The 05 worst prisons in the world

The 05 worst prisons in the world

  Of course, no one wants to go to jail, but there are some jails that you really, really don't want to be incarcerated in. Being incarcerated is only part of the problem, surviving is a bigger issue. We present the 05 most dangerous prisons in the world.

  5. San Quentin Prison

  San Quentin, California - In the 1930s, San Quentin was riddled with corruption by the administration, until the new warden, Clinton Truman Duffy, was horrified by the inhumane conditions at the prison and decided to implement reforms in the 1940s. Prior to his appointment, inmates forged currency in prison shops, shaved their heads and were forced to wear numbered uniforms, while eating from buckets and held in solitary confinement in concrete cells with little air and no light. A minor offense against prison rules would land such a prisoner in solitary confinement, and race riots regularly put prisoners' lives at risk. San Quentin is still a harsh environment filled with some of California's most violent criminals, and the high ratio of guards to the general population keeps the prison system from spiraling out of control.

  4. Bang Kwang Prison

  Thailand - Known as the "Bangkok Hilton", Bang Kwang is understaffed, overcrowded and full of prisoners who spend the first months of their sentences in shackles. Thai culture does not believe in flattering prisoners, and in the words of Prison Director Khun Nattee, "Thai prisons are harsh...you don't want to be in Bang Kwang." Poor medical care is standard in this prison, with sick inmates chained to their beds waiting for medication they will probably never receive. If you find yourself on Death Row in Bangkwang, your leg irons will be welded until your execution, and you will only have two hours' notice before you die by lethal injection.

  3. Rikers Island Jail

  Rikers Island, New York - Stabbing, beatings and brutal treatment by prison guards characterize this American prison. The prison, which is filled with criminals who are mostly visible minorities and are incarcerated for drug crimes, is a hotbed of violence and harassment. In 2007, inmate Charles Afflic was beaten pointlessly with a baton by a prison officer who repeatedly struck him from behind: the injuries were so severe that he needed brain surgery. During the first six months of 2003 alone, 6 prisoners committed suicide by hanging themselves with a bed in their cells. Rikers is notorious for its brutal treatment of mentally ill inmates, who often turn to suicide instead of treatment and understanding.

  2. ADX Florence Supermax Facility

  Colorado - This prison was built in response to violent attacks on guards and prison staff in other US prisons - it was supposed to be a last-ditch deterrent, a place where prisoners were completely isolated from prison staff and lived under slow psychological torture. because they spent 23 hours a day in barren cells. Inmates at ADX are the worst of the worst, often repeat offenders who kill or injure other inmates or even prison guards while in other facilities. Described by inmates as a nightmare of punishment "designed to inflict misery and pain," this "pure version of hell" is also a violent place, despite all the steps taken to segregate and isolate the general population. During his 13-year tenure, two inmates were killed at ADX Florence.  

1. Alcatraz Island prison

  San Francisco, California – Known as "The Rock" or "Devil's Island," this prison was built to house 1920s criminals who broke the law during the Prohibition era leading up to the Great Depression. Another study in stark, soul-destroying anxiety and isolation, Alcatraz was known for its unique design that made escape nearly impossible. Prisoners had no contact with the world outside the prison gates and suffered from strict discipline by prison officials, as well as the inhumane "silence" policy that forced inmates to refrain from speaking for long periods of time. Predictably, this did no good for mental health, and many inmates became insane as they were forced to endure the harsh prison conditions without any conversation or other release of their emotions. The prison closed in 1963, but its horrific legacy lives on in movies and legends.