Comparing Prisons Around The World

From the luxury of open campuses of Scandinavia to the overcrowded hellscapes of the tropics, we're stepping inside the best and worst prisons on the planet. Around the world, more than a staggering 11.5 million people are currently incarcerated. That's almost the same amount of people that make up the entire population of Belgium. And with a figure that high, it's hardly surprising to learn that many prisons are bursting to the seams with convicted criminals. Although there are some that are well over capacity, like those in Latin America, the official capacity of prisons in Colombia, for example, is almost 81,000 inmates, but the actual population is well in excess of 100,000. In the most crammed prisons, four-person cells are home to eight or more prisoners, with new inmates forced to find room to sleep on floors, hallways, or even bathrooms. But just a short trek north in El Salvador, space is even more limited. With over 1,659 inmates for every 100,000 people in its population, the country boasts the highest prisoner rate in the world. It comes from the severe and successful crackdown that the country imposed on gang violence. Although looking at their cramped prison conditions, it's not really worth bragging about. The country has the capacity to house just over 20,000 criminals. But the shocking system currently holds more than 118,000 inmates, at over four times its capacity. Seriously unsanitary conditions and unbearable heat claim the lives of many inmates. Even with a proposed capacity extension to 40,000, it'll still be a tight squeeze. So let's do a little roundup of figures. A stat-based speed round, if you will. Let's start with the incarceration rates, with El Salvador leading the charge. Following behind, Cuba and Rwanda lead, with 794 and 620 inmates per 100,000. You'd best believe that the USA's coming in hot with the fifth highest incarceration rate in the world, with 541 prisoners. But let's flip the script. Which countries have the lowest? Well, Yemen has a tiny 14 inmates per 100,000, followed by Somalia with 16, and Liechtenstein with 20. When it comes to overcrowding, though, the Republic of the Congo takes the cake. Operating at 616% capacity, Makala Prison, for example, holds space for 1,500 prisoners. But in reality, it has around 15,000. Described as a true hell, Makala operates often without clean water, where taps constantly run dry, and electricity is sparse, leaving prisoners without light for days. The overcrowded and unsanitary conditions spread disease throughout the prison population, and men are squeezed together in rooms already full to the brim. In fact, some resort to sleeping across the divided walls of the shower stalls. The Philippines possesses a similarly nightmarish prison system, operating at 362% beyond capacity. Manila City Jail is one of the most crowded jails in the world. It was built to incarcerate a mere 1,100 inmates, but the country's war on drugs saw that figure rise to a bar-busting 6,300 in 2018. Unfortunately, conditions haven't improved. As of 2024, some 3,200 men sleep like sardines in a facility meant for 1,200, and temperatures in dormitories reach up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally, the country's prison guidelines state there should be one guard for every seven inmates to keep the peace, but the reality is much worse. There's generally one guard for every 528 inmates. Oh, I do not envy that guy's job. In Madagascar, 1,000 prisoners are crammed into four wings built for 500, and 200 prisoners could be huddled together in a 50-capacity room. To make matters worse, each wing only has two toilets and three showers. While that will make plenty of Americans think twice before misbehaving abroad, these conditions back home aren't much better. With over 1.8 million people behind bars, the United States boasts the highest prison population on Earth. And while they just about have the resources to house them all, it's not exactly a spacious arrangement, with their prison capacity at a snug 86.1%. While all inmates get a bed, privacy in the most populated state penitentiaries, like California's San Quentin Prison, looks like an extremely rare commodity. Back in the 2000s, when the U.S.'s prisons were at their most overcrowded, they had to invest in serious space-saving measures. They crammed inmates into penitentiary gymnasiums, classrooms, and even clinics, and made them sleep on triple-stack bunk beds. Just imagine rolling over in your bed and falling off the top of one of those. What a nightmare. Commonly named the world's worst prison, the now-defunct Sednaya Prison in Syria held horrors beyond imagine. The complex was built in 1987, a Y-shaped main building rising four stories above the ground. Estimated to have housed between 10,000 and 20,000 detainees in the past, the prison was seized by rebels in December 2024 after the fall of the Assad regime when prisoners were freed. In fact, in October 2024, just 4,300 inmates had been recorded in jail. An underground section had 33 small cells, where new detainees often spent their first weeks in near-total darkness. The upper three floors contained a total of 170 group cells, all windowless, and each cell often held dozens of prisoners. Things were so overcrowded that they would sleep sitting up, so that they'd reduce the chance of getting covered in someone's feces. But not every prison in the world is crammed to the rafters. Since 2004, the Dutch have miraculously halved their prison population by 2019, thanks to the introduction of alternative sentencing programs. Dutch criminology researchers raised valid questions about how effective its prisons were at reducing crime. After sharing evidence that community service and electronic monitoring were in fact more effective at reducing crime, fewer offenders were sentenced to prison. As such, the whole of the Netherlands now has a prison population estimated around just 11,500, with a capacity of nearly 14,800. This means it doesn't have enough inmates to fill all of its prisons. As of 2024, more than 20 Dutch prisons have closed in the last decade. But instead of knocking them down, many have been repurposed into swanky-looking hotels. The rooms may have been upgraded, but the cell doors and steel walkways haven't been touched. As luxurious as it looks, I'm not sure I'd be able to get 40 winks in this clink. Further up north, Bastoy Bay Prison has often been termed the nicest jail in the world. It's a minimum-security prison located on Bastoy Island in Norway. See, this jail functions more like a small community than a traditional prison. With no walls or fences surrounding the island, its official capacity is 115 adult males, which happily reflects the typical occupancy. Here, inmates don't live in conventional cells. Rather, they reside in small wooden cottages and dormitory-style housing. They're often put in shared houses, which means each man has his own bedroom but shares kitchens and common spaces. Incredibly, Bastoy's overall recidivism rate — the chances of a prisoner re-offending — is among the lowest in Europe, with just 16% of inmates relapsing into crime. At this rate, it sounds better than the horrible trailer park holidays my grandparents always used to take me to. You've probably heard plenty of horror stories about the perils of prison food. From being impossibly bland to pitiful portion sizes, getting by behind bars is no cakewalk. And like the UK wasn't known for its terrible take on cuisine already, one prison in Warrington managed to make it worse. Back in 2019, an inmate from HMP Risley took photos of his food using a camera phone and sent them out to the press. The fact he'd gotten hold of a phone in prison was fairly disturbing, but it wasn't as bad as the state of the food on his plate. Baked beans on plain pasta, soggy fish and fries, lashings of liver, and, uh, whatever this ungodly combination is. Painted a pretty bleak picture of British prison cuisine. But in the UK, the food allowance per prisoner per day is three pounds. About four bucks. And for that, prisoners are supposedly offered three square meals with a choice of fresh fruit and vegetables. I don't know if the Brits know this, but fries, sadly, don't class as one of your five a day. And yet, over on the other side of the world, in Japan, a standard prison meal couldn't look any healthier. Here, the incarcerated eat whole grain barley mixed with rice, vegetable dishes, miso soup, and nutrient-rich proteins, like whole grilled fish. These healthy and delicious-looking meals stem from Japan's incredibly low crime rate and small prison population, which is just 33 out of every 100,000 citizens. With fewer mouths to feed, this means more resources can be diverted to keeping prisoners healthy and focused on reforming their choices. Though there's no pleasing some inmates, as complaints have arisen about the quality of the prison's curry, under-heated food, and elderly inmates being forced to peel their own oranges. God only knows what they'd think if they had to swap places with British inmates for a day. Now, contrary to popular belief, Russian prisons don't just serve soup and gruel. Although what they do serve instead doesn't sound much better. For a start, solid food is most definitely on the menu, though usually in the form of a bland porridge, cheap bread, unseasoned meat, and vegetables. While it sounds basic, there's plenty of it, with each prisoner reportedly receiving up to 3,000 calories a day, all of which comes to just 75 rupees, about $1, though it's hardly breaking the bank. The Russian authorities have been trying to find ways to make their meals even cheaper. Prisons have been encouraged to produce their own food in small agricultural bubbles, allowing them to effectively farm their own meals, including meat, milk, and fish. Though these foodstuffs sound perfectly normal, many past inmates have commented that the food quality is so bad, it's practically inedible. But if these countries show the good and the bad of prison food, then the U.S. really brings the ugly. Because jail and prison food is set at a state level, the quality varies wildly. Take for instance a typical breakfast and dinner in Georgia's Gordon County Jail. The state spends between $1.17 and $2.20 per prisoner per day on food, equating to just 60 cents per meal. Inmates receive around 2,800 calories per day, complete with fruit juice and cereal for breakfast, cornbread and beans for dinner, and even cake for dessert. Although up until 2025, there was no lunch served in between on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. This meant the calorie intake on the weekends could drop as low as 1,200 or 1,400 calories. Meanwhile, the normal daily intake for adults is 2,000 to 2,500 calories. Prisoners in Georgia receive less than one serving of vegetables a day, 40% of the required protein, and 35% of the necessary dairy for a healthy diet. Yep, nutritional neglect seems to be one thing Georgia's prisons do provide. And over in Idaho, the Department of Corrections has a slightly healthier-looking approach. Though every meal served costs just $1, the Dietary Services of the Penitentiary tries to incorporate healthier options, like salads, fresh fruit, and vegetables, into prisoners' diets. But it doesn't take away from the pancakes, tacos, and spaghetti they're serving up as well. Looks like Idaho is the way to go. Now Alabama, on the other hand, couldn't look less appealing if it tried. Back in 2009, breakfasts were a measly affair of a half an egg, oatmeal, and a slice of bread. Lunch was two bologna sandwiches and a packet of chips. And dinner was just beans, some kind of meat, and yet more bread. It's hardly surprising, that's all inmates got, seeing as each meal cost a staggeringly low 58 cents. Although, considering the prison chief was caught pocketing $200,000 of the food budget for himself, it's a miracle Alabama's prisoners got to eat at all. Unfortunately, things haven't gotten much better. Although the average spend on a meal has since risen to between $2.75 and $3, prisoners aren't being spoiled. They're fed rotten chicken and meat patties that are essentially dog food, not fit for human consumption at all. I found this behind the radiator. I really think you should throw it away. Suggestion noted. But somehow it gets much, much worse. In 2011, Texas cut $2.8 million out of its allotment for prison meals to make up for a budget shortfall. This involved a lot of substituting, like swapping milk for powdered milk, buns with white bread, and feeding inmates just twice a day at the weekends. And since lockdown, it's become even more desperate. Instead of gathering inmates in a cafeteria, they're each given a single paper bag containing all their food for the day. According to the inmates' reports, this can be as little as three sandwiches, cereal, and some corn dogs. Is anyone else's stomach rumbling just thinking about that? Well, they're not the only inmates going hungry. Back in 2017, Elima Delik posted this tweet showcasing the tray of food she received at a jail in Florida. I'm not sure what looks worse, the sinister slop or the graying green beans. Were these guys trying to compete with Fyre Fest to create the worst-looking meal on the planet? But if that wasn't enough to make you evaluate your own life choices, take a look at what they serve to inmates across the US who really misbehave. This grim brick of food is a, ahem, specialist management meal. Which is a fancy way of saying punishment food. But more famously, it's known as the prison loaf. It's a tasteless mash of vegetables and starch that provides seriously disobedient inmates with all the nutrients they need three times a day, assuming they can keep it down. Of course, it's nowhere near as bad as the provisions that were seen in Sednaya Prison in Syria. The guards instructed the prisoners that they must never ask for food or water. When they were fed, they were given a few small pieces of bread, a single bowl of yogurt for 20 people, and occasionally some cheese or eggs. It got so bad that some resorted to licking sewage water off the floor for sustenance. On the other end of the scale, Bastoy Prison inmates are given a food allowance each month. They each get $93 with which to buy food for their self-prepared breakfasts and evening meals. The island has a well-stocked mini supermarket, and many prisoners tend livestock and grow fruits and vegetables for food. Most of you probably assume that all prison cells look the same, with bars, bunks, and terrifyingly exposed toilets. Though they do differ around the world, in the U.S., this is exactly what new inmates can expect. For those awaiting trial in the state of New York, a cell in the famous Rikers Island Jail offers none of the comforts of home. In the general population, these tiny breeze block rooms are made for one inmate each, and contain a toilet, a sink, a bed, and a heavily barred window. It's barely the bare necessities, but at least those in the general population can socialize with other inmates. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for those in supermax prisons like Admax Florence, Colorado. Because these prisons are designed to hold some of the most dangerous criminals in America. Each inmate is assigned to a single 7 by 12 foot room, with an immovable bed, stool, and desk, all made out of concrete. They also have a shower, set on a timer to prevent inmates from flooding their cell, and a toilet, with an inbuilt sink. It's a lot to pack in, but it's specifically designed to prevent moving the prisoners around the facility unnecessarily. Because the more they move around the penitentiary, the more they get to know its layout, which might prompt them to hatch an escape plan. As such, the vast majority of the 400 prisoners held here are in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day. But it could be so much worse, as proven by the existence of Russia's Black Dolphin Facility. This federal penal colony houses around 700 of Russia's most dangerous criminals, who in total have been responsible for the deaths of approximately 4,000 people. That's almost 6 victims per inmate. And those are just the cases that were solved. Inmates are held in cells that have thick steel doors, as well as bars separating the living space from the windows and the door. This effectively creates a cell within a cell, preventing them from rushing the guards at the doors or trying to escape through the window. And as an ironically named ground rule, none of these cells are located on the ground floor, which stops any prisoners from tunneling out of their life sentences. When they are allowed to leave their cells, they're bent over double by the guards, handcuffed, and frighteningly frog-marched out so they can't really see where they're going. This is yet another precaution to prevent prisoners from mentally mapping the layout of the facility. Mother Russia really doesn't play around when it comes to national security. Now, Russian law states that each inmate must have at least 21 square feet of personal space to themselves. But penal colonies like Black Dolphin possess cells that are easily overcrowded, with 20 to 50 prisoners sharing the same space. God, just imagine the smell. But not every maximum-security prison insists on constant discomfort. Over in Norway, prisoners held in Skene Prison have comparatively lavish-looking cells, complete with wooden furniture, curtains, ensuite bathrooms, and even electrical outputs for TV and game consoles. Cushy as it looks, prisoners in solitary confinement here are still locked away behind thick steel doors for up to 23 hours a day. But they're given DVDs and games to play, along with plenty of reading material. It almost makes the idea of serving a life sentence sound tolerable. Many start off in high-security prisons like Skene, and are gradually transferred to lower-security institutions with more freedom and even better-looking cells. One of which is Halden, a high-security prison where inmates have private rooms complete with flat-screen TVs and fridges. They can even borrow musical instruments to learn and play at their leisure. Though making convicted criminals this comfortable makes many people gristle in anger, Norway defends the idea that treating prisoners humanely is the key to reintroducing them into society. And despite what you think, it seems to work. Norway has a repeat offender rate of just 20%, one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world. Who knew a few creature comforts could help put a stop to crime? Sweden is much the same, with most inmates allocated their own room with bed, desk, TVs, and computers with internet access. Cells are generally between 10 to 12 square meters, and they're better than some university dorm rooms. Shared access to kitchens, music rooms, art studios, and gyms are the norm here too. Aranjuez Prison in Spain, however, has a pretty unique cell arrangement. It's a medium-security facility, and the first of its kind in the world. It's designed to keep families together. Inmates are able to live freely with their children in units nicknamed Five Star Cells. They come with cribs, toys, Disney-themed walls, and there's even a playground outside specifically for the kids. Plus, mental health support, counseling, and extensive educational programs make this place more like a support group center than a prison. Well, as nice as that idea is, you wouldn't want your kids anywhere near Fuchu Prison in Japan. Holding the country's most notorious criminals, including Yakuza bosses, living here means dealing with a long list of rules. There's no speaking to fellow prisoners during work or mealtimes, visiting rights are limited, and you're forced to sit in certain ways for long periods in your cell. Prisoners have to deal with extreme temperatures, lack of water, and TV viewing monitored and strictly rationed. Inmates bathe three times a week, with 15 at a time sharing a large communal bath. Whilst these regulations seem unnaturally harsh, officials claim it's the secret to their success. The limitations are responsible for a lack of overcrowding, substance abuse, and violence. And since all inmates are treated the same, there is no criminal hierarchy to deal with. So, whether you're a top boss in the Japanese underworld or a lowly, petty thief, each day is the same boring, groundhog nightmare. Didn't we do this yesterday? I don't know what you mean. It's hard enough getting seen by doctors when you're a free citizen of the world, but what about when you're inside? Access to healthcare is a major problem in some prisons, with many inmates unable to be treated for physical or mental illnesses at all. Human Rights Watch found that many of Pakistan's jails lacked basic medical staffing and medicines, leaving inmates with untreated conditions and higher risk of catching and spreading disease. Overcrowding and corruption are rampant, with documented deaths from untreated illnesses directly linked to the absence of healthcare services. Abuse from prison officials goes unpunished and contributes to serious human rights violations. When you add in unsanitary living conditions, poor quality in food, and lack of access to medicines, it doesn't paint a very pretty picture. Another guilty party for overcrowded prisons and poor conditions, in Ireland you'll find prisoners forced to eat off the floor and defecate in front of each other. 613 prisoners are stuck sleeping on mattresses on the ground or camp beds. Healthcare provisions are dire, with mental health and addiction support already overwhelmed. The gaps in healthcare, the overcrowding, and mental health pressures have directly contributed to a 50% increase in prison deaths in 2024. Meanwhile, the Netherlands have integrated public healthcare in prisons, with access to medical and mental healthcare similar to community standards. There are programs specifically addressing mental health disorders, substance abuse, and self-harm prevention whilst in prison. The very idea of being locked in a tiny cell for up to 23 hours a day is enough to make even the laziest people restless. Fortunately, the United States has decreed that prisoners should be given at least one hour of exercise outside, weather permitting, every day. Of course, leading the charge as the best country to do prison, Norway sticks to the UN recommendation of one hour of play per day. Yet England only changed the minimum exercise time to one hour in 2024, where before it had only been 30 minutes. In Japan, prisoners exercise just twice a week in the summer, and three times a week in the winter. Say what? Well, this is because exercise is only allowed on weekdays, and days where there's no bath time. As for weirder weather rules, it's likely they're having more bath time in summer, or maybe they just prefer doing push-ups in the rain. In California, where the weather is almost always glorious, inmates are usually let into concrete yards, separated by two layers of chicken fencing and topped with barbed wire. And in case inmates even consider making a run for it, observation towers are posted nearby, holding guards that are armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Though it would be a dumb idea to try and scurry up the fence with all that firepower waiting above, it would certainly get your heart rate up. With all sense of escape out of their minds, prisoners are free to do laps, play basketball, or use some of the stationary equipment for workouts like chin-ups and boxing. But over in Brazil, prison yards are often set up to let inmates indulge in the nation's favorite sport, soccer. While the pitches occasionally double up as a space for drying laundry, facilities like this prison in Manaus has at least three separate concrete pitches for inmates to kick a ball around on. I wonder if the guards do a little Mexican wave every time they score a goal. While team sports are a great way to boost morale, the group exercises they do in Thailand look a lot more like torture. Despite all those strenuous-looking positions and baking hot sun, these inmates are actually engaging in a little yoga. For both male and female inmates, the slow-moving, far-stretching exercise helps prisoners improve their physical and mental health. But when it comes to group exercise, the inmates that really steal the show are those from the Filipino Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. The prison rose to fame back in 2007 when a video of hundreds of inmates performing a choreographed dance routine to Michael Jackson's Thriller went viral. It turned out that government security advisor Byron Garcia introduced the program for inmates to get an hour of exercise each day. And they didn't stop at Thriller. Up to 1,500 inmates participated in a fantastic variety of different routines. From the power stance pulling ballad of Queen's Radio Gaga to the hilarious dress-up dynamo of Sister Act's Hail Holy Queen, the dance program was a huge hit and even inspired a film called Dance of the Steel Bars. Though not all prison exercise is so inspiring. Back in the terrifying confines of Russia's Black Dolphin Prison, some inmates report being left in their cells for a full 24 hours a day. But on the off chance that they are let out, they're given 90 minutes to walk around a tiny bare concrete yard. Though they won't get to feel the sun on their face as each yard is built beneath a solid roof with walkways above so that guards can watch every move. After seeing that, I'm never complaining about going to the gym ever again. But not every inmate is condemned to spend years just pacing behind their cell walls. Jobs can be offered, or enforced, to make use of all the free time detainees have on their hands. For example, in the USA, the Department of Corrections directs certain facility jobs that can be done by inmates, such as laundry, maintenance, and food service. They also offer jobs for state-owned businesses, producing goods like garments and furniture. While the U.S. Constitution claims that working as part of a prison sentence isn't technically slavery, some states offer the prisoners wages to keep everything above board. Inmates can use this money to buy extra food from the prison commissary or phone calls to their loved ones. In California, a well-paying facility job can see prisoners earn just $0.37 per hour. That really doesn't sound like much, but depending on the facility, it can be as little as $0.08 per hour. So, for working six hours, prisoners can earn as much as $2.22 or as little as $0.48 a day. Inmate pay was boosted back in 2024, ranging from $0.16 to $0.74 an hour. Yet their hours have been cut down, so their total earnings are likely staying at the exact same. Over in Idaho, that wage gets a little better, with top-end facilities offering $0.95 per hour, while Alaska can pay up to $1.25. But in Alabama, Georgia, and Arkansas, prisoners can kiss their paycheck goodbye, as most prisons in these states don't offer wages at all. Overall, 6.5% of workers with jobs in higher-paying state prisons are paid between $0.30 and $1.30 per hour on average. Across the pond in the U.K., it doesn't get much better. Though government-owned, the jobs available vary from prison to prison. And include working in call centers, DHL parcel distribution, and industrial cleaning. But for all that, prisoners can be paid a meager minimum weekly wage of just £4, which is just a little over $5. Even though that's not a lot, most inmates budget their earnings and spend it on contacting their family, renting TVs, and buying items from their prison commissary. While they're not exactly earning big bucks, at least they have a choice in whether or not they want to work, which is more than can be said for China. Forced labor in the country's prisons is a common occurrence, with inmates producing goods ranging from Christmas decorations to artificial flowers and footwear. But failure to meet hard-to-reach quotas doesn't mean prisoners get fired. Instead, they're punished by being denied food and water, and some even shackled for days on end. And it's the same story over in North Korea, except obviously worse. Defectors from this secretive state have revealed that prisoners are often worked to the bone under the banner of forced labor. A typical day for the once-missionary prisoner Kenneth Bae revealed inmates were forced into hard labor from 8am to 6pm, six days a week. Demanding tasks like carrying rocks and shoveling coal saw him lose a staggering £60 in his two-year captivity. Although he was lucky, as some prisoners were even forced to dig their own graves. As bad as that is, many of you might be expecting Russia's Black Dolphin Prison to top the list of barbaric working conditions. But despite the brutal rules, some prisoners are actually given the choice of where they'd like to work in the confines of the facility. This can be in the woodshop or on the sewing machines making garments. Like the USA and UK, their work is rewarded with wages. They too can buy extra items or food from the prison and can even pay compensation to their victims. But seeing as some of these inmates are incredibly dangerous criminals, I think they'll be working for quite some time to really pay for what they've done. Though prisons lock their inmates away, these fearsome institutions can actually help unlock a variety of learning potential. With very little else to do, many prisons offer courses and classes to aid inmates' rehabilitation. Though how this is done looks very different depending on where you are. The Shimane Asahi Rehabilitation Program Center in Japan, for example, offers inmates a chance to partake in therapeutic community. These are group sessions led by psychotherapists that work to discover the root cause of an inmate's crimes, while using the answer to help redirect their lives. They sit in circles and roleplay different victims and characters in their lives, allowing them to understand the impact their actions had on those around them. It goes a long way in keeping the inmates from re-offending, which is important seeing as Japan has a worryingly high recidivism rate of 46%. While some prisons trust their inmates to engage in programs freely, others, like Pelican Bay in the US, can't afford that level of trust. Though inmates here can engage in therapies and creative writing classes, these incredibly dangerous criminals could, once upon a time, only take part while they were literally caged. Inmates were led into a room with these cages, and once locked inside, their handcuffs were removed through a small slot. Aside from the scary amounts of steel, class continued with inmates using workbooks as makeshift tables for writing on. They received worksheets, work from the whiteboard, and even submitted their work at the end of their lessons. And you thought your school was tough. Thankfully, nowadays it seems each prisoner, regardless of how fearsome they are, gets their own secure tablet, enabling them to work, learn, and attend virtual classes. For a time, some prisoners didn't need the presence of a prison guard or a cage to work on bettering themselves. Over in the notoriously tough San Francisco Gotera Prison in El Salvador, the vast majority of inmates are made up of rival members from the deadly Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs. But instead of fighting one another, many have opted to engage in the I-Change program whilst it was still active. Here, they learn to read, draw, study the Bible, and even crochet to help themselves prepare for a gang-free life on the outside. And in doing so, they inadvertently made crocheting look impossibly badass. Unfortunately, good things often come to an end. El Salvador's current War on Drugs has since replaced these rehabilitative programs. Since 2014, gang members have been moved to mass incarceration systems like the Secot Megaprison. Here, there's a zero-leisure policy, where inmates are instead restricted to windowless cells and are stripped of their arts and crafts. In China, learning is enforced in one of the most barbaric ways imaginable. Before 2022, and without warning, people were snatched off the street, shackled, blindfolded, and detained in one of China's vocational education and training centers. The name may sound fancy, but they're known simply as re-education centers or political education camps. And what exactly were these prisoners' crimes? Well, shockingly, just their religion. While China allows some religious freedoms, it's a communist state that is constantly fighting for tighter control of its citizens. So anyone showing more devotion to their faith than their country found themselves inside one of these 380 indoctrination camps set up around the Xinjiang region. It was estimated to have more than one million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other predominantly Muslim minorities detained since 2018. Without any kind of trial, they were forced to partake in classes about China's all-encompassing culture, which is designed to eradicate any religious attachments. But if the guards don't think the lessons are getting through, they won't hesitate to use menacing methods. Prisoners are beaten, starved, psychologically tormented, and will only be released when they can demonstrate they have transformed their behavior, beliefs, and even their language. Somehow, I don't think just sending thoughts and prayers will help this situation. Since 2022, many of the original camps have been converted into formal prisons or factories. Yet the snatching of individuals remains, as well as the forced indoctrination, abuse, and erasure of religious identity. Detainees now face secret trials, which are really just legal formalities, since there's a near 100% conviction rate. This has resulted instead in decades-long prison sentences rather than being released from the program. Today, an estimated half a million people remain incarcerated. Yep, don't let the re-brand fool you. It's still the same nightmare going on behind the new packaging. Well, after taking all that in, which country would you least like to serve time in? Let me know in the comments below. Next, check out my video about these fugitives who disappeared without a trace. Thanks for watching.