What Prison Cells Look Like Around The World

More and more people are behind bars. According to the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, over 10.35 million individuals are being held in penal institutions throughout the world, either as pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners or having been convicted and sentenced.

In comparison to the year 2000, the total number of women serving time has increased about 50% while the male prison population has grown by about 18%. But prison population rates vary considerably all around the globe. For instance, the United States have 698 inmates for every 100,000 citizens while Denmark has 61. And there are more differences, too. A prisoner in one place might have access to musical instruments and video games but might be fighting over a roll of toilet paper in another.

Apegeo has collected photos of cells from all over to show how different countries treat their criminals, and the contrast is eye-opening. The prison cells in this list vary from low security to max security, and while they can't be all compared directly, it gives us a pretty good sense how different countries deal with criminals. It might be due to economic reasons or the way societies value life, but if you found the information above a bit grey, the images below will definitely grab everyone's attention.




#1 Aranjuez Prison, Aranjuez, Spain



Aranjuez Prison, Aranjuez, Spain








Spain's Aranjuez Prison lets parents and children stay with their incarcerated family members. With Disney characters on the walls, a nursery, and a playground, the goal is to prevent kids from realizing, as long as possible, that a parent is behind bars



Associated Press , usatoday30





#2 Luzira Prison, Kampala, Uganda



Luzira Prison, Kampala, Uganda




In Luzira, inmates are assigned more responsibility that would be in similar prisons in the United Kingdom or the USA. Inmates assume responsibility for maintenance of harmony and functionality of the units where they live, including the growing and harvesting of food, its preparation and its distribution within the prison. Learning is encouraged, with many men learning and teaching carpentry skills to others. The guard to prisoner ration in Luzira... Read More

NTVUganda , Wikipedia





#3 San Diego Medium-Security Women’s Prison, Cartagena, Colombia



San Diego Medium-Security Women’s Prison, Cartagena, Colombia




Inmates at the San Diego Women’s Prison in Cartagena get a taste of freedom every night as they morph into cooks, waitresses and dishwashers at “Interno,” a colorful restaurant now open in one of the facility’s indoor patios. 25 of the nearly 180 inmates housed here were selected as part of a program looking to help women near the end of their sentences transition back into society. Women at this low-security... Read More

Jan Banning , foxnews





#4 Bastøy Prison, Horten, Norway



Bastøy Prison, Horten, Norway




Bastøy prison is the largest low-security prison in Norway. The prison is located at Bastøy island in the Oslo Fiord, belonging to Horten municipality. The prison uses the whole island, but the northern part with the beach Nordbukta is defined as open to the public. The prison is organized as a small local community with about 80 buildings, roads, beach zones, cultural landscape, football field, agricultural land and forest. In addition to... Read More

Marco Di Lauro , Bastøy prison





#5 Norgerhaven Prison, Veenhuizen, Netherlands



Norgerhaven Prison, Veenhuizen, Netherlands




Inmates at the Norgerhaven prison in Veenhuizen, Netherlands, have a bed, furniture, a refrigerator, and a TV in their cells, as well as a private bathroom. The crime rates in the Netherlands are so low, that they faced an “undercrowding” crisis. To solve this “problem”, the country struck a deal with Norway in 2015, to take on their prison overflow. Now part of Norwegian inmates serve their sentences in Norgerhaven.

ANP , Norwegian Correctional Service





#6 Halden Prison, Halden‎, Norway



Halden Prison, Halden‎, Norway




Halden Prison is a maximum-security prison in Halden, Norway. It has three main units and receives prisoners from all over the world, but has no conventional security devices. The second-largest prison in Norway, it was established in 2010 with a focus on rehabilitation; its design simulates life outside the prison. Among other activities, sports and music are available to the prisoners, who interact with the unarmed staff to create a... Read More

Knut Egil Wang , The New York Times





#7 Black Dolphin Prison, Sol-Iletsk, Russia



Black Dolphin Prison, Sol-Iletsk, Russia




At Russia's notorious Black Dolphin Prison on the border of Kazakhstan, inmates share small 50-square-foot cells that are set back behind three sets of steel doors. Inmates live in a "cell within a cell”, with 24-hour surveillance. Black Dolphin houses the most brutal criminals, including serial killers, cannibals, and terrorists. A prison lieutenant told National Geographic, which did a documentary on the facility, that the only way to escape is... Read More

The Sun , Business Insider





#8 Penal De Ciudad Barrios, Ciudad Barrios, San Miguel, El Salvador



Penal De Ciudad Barrios, Ciudad Barrios, San Miguel, El Salvador




These cells are just 12 feet wide and 15 feet tall, but they're usually packed with more than 30 people. They were initially constructed to serve as 72-hour holding cells, but many inmates stay for more than a year. Most of their days are spent pulling apart their clothes and using the thread to sew together hammocks, where they sleep stacked on top of one another like cords of wood.

Giles Clarke





#9 Onomichi Prison, Onomichi, Japan



Onomichi Prison, Onomichi, Japan




Elderly prisons are becoming more common in Japan as the country continues to age. Onomichi Prison hosts an all-senior population. Inmates have access to handrails, soft food, and spend their working hours knitting and sewing

Prison Photography , Washington Post





#10 HMP Addiewell, Lothian, Scotland



HMP Addiewell, Lothian, Scotland




HMP Addiewell is a learning prison, where residents can address their offending behaviour and the circumstances which led to their imprisonment through Purposeful Activity. Purposeful activities include education, counseling and work. Nature and family contact whilst in prison is also a fundamental element of the rehabilitation process.

Lorenzo Dalberto , hmpaddiewell







#11 The Maula Prison, Lilongwe, Malawi



The Maula Prison, Lilongwe, Malawi




The Maula prison in Lilongwe, Malawi, is severely overcrowded — in 2015, almost 200 people were crammed into one 60-person cell. Prisoners there, many of whom are Ethiopian migrants, must share one toilet per 120 people and one tap per 900 people. Prisoners are fed just once a day, due to the small budget of the Malawian government. One of a few highlights for the inmates is sports. Men are... Read More

Luca Sola , The Guardian





#12 Champ-Dollon Prison, Geneva, Switzerland



Champ-Dollon Prison, Geneva, Switzerland




Opened in 1977, the main function of Geneva’s Champ-Dollon prison is to hold prisoners before trial and sentencing. The numbers of inmates is constantly increasing, which has lead to a chronic problem of overcrowding. 115 different nationalities were represented in the prison in 2010 with just 7.2% Swiss.

swissinfo





#13 Haiti's Civil Prison, Arcahaie, Haiti



Haiti's Civil Prison, Arcahaie, Haiti




Haiti's Civil Prison, on the coastal town of Arcahaie, is notoriously overcrowded. In 2016, 174 inmates escaped during a riot that left one guard dead and others injured.

Dieu Nalio Chery , Telegraph





#14 Oslo's Skien Prison, Oslo, Norway



Oslo's Skien Prison, Oslo, Norway




Prisons in Norway are meant to mimic outside conditions as much as possible to prepare inmates to reenter society. At Oslo's Skien prison, inmates have private bathrooms, a TV, video games and access to a gym and yard. Mass murderer Anders Breivik is currently serving his 21 year sentence there. He tried to sue the state over "cruel" conditions in 2016, however, this man’s prison life would seem luxurious to... Read More

Reuters , Splinter News





#15 Landsberg Prison, Landsberg Am Lech, Germany



Landsberg Prison, Landsberg Am Lech, Germany




This is the prison where Hitler wrote "Mein Kampf," and 278 Nazis were executed for war crimes. Nowadays, the conditions are considerably better at Landsberg. The progressive prison provides 36 courses in their central training centre for occupations such as bakers, electricians, painters, butchers, carpenters, tailors, shoemakers, heating & ventilation workers and bricklayers.

Matthias Schrader , The Local Report




#16 The Las Colinas Detention And Reentry Facility, Santee, California




The Las Colinas Detention And Reentry Facility, Santee, California




The prison was designed to be the first detention facility of its kind in the U.S. where environmental and behavioral psychology are used to “improve the experience and behavior of both inmates and staff”

BDC Network





#17 Quezon City Jail, Quezon City, Philippines



Quezon City Jail, Quezon City, Philippines




Inside Quezon City jail in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, there is a relentless and constant battle for space, water, and food in an unhygienic facility. With 160 to 200 inmates crammed into a cell built for 20, men take turns sleeping on the cracked cement floor of an open-air basketball court, the steps of staircases, underneath beds and hammocks made out of old blankets

Adam Dean, National Geographic , dailymail







#18 Abashiri Prison, Abashiri, Japan



Abashiri Prison, Abashiri, Japan








At Abashiri Prison in Japan, guards inspect inmates' rooms once a day. The prison houses offenders with sentences of 8 years or less. Life inside is very strict, however there's no record of gang violence, rape, drugs or murder at the prison. Abashiri has a souvenir shop in front of the main gate, where they sell goods made inside the prison. Items sold range from Abashiri Prison Candy to all... Read More



Documentary Prison & Gangs





#19 Cebu Provincial Detention And Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), Cebu, Cebu Province, Philippines



Cebu Provincial Detention And Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), Cebu, Cebu Province, Philippines




CPDRC is a maximum security prison where the prisoners perform dance routines as part of their daily exercise and rehabilitation, and many of their performances are filmed and released online, making them a popular feature among fans and veritable online celebrities

wikipedia , Adam Jasper





#20 Otago Corrections Facility, Milburn, New Zealand



Otago Corrections Facility, Milburn, New Zealand








It has been dubbed the "Milton Hilton" - a place where prisoners can relax in ultimate luxury while they do their time. The Otago Corrections Facility in New Zealand looks more like a teenager's bedroom than a prison. There are health facilities and a library designed to keep people feeling like members of society.



Stephen Jaquiery , Otago Daily Times






#21 San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, California



San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, California




San Quentin State Prison is the oldest prison (Opened in July 1852) in California. It's a maximum-security facility that once housed Charles Manson. Men condemned to death in California must (with some exceptions) be held at San Quentin. It's the state's only death row for male inmates, the largest in the United States. In 2001, San Quentin's death row was described as "the largest in the Western Hemisphere"; and in... Read More

Reuters , wikipedia





#22 UN Detention Unit, Outside The Hague, Netherlands



UN Detention Unit, Outside The Hague, Netherlands




The United Nations Detention Unit (UNDU) is a UN-administered jail. It was established in 1993 as part of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The facility now serves as the International Criminal Court detention centre, where individuals are prosecuted for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The jail houses the detained suspects during their trial and those convicted by the court serving prison... Read More

European Pressphoto Agency , Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty





#23 Evin Prison, Tehran, Iran



Evin Prison, Tehran, Iran




Although the Iranian regime has continuously denied it, Evin Prison is known to be a virtual torture factory, where countless numbers of inmates have met their fate. Due to the number of intellectuals imprisoned within its walls, the prison has been nicknamed Evin University. The prison is extremely overcrowded, hygiene is poor and in Iran’s sweltering hot summers, the temperature can reach up to 45 degrees Celsius. There is no... Read More

Reuters , Sky News





#24 ADX Florence, Colorado, United States



ADX Florence, Colorado, United States




US Penitentiary Administrative Maximum, also known as ADX Florence, the "Alcatraz of the Rockies," and "Supermax," is a modern super-maximum security federal prison located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Florence, Colorado. Opened in 1994, the ADX Supermax facility was designed to incarcerate and isolate criminals deemed as being too dangerous for the average prison system. The majority of prisoners are kept in administrative segregation. They are confined to... Read More

Lizzie Himmel , thoughtco





#25 Neve Tirza, Ramla, Israel



Neve Tirza, Ramla, Israel




Neve Tirza is Israel's only women's prison. Most cells are 13 square meters, including a toilet and shower. Each cell houses about six women, who often have to share sleeping spaces.

Tomer Ifrah , Refinery29





#26 Rikers Island Prison, New York, United States



Rikers Island Prison, New York, United States




Rikers Island of New York was named one of the US's 10 worst prisons by Mother Jones. The island has been famous for decades and has been under the watch of a federal monitor overseeing inmate treatment. The prison drew a new wave of criticism after 2015 for the suicide of Kalief Browder, a teenager who'd spent three years on the island waiting for trial on charges of stealing a... Read More

Associated Press , motherjones





#27 Bois D'arcy Detention House, Yvelines, France



Bois D'arcy Detention House, Yvelines, France




The prison holds inmates awaiting trial and convicted prisoners that are serving up to 1 year sentences.

Jan Banning





#28 El Buen Pastor Women's Prison, Bogota, Colombia



El Buen Pastor Women's Prison, Bogota, Colombia




The El Buen Pastor women's prison in Bogota, Colombia contains cells that were designed to house 2 inmates but now house anywhere between 10 to 20 women. Corruption and violence is prominent amongst prisoners. Despite harsh conditions, El Buen Pastor makes attempts to humanize its inmates by a holding an annual beauty pageant and parade.

Associated Press , Australian Broadcasting Corporation





#29 San Pedro Prison, La Paz, Bolivia



San Pedro Prison, La Paz, Bolivia




San Pedro prison is guarded by police officers rather than a hired civilian force, guards are only concerned with keeping inmates confined in the prison. The order inside prison is kept by elected leaders, commonly through stabbing. Inmates must purchase their own cells from other inmates. The wealthiest ones live in area called "La Posta", which provides inmates with private bathrooms, a kitchen, and cable television, such cells are sold... Read More

Lapazlife , Daily Mail





#30 Petak Island Prison, Vologda, Russia



Petak Island Prison, Vologda, Russia








Often referred to as the “Alcatraz of Russia,” Petak Island holds Russia’s most dangerous criminals. Aside from the mental torture of 22.5-hour-a-day lockdowns in two-man rooms, most prisoners are allowed just two visitors per year. And that’s all the inmates can ever hope for, as the prison itself is hopelessly inescapable, surrounded by the freezing waters of White Lake.



КАТОРЖАНИН , Briana Jones






#31 Pelican Bay State Prison, Crescent City, California



Pelican Bay State Prison, Crescent City, California




Pelican Bay State Prison’s primary purpose is to house the "worst of the worst" violent male prisoners from the California state prison system. 40% of Pelican State's inmates are serving life sentences and nearly all have histories of violence at other California prisons which resulted in their transfer to Pelican Bay. The sole exception are the institution's minimum security inmates who work as part of the prison's outside maintenance and... Read More

Robert Gumpert , wikipedia





#32 HM Prison Dartmoor, Princetown, England



HM Prison Dartmoor, Princetown, England




Dartmoor still has a misplaced reputation for being a high-security prison that is escape-proof. As a Category C prison, Dartmoor houses mainly non-violent offenders and white-collar criminals. It also holds sex offenders and offers sex offender treatment programmes intended to make the offender realise their behaviour is unacceptable. Some inmates subsequently volunteer for behaviour-changing treatment with medication under a scheme being piloted at HMP Whatton, which has had encouraging... Read More

Wikipedia





#33 Altiplano Prison, Almoloya De Juarez, Mexico



Altiplano Prison, Almoloya De Juarez, Mexico




Altiplano is a high-security prison in Almoloya de Juarez, Mexico. The maximum security federal prison was built with walls that are as much as 1 meter in thickness and the air space near the facility is restricted. Authorities claim that cell phone transmissions are limited within 10 km (6.2 mi) of the prison to stymie communications between the inmates and their colleagues outside. Additionally, armored personnel carriers are based near... Read More

Reuters , Business Insider





#34 Bordeaux Prison, Montreal, Canada



Bordeaux Prison, Montreal, Canada




Bordeaux Prison in Montreal, Canada, houses 1,000 to 1,500 male inmates with sentences of two years or less.

David-Olivier Gascon , CTV News Montreal





#35 Desembargador Raimundo Vidal Pessoa Penitentiary, Manaus, Brazil



Desembargador Raimundo Vidal Pessoa Penitentiary, Manaus, Brazil




Inmates face almost certain danger at Desembargador Raimundo Vidal Pessoa penitentiary in Manaus, Brazil. Four people were killed in an inmate uprising last year, and dozens were killed at other prisons around the city.

Mario Tama , Reuters





#36 Kashimpur Central Jail, Gazipur, Bangladesh



Kashimpur Central Jail, Gazipur, Bangladesh




About 1,200 inmates live in Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur, Bangladesh.

MM Badsha , Bangladesh Jail


#37 The Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno, Oklahoma




The Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno, Oklahoma




The Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma, is a medium-security facility that houses about 1,000 male inmates. It has one of two remaining farm facilities in the Federal Bureau of Prisons

APF-JIJI , Federal Bureau of Prison



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