The 10 worst prisons around the world

Explore the darkest corners of confinement in "Top 10 Worst Prisons Around the World." Unveil the harsh realities, gripping stories, and the chilling environments that define these notorious institutions.
prison fence with razor wire

Just like hospitals, shops, houses, and schools, the need for prisons is also very important to maintain stability in society. Since bygone ages, some human beings have always been on the wrong path and have committed hostile crimes like murder, kidnappings, stealing, etc.

To keep these crimes in check, prisons are very necessary where the culprits are captivated and are made to undergo tough punishments and trials. Some culprits are given a chance to redeem themselves in prison, too. This article talks about the top 10 worst prisons around the world in detail. 

Top 10 worst prisons around the world

Serving in jail is not pleasant, as it deprives a person of his dignity, freedom, and basic joys. However, a person’s jail experience may vary according to the prison’s location. So, let’s see which are the world’s worst prisons. 

1. Diyarbakir Prison, Turkey

Coming at rank 10 in the list of worst prisons is Diyarbakir prison. This prison is located in Turkey and was first established in the early 1980s. This prison has so many issues inside of it that many cases have been filed against it. 

The prisoners inside of it are often not provided with their basic needs. Even in jail, the government sanctions minimum resources for the prisoners. However, the jail authorities do not function honestly and consume the resources that were meant for the prisoners. 

The prisoners here are often seen to be on hunger strikes to demand their rights. The problem sometimes becomes so intolerable that a few prisoners set themselves on fire to attract attention to the issues.

Read more: The largest prisons in the world for inmates number

2. Nairobi Prison, Kenya

Following Diyarbakir prison in Turkey, Nairobi prison is the next name on the list of worst prisons. It was built originally in 1911 and is located in Kenya. The prison has a capacity of 800 inmates. 

However, the prison is swarming with more than 4000 prisoners made to live inside of it without proper care. Around 13 or 14 prisoners share a cell inside this prison. This makes the prison very suffocated and prone to diseases and infections. 

3. Gldani Prison, Tbilisi, Georgia

At rank 8 comes the worst prison in Europe, named Gldani prison. It’s located in Georgia. Like the other prisons, this jail is also overcrowded, with more prisoners being held than allowed. Regular cases of torture and mental harassment are heard from this prison.

In 2012, Open Democracy spotted footage where the guards were assaulting and raping the prisoners for their fun. Lack of medical care makes the prison even worse. 

4. Black Beach Prison, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Rank 7 is taken by the Black Beach prison that is located in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. As if overcrowding the jail wasn’t enough, the jail is prone to rat infestations too. Due to rats and other members of the Arthropoda family, the prisoners often suffer from serious diseases. 

Due to a lack of sufficient food, prisoners do not get adequate amounts of nutrition. It leads to malnutrition. The African jail has a negative impression of constant neglect and abuse.

5. San Juan de Lurigancho, Peru

San Juan de Lurigancho ranks 6th on the list of worst prisons. It is located in Peru. The original capacity of this prison was 2,500, but more than 10,000 prisoners currently own the prison. The facility’s building is deteriorating with every passing minute, ready to turn into dust anytime soon. 

The prison doesn’t even have enough guards to maintain and handle the prisoners. There are many recent cases of prisoners breaking the rules of the jail and creating chaos inside. 

6. Gitarama Central Prison, Rwanda

The Gitarama Central prison in Rwanda is considered Africa’s worst prison. The prison’s normal capacity is 400 prisoners, but the actual number comes up to 7,000 or so. The condition of the facility is very poor, and hence, the prisoners mostly stand huddled together. 

The floors are usually very dirty, and the prisoners suffer from many leg problems. The condition of the facility has deteriorated since the 1990s.

7. Bang Kwang Prison, Thailand

Bang Kwang prison is next on the list of the world’s worst prisons. It is in Bangkok, Thailand, and is also called ‘Bangkok Hilton’. This is a comment to criticize the bad conditions of the prison. The prison always suffers from low funding and overcrowding. 

The prison was meant to harbor 3500 people but has more than 8000 inmates in real numbers. 

8. Camp 22, North Korea

Camp 22 is considered to be the worst prison in Asia. It is in North Korea. A strange fact about this jail is most of the prisoners are serving life imprisonment, and almost all curse the government for some or another reason.

The prison treats the prisoners very rudely. The prisoners are forced to do hard manual labor with minimum food intake. 

9. Black Dolphin Prison, Russia

Coming in next is Black Dolphin Prison, which is located in Russia. The facility lies near the Kazakhstan border. The facility is home to the most terrifying criminals, pedophiles and cannibals. 

The prisoners are kept blindfolded and tortured in the cells. The prisoners usually don’t even see sunlight and rot inside the small cells. 

10. La Sabaneta Prison, Venezuela

La Sabaneta prison in Venezuela tops the world’s worst prisons list. The prison is almost lawless and very violent in atmosphere. It has a capacity of 700 inmates, but more than 3500 prisoners reside in the facility. 

Funds are insufficient, and guards are insufficient to handle so many prisoners. Instead of keeping chaos in control, the inmates make gangs inside and create more trouble. 

So, these were the top 10 worst prisons in the world. The details transparently show how there is a need to improve law and order in the world. Many other prisons have the same condition, and prisoners are suffering badly there. 

Read more: The top 10 most criminal countries in the world

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