka often put up detainees awaiting trial run for extensive period , lead to reports of excessive pre - trial custody without fair to middling legal support .
The cells are typically cramp and ill ventilated , and there are frequent reputation of diseases spreading due to unhealthful conditions . Inmates have described it as a psychologically taxing environment , with modified opportunities for recreation or renewal .
The prison has been a symbolic representation of Russia ’s historically harsh punishable system and bear on to face critique from human rights organizations .
Vladimir Central Prison, Russia
Vladimir Central Prison , located north-east of Moscow , is one of Russia ’s most well - known pen . Established in the eighteenth hundred , it has a long account of lodging political prisoners , including Soviet dissidents and writers .
Conditions at Vladimir Central have been consistently harsh , with inmates facing poor sanitization , overcrowded cells and circumscribed medical concern . In the past , the prison has been a situation for punitive labor and force confession .
Despite some modernization endeavor , it remains a symbolization of Russia ’s historically repressive penal system . Reports of abuse , neglectfulness and the mistreatment of inmates continue to surface , highlighting the ongoing challenges within the Russian prison system .
Muhanga Correction Facility (formerly Gitarama Prison), Rwanda
As Gitarama , the prison house was home tomore than 7,000 prisonersin a adroitness that was built to arrest only 400 . Most of the inmates weresuspects of the Rwandan genocidethat take place in 1994 .
give the extreme overcrowding , the men and fair sex housed were thrust to stand up barefoot on the filthy ground for all hr of the day , causing their foot to molder . Many eventually required amputations , but with only one full - clock time doctor dedicated to the prison , most prisoners were unable to invite the discussion they need , leave in half a dozen decease each solar day .
In recent years , the formation has been rebranded as Muhanga Correctional Facility . There has been an accent on rehabilitation and reintegration into society , with program target at vocational training , farming and psychological support . However , the prison house ’s substructure remains under strain due to the orotund inmate population , and many detainees face difficult living conditions .
Despite these challenge , Muhanga is visualise as part of Rwanda ’s broader effort to transform its justice system in the wake of the genocide , with a focus on rapprochement and reclamation .
Bang Kwang Central Prison, Thailand
Bang Kwang Central Prison , located just north of Bangkok , is notorious for its harsh conditions and gamey - surety standard . Known as the “ Bangkok Hilton , ” this prison house is where many inmates attend life sentences or are on death quarrel , often for drug - related crimes .
Foreign convict are usual here , and language roadblock compound the closing off . The conditions are notoriously rough ; prisoners get minimum food ration , sometimes consisting only of Timothy Miles Bindon Rice and soup . In 2013 , the prison house finallyended its practiceof shackling inmates .
There is limited access to aesculapian fear , and mental wellness support is almost nonexistent . The overcrowded adeptness holds far more inmates than its intend capacity , creating an environment rife with psychological and strong-arm stress .
Despite some reforms , Bang Kwang remain a symbol of the harsh penalization and unmanageable prison conditions in Thailand .
Diyarbakir Prison, Turkiye
Diyarbakir Prison was built in 1980 by the Ministry of Justice in Türkiye . After the Sept. 12 , 1980 , Turkishcoup d’état , Diyarbakir became a martial legal philosophy military prison where torment was a common tool for forced absorption of the Kurds .
A total of 650,000 people were detained after the September coup , and most were beat or tortured . More than 500 died — many of those at Diyarbakir . During the " the flow of barbarousness , " which refers to the early and mid-1980s when Diyarbakır was freshly built , prisoner there were subjected to dread number of systematic torment .
Though rarely confirmed by master , C of testimonies from former Diyarbakir yardbird have told of strong-arm and mental contumely ; quietus , centripetal , water and food want ; " Palestinian hangings " ( attend by the blazonry ) ; mock executions ; electric shocks to genital organ ; origin of nails and good for you teeth ; rape or threat of assault ; and forged .
These abuses to Kurdish prisoners fuel the rise of the Kurdistan Workers ' party , or PKK , which still fights against the Turkish state . Today Diyarbakir is still a forge prison house and is known for its significant number ofhuman right hand violations per yardbird .
In 2021 , TurkishPresident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announcedit would be turn into a ethnical center , to mixed reviews .
HM Prison Belmarsh, UK
HM Prison Belmarsh is a Category A facility in southeastern London and is often touch on to as “ Britain ’s Guantanamo ” due to its eminent - visibility con and nonindulgent security measures protocol .
The prison primarily houses serious criminals and terrorism suspect . It has a reputation for its tight surety and heavy use of solitary confinement , with many yard bird pass foresightful geological period isolated from others .
Despite these strict measures , Belmarsh offers several renewal curriculum aimed at reducing reoffending rates , including vocational training and educational opportunities . Human right radical have expressed worry about the prison house ’s exercise of nongregarious lying-in and the psychological impact on detainees , specially those held for extensive periods .
ADX Florence, USA
The prescribed name is United States Penitentiary , Administrative Maximum Facility , but it ’s also know asADX Florence , Florence ADX , Supermax and the Alcatraz of the Rockies . This is the most maximum - surety prison in the United States .
Built in 1994 , this adeptness has housed some of the world ’s most dangerous criminals , including Ted Kaczynski ( the Unabomber ) , Ramzi Yousef ( responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing ) and Zacarias Moussaoui ( involved in the 9/11 attacks ) .
Inmates at this deftness pass 23 hours a day in solitary confinement in their 7 - by-12 - foot ( 2 - by-3.6 - metre ) concrete mobile phone . window are tiny , and prisoner get their meals through small slots in the cells ' metal door .
When prisoners are allowed out of their cells during the one - hr recreation flow , they have on several restraints and are see by multiple sentry go to a small out-of-door cage . The prison house wasonce describedby former warden Robert Hood as " a neat rendering of hell . "
Penitentiary of New Mexico, USA
The Penitentiary of New Mexico , locate near Santa Fe , is infamous for the 1980 prison house riot , one of the baneful in U.S. story . During the riot , inmates pick out control of the prison house , lead to extreme violence and the deaths of 33 prisoner .
Today , the facility operate under tight security measures and houses some of the most life-threatening outlaw in the state . Despite reforms , the memory of the 1980 belly laugh looms large , and the prison remain a symbolization of the challenges within the U.S. correctional organisation .
Red Onion State Prison, USA
Red Onion State Prison in Virginia is a supermax facility design for the highest level of surety and control .
Known for its extensive use of solitary confinement , the prison has faced scrutiny for keeping inmates in isolation for up to 23 hour a solar day , pass to far-flung reports of psychological deterioration . critic argue that the prolonged closing off praxis amount to psychological distortion .
While the prison aim to contain some of the most dangerous inmate , it has been repeatedly criticized for its coarse disciplinal metre and poor mental health services . Despite its report , the state has made efforts to review and reduce solitary travail practices in recent class , though protagonism group take that more change are needed .
San Quentin State Prison, USA
The sometime prison in California , San Quentin is notoriously known for its violence . It has been home tomany notorious criminals , includingCharles Manson , Scott Peterson and Sirhan Sirhan , who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy .
It had the only destruction row facility in the country for more than 700 end row inmate ( the largest facility in the United States ) , and home to California ’s only gas bedroom . But in early 2022 , the state get going the cognitive process ofclosing expiry rowand relocating the inmates , three geezerhood after the California governor ended executions in the state .
Over the years , and especially in the sixties and 1970s , San Quentin earned a reputation forcorruption and interracial riotsthat were encourage by the guards .
Terre Haute, USA
This prison house complex in Indianaconsists ofmaximum - certificate , intermediate - security and miserable - security units . Nicknamed"Guantanamo North , " Terre Haute is domicile to the United States federal governing ’s execution chamber .
The ACLU accused Terre Haute in 2008 of having " grossly poor " conditions at its special confinement unit , where death row inmates are held . It accuse the prison of denying the prisoners medical care and mental health services , and said they were subjected to so much noise that it caused them slumber deprivation .
In January 2021 , Terre Haute had thehighest figure of COVID-19 casesin the federal prison system , including convict on decease rowing . Union execution of instrument at Terre Haute have been on pausesince U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced July 1 , 2021 , the Department of Justice would review its policy on majuscule penalization .
This was after the Trump presidency carry out 13 Union slaying just months before the oddment of Trump ’s condition , include theexecution of Lisa Montgomeryby lethal injection Jan. 12 , 2021 . Montgomery was the first cleaning woman put to death by the U.S. in 67 class .
Still,46 menremain on death row at Terra Haute , including Dylann Roof , who was doom to dying for federal hate crimes for killing nine church parishioner in Charleston , South Carolina in 2015 .
We updated this article in conjunction with AI technology , then made sure it was fact - checked and cut by a HowStuffWorks editor in chief .
