10. Petak island prison, Russia
Petak Island, often referred to as ‘ Alcatraz of Russia’ holds Russia’s most dangerous criminals. Each prisoner is kept in a small two-man cell for 22.5 hours each day with no basic sanitation facilities. The island is surrounded by freezing water and snow making it tougher for the prisoners. Isolation is made worse if inmates violate any rule, they are then locked in a small- dark room for 15 days with a metal bucket and a wooden perch to sit on. Half of the inmates are diagnosed with tuberculosis during their stay due to limited access to the bathroom. “This place destroys people. There is no way anyone can spend time in a place like this without being psychologically destroyed” said prison psychologist Svetlana kiselyova. The psychological anguish suffered there is enough to break even the most hardened criminals.
9. Mendoza prison, Argentina
The living conditions here are a nightmare. The prison is overcrowded housing 1600 inmates designed for accommodating only 600. The prisoners sleep on the floor and are tortured frequently. They defecate in plastic bags and urinate in bottles. Up to 5 prisoners sleep on the floor without any mattress in 4 square meter cells. “ The medical staff is only called in after an inmate has died,” said the Amnesty report. About 22 inmates lost their lives in the prison between February 2004 and November 2005.
8. Bang Kwang Central Prison, Thailand
Bang Kwang prison is a maximum security correctional facility in Thailand. The living conditions here were very harsh making it one of the worst prisons. The prisoners are tortured to such an extent that they either end up losing their life or sanity. During the first three months of their sentence, they were made to wear leg-irons to reduce their capability to move and those inmates sentenced to death were chained in leg irons permanently. Each day only a meal was served to them for free, the rest of the meals needed to be bought from the canteen. Hence the poor prisoners had to work for the wealthier prisoners. Most prisoners were malnourished and diseased due to the lack of running water, often nicknamed the “Big Tiger” by the Thais because it “ prowled and ate”.
7. Rikers Island, USA
Riken’s Island has a record of systematic abuse .prisoner violence is legendary and widespread. inmates often grow in the terror of abusive correctional officers. The New York Times also reported that during 11 months in 2013 about 129 inmates has sustained serious injuries at the hands of guards .” 77% of those who had suffered serious injuries were already diagnosed with mental prisoners. the tough time spent by the prisoners makes this one of the most vicious prisons in the world.
6. Diyarbakır Prison, Turkey
This prison is known for its inhuman practices and human rights abuse. It was notorious for its use of torture on inmates, children sentenced to life, sewage flooded hallways, overcrowding, and murder. even hunger strikes have been done in the past to protest against the systematic torture. it has seen countless suicides. around 34 prisoners lost their lives from 1981 to 1984.
5. Tadmor Palmyra Prison, Syria
This prison is commonly referred to in Syria today as a place where “ the person who enters is lost “ and “ the one who leaves is born” . the prisoners are completely isolated from the world and prevented from communicating with each other. every aspect of life in this prison is a dehumanizing experience. Tadmor prison was known for harsh conditions, extensive human rights abuse, torture, and summary executions. a 2001 report by Amnesty stated it a source of “despair, torture and degrading treatment”
4. Gitarama Prison, Rwanda
This prison is believed to be one of the deadliest in the world. The prison has a chronic overcrowding housing around 6000-7000 prisoners whereas the accommodating capacity is only 600. due to less spacing prisoners are always standing against each other. many of them remain barefooted and hence suffer from infected feet. inmates indulge in deadly fights and even kill each other and later eat the dead bodies. some reports state that 7-8 prisoners die daily due to the pathetic conditions. the whole prison is invaded by garbage with no place to sleep or lie down.
3. Hoeryong concentration camp (Camp 22), North Korea
The Hoeryong Concentration Camp, Camp 22 is one of the most brutal prisons. it had been a site of human rights violation, human experimentation, and sadistic abuse. over 1500-1600 people were dying from malnutrition every year. inmates were victims of hanging torture, pigeon torture, water torture, box-room torture, and kneeling torture. prisoners are subjected to hard physical labor and are made to work in the field and mines for 12 hours a day and 7 days a week. the camp was a maximum-security area. prisoners were beaten every day. inexperienced medical officers practiced their surgery techniques on prisoners, killing or permanently crippling prisoners.
2. La Sabaneta Prison, Venezula
In this prison, 25000 prisoners are housed designed only for 15000. 1 guard looks after 150 inmates hence maintaining discipline becomes hard. every year several inmates die due to riots and gang fights. In 1995, 196 prisoners were killed and 624 were deeply injured due to top prison violence. poor prisoners are forced to pay the more powerful prisoners as the gang of inmates has control over the prison. if they want water they must drink it straight from the corroded bathroom pipes
1. ADX Florence, USA
USP ADX Florence is classified as a supermax prison providing a higher and more controlled level of custody than a maximum-security prison . it houses different facilities with varying levels of security. the prisoners are confined to their cells 23 hours a day with poured, reinforced concrete facilities to deter self-harm. they are supervised 24 hours. the prison contains a multitude of motion detector cameras and 1400 remote-controlled steel doors. all cells are soundproof to prevent the inmates to communicate with each other. the windows are 4*4 and are designed in such a way that they cannot predict their specific location within the complex. the aim is to develop “ reasonable peaceful behavior” from the most violent prisoners. this prison is the highest-security federal prison in the country and the harsh conditions here make the prison psychologically unbearable.