Search Results for: prison overcrowding

A report released Tuesday by the Israeli rights group B’Tselem featured allegations of systematic abuse and torture of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli authorities. The report, titled “Welcome to Hell: The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps,” is based on interviews with 55 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and [...]

The Telegraph newspaper reported Saturday that UK courts will operate for 24 hours to expedite prosecutions of those involved in a number of riots that have ravaged several UK cities. This measure follows urgent meetings between senior ministers and judiciary members aimed at promptly addressing the violence through severe legal ramifications. In a statement on [...]

What does the new Labour Government have in store for the UK, and what policy changes can we expect will have the most meaningful impact? As was recently argued in an Chatham House publication, the newly formed UK government led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer brings together a team of legal experts well-versed in [...]

The official spokesperson for the Iraq Ministry of Justice, Ahmed Laibi Abdul Hussein, strongly refuted a news article accusing the ministry of carrying out secret executions in Al-Hout prison. The ministry is braced to pursue legal action against the site. According to the Ministry of Justice, the accusations “aim to mislead domestic and international public [...]

New UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a speech on Friday that the fresh Labour government will temporarily release prisoners and place them under community supervision to combat overcrowding in the nation’s prisons. The government will reduce the proportion of certain custodial sentences to be served within prison walls by 10 per cent. There will [...]

As of June 21, 2024, the prison population in England and Wales had almost reached its limit, standing at 87,395, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice. This is stark in itself, but the size of the crisis is exacerbated further when pitted against a “usable operational capacity” of 88,778. This leaves less [...]

Malawi’s Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed the case of two applicants seeking to legalize same-sex relationships, marking a significant setback for LGBTQ+ rights in the country. The three-member judge panel, consisting of Justices Joseph Chigona, Chimbigzani Kacheche and Vikochi Chima, delivered their ruling after six hours of deliberation. The judges ruled that the applicants failed [...]

Scotland MSPs voted in favor of releasing many prisoners early to address overcrowding in Scottish jails, in a meeting of the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday. Approximately 550 prisoners are currently eligible for early release, according to the Scottish Parliament. This will only apply to those serving sentences under four years and not to prisoners convicted [...]

Kosovo’s parliament approved on Thursday a deal to lease 300 jail cells to Denmark as aid to the Scandinavian country’s overcrowded prisons problem. Signed in 2021, the deal only became a treaty in April 2024. It excludes Danish nationals and mentally-ill convicts and allows only foreigners convicted in Denmark to be sent to Kosovo. The [...]

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Jill Edwards urged the Israeli government on Thursday to look into numerous allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against detained Palestinians since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza conflict on October 7, 2023. Edwards emphasized the importance of humane treatment toward detainees and [...]