Most Dangerous Prisons In The World

La Santé Prison Located in Paris, La Santé is anything but your typical prison. Since its inception in 1867, it has been the site of several riots, executions and escapes. According to prison doctor Veronique Vasseur, inmates often suffer from health issues due to several factors including poorly ventilated cells and only being allowed to take showers twice a week. Given these circumstances, we truly find it hard to believe that a prison would include the french translation of the word “health” in its name.

Bang Kwang Central Prison Just north of Bangkok, Thailand, is Bang Kwang Central Prison. Opened in 1933, Bang Kwang houses Thailand’s execution chamber and is notorious for its high risk and dangerous criminals. Past inmates have told stories of guards beating mentally ill, elderly, and pregnant prisoners, and malnourished inmates attacking each other over anything of value. As for the meals, well, the term “maggot-infested” seems to come up a lot.

Diyarbakir Prison Located in southeastern Turkey, Diyarbakir is one of the most inhumane prisons in the world owing to rampant and systemic prisoner abuse. The prison is notorious for overcrowding, and prisoners are often subjected to various forms of torture, including sleep deprivation, physical beatings, and even a dog that was trained to bite genitals. Things were especially bad when Diyarbakir served as a military prison in the 1980s, with many killed by guards and dozens taking their own lives.

Sabaneta Prison This prison in Maracaibo, Venezuela was an extremely violent prison that operated from 1958 to 2013. Built to house just 700 prisoners, Sabaneta was home to 3,700 by the time it closed in the early 2010s. The prison was entirely run by the inmates themselves, complete with a hierarchy of gangs and leaders known as “prans”. In 1994, inmates intentionally started a fire and killed those who tried to escape, reportedly resulting in over 150 deaths. In 2013—the final year of the prison’s operation—69 prisoners were killed by other inmates.

ADX Florence Located in the Fremont County of Colorado, ADX Florence is a supermax prison—one level higher than maximum security, and housing the absolute worst criminals in the country. These criminals are often extremely violent and typically pose a serious threat to prison staff, other inmates, or even national security. Some of the prison’s most notable inmates include the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, numerous terrorists with links to Al-Qaeda, the Boston Marathon bomber, the Unabomber, Terry Nichols of the Oklahoma City bombing, and Mexican drug lord El Chapo.

Carandiru Penitentiary Built back in 1920, Brazil’s Carandiru was once South America’s largest prison, housing more than 8,000 inmates. The prison was infamous for its poor quality of life, rampant health issues, and numerous human rights violations. The latter eventually culminated in the Carandiru massacre. The military police were called in and proceeded to massacre the inmates, many of whom were unarmed and killed in defensive positions. By the end of the riot, 111 prisoners were dead, riddled with 515 bullets in total. Over 60 police officers were convicted for their crimes, but the trials have since been deemed null.

Muhanga Prison Formerly known as Gitarama Prison, Rwanda’s Muhanga Prison was built to house just 400 prisoners, but ended up housing 7,000. As you can image, living conditions inside the prison are deplorable, and many prisoners suffer from gangrene owing to the filthy accommodations. Given that they’re often forced to stand all day on the wet and dirty ground, the health complications are many and severe. There have even been reports of cannibalism. 

San Quentin State Prison Serving as the oldest prison in California, San Quentin was opened in 1852 and remains one of the United States’ most infamous penitentiaries. It’s known as the most populous death row in the country, with the New York Times even deeming it quote “the largest in the Western Hemisphere”. Since 1893, over 400 people have been put to death at San Quentin. It’s housed some of the most dangerous men in America, including Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, and Richard Chase.

Alcatraz Although it closed all the way back in 1963, Alcatraz was notorious in its time and remains one of the most iconic prisons in the world owing to its reputation and unique setting. Located on Alcatraz Island just off San Francisco, the prison’s remote and secluded location made it the perfect place to house high risk and dangerous criminals. It eventually gained the nickname “Hellcatraz” owing to its reputation, and it housed some of the most notorious criminals of its day, including Al Capone, Mickey Cohen, Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Stroud, aka the Birdman of Alcatraz.

Guantanamo Bay Located off the coast of Cuba, Guantanamo Bay was opened in 2002 under the direction of President Bush. Following the September 11th attacks, Bush initiated the War on Terror and opened Guantanamo Bay to serve as a military prison. Under the Obama administration, the number of inmates was reduced; however, Guantanamo Bay remains open. Amnesty International has called the prison a major human rights violation, describing it as quote “the Gulag of our times.”