10 Most Violent And Deadliest Prisons In The World That You Want To Avoid

Top 10 Most Violent And Deadliest Prisons In The World That You Want To Avoid. Photo KnowInsiders

The only place more dangerous to live than prison is the world outside of it. A quick look at the evening news will convince any viewer that the world is a dangerous place to live. One violent crime is followed by another, and it becomes apparent that human nature has some serious flaws in it.

Of course, not everybody feels the need to physically harm another person, but there are too many people who not only feel the compulsion, but embrace it willingly. Because the outside world is dangerous, criminal justice becomes vitally important to a healthy society. Prisons are designed to house criminals, and some prisons are designed specifically for the world’s most dangerous criminals. These are the criminals who pose the greatest threat to society.

The list of 10 most violent and deadliest prisons in the world that you want to avoid

10. San Quentin Prison

9. Bang Kwang Prison

8. Rikers Island Prison

7. Alcatraz Island Prison

6. ADX-Florence Supermax Facility

5. La Sante Prison

4. Diyarbakir Prison

3. La Sabaneta Prison

2. Tadmor Prison

1. Carandiru Penitentiary

*****

What Are The Most Violent And Deadliest Prisons In The World?

10. San Quentin Prison

Photo Mecury News

San Quentin Prison was established in 1852 and is the oldest prison in the state of California. Although the prison has a gas chamber, the only executions performed there are by lethal injection. Violence is a continual issue at San Quentin even with a large staff of guards. A particular incident occurred in February 2006 when some racially motivated attacks resulted in the injuries of 100 inmates. Additionally, two inmates were killed. The prison is known for its poor conditions, and a 2005 report stated that “it is our opinion that it is dangerous to house people there.”

The prison is known for its poor conditions, and a 2005 report stated that “it is our opinion that it is dangerous to house people there.”

9. Bang Kwang Prison

Located a few miles from Bangkok is one of the toughest prisons in Thailand with me nickname “Bangkok Hilton” The Bang Kwang Maximum-Security Prison holds a large population of foreign prisoners. Inmates are crammed into small cells, and death row inmates are often given as little as two hours notice before they are dragged off to their execution.

Photo Bangkok Post

For the first three months of an inmate’s sentence, they wear shackles. About 10 percent of the inmates are awaiting execution; those on death row wear iron shackles welded to their legs. All prisoners are serving a minimum of 25 years. Nutrition comes in the form of one bowl of rice with vegetables to eat once a day. A canteen is available for prisoners to purchase additional food or items needed. Many suffer from malnutrition and preventable diseases. The prison has no running water, a barely functioning sewer system, and is severely overcrowded.

8. Rikers Island Prison

Photo CNN

Don't forget that it's not just adults who serve prison time. Minors are also known to commit crimes, and they too can end up in dangerous facilities. In 2014, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara presented a report that revealed that teenagers were exposed to a significant amount of abuse at Riker's Island in New York City. He called out the facility for its use of brute force, verbal insults, and beatings. In 2013 alone, male prisoners who were 18 and younger experienced 1,057 injuries, according to the investigation's findings (via NY Mag).

The report states, "Rikers is a dangerous place for adolescents and a pervasive climate of fear exists." It revealed that officers used "radios, batons, and broomsticks" against adolescent inmates and created an environment that provoked fear.

In addition, Politico reported on statistics from 2019 that revealed there was a significant rise in inmate attacks on one another, staff member assaults, and the use of force by guards against prisoners. Violence had gotten so out of hand that Mayor Bill de Blasio backed a plan to close the facility and replace it with four new jails. "The violence at Rikers has continued almost unabated for decades across multiple mayoral administrations and multiple commissioners," explained City Council Member Rory Lancman, also an advocate of closing Rikers for good. Reuters reports that in October 2019, the New York City Council voted to close the jail complex by 2026.

7. Alcatraz Island Prison

Photo Traveller

Although Alcatraz Island Prison, located on Alctraz Island off the coast of San Francisco, California, has been shut down for many years, it housed some of the most dangerous criminals in history. One of its most famous prisoners was Al “Scarface” Capone. The prison was known for its violent escape attempts, the most notorious being the escape attempt known as the “Battle of Alcatraz” in May 1946. Alcatraz was forced to close its doors on March 21, 1963 because of its poor reputation and the high cost of maintaining the prison.

6. ADX-Florence Supermax Facility

ADX-Florence PrisonADX-Florence in Colorado is designed to hold the worst prisoners, many in near round-the-clock solitary confinement. A lawsuit was filed in June 2012 by several inmates. The lawsuit charges that the conditions of the prison create an environment for inmate abuse and torture.

15 Most Dangerous Prisons In The World Prison is the last place everyone ever wish to go in, and most prisons are notorious for its violence and brutality.

5. La Sante Prison

One of the most infamous prisons in France, La Sante prison has had numerous riots, executions, and escapes. Inmates are allowed to shower only twice a week and cells lack proper ventilation, it does not come as a surprise that inmates develop various health issues due to these absurd living conditions. In 1999, La Sante witnessed suicides of a little over 100 inmates. The prison system has developed an internal class system that makes living conditions worse for the lower class inmates.

4. Diyarbakir Prison

Photo Daily Sabah

Diyarbakır Prison was built in 1980 and is located in southeastern Turkey. It was established by the Ministry of Justice but was turned over to the military for a few years before once again being operated by the ministry in 1988, according to Place and See. Like many of the other facilities on this list, it is known for its overcrowding. In the 1990s, the Human Rights Commission in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey found that the prison housed hundreds more prisoners than it was built to accommodate.

Conditions were particularly bad in the 1980s, when inmates were often brutally tortured. Between 1981 and 1984, 34 prisoners died during a period that's been described as "the period of barbarity" and "the hell of Diyarbakır." Amnesty International received thousands of complaints of torture and claims that the practice caused over 100 deaths. Prison authorities were known to beat, blindfold, hose down, and intimidate prisoners. Inmates were deprived of sleep, water, and food. They were hung by their arms, forced to stand for long periods, forced to exercise in hot temperatures, burned with cigarettes, humiliated, and raped.

As recently as 2020, inmate Mehmet Sıdık Mese claimed he was regularly beaten with truncheons and clubs inside the facility, according to the Stockholm Center for Freedom. The prison reportedly tried to cover up these claims.

3. La Sabaneta Prison

This heavily overcrowded facility is home to more than 3,700 prisoners who live in a space designed to accommodate only 700 individuals. Such overcrowding breeds disease and violence among the inmates. La Sabaneta is ruled by a system of corruption, where guards give preferential treatment to those with money and power. These select individuals are able to sleep within the cells on a bed, while everyone else must use a hammock in the corridors. And there is no daily routine of set activities, allowing the inmates to do and behave as they wish, often leading to extremely violent encounters that stem from their lack of mental stimulation and cramped living quarters.

2. Tadmor Prison

Tadmor Military Prison in Palmyra, Syria is known as one of the most oppressive prisons for a prisoner to serve time in the world. Amnesty International has stated that “every aspect of it was designed to dehumanize its inhabitants.”

The most notorious event in the prison’s history was in June 1980. President Hafez al-Assad survived an attack on his life by the Muslim Brotherhood. It was reported that he orders soldiers to execute every prisoner in sight in retaliation for the attack. Tadmor was closed down in 2001, but reopened in 2011. It is no less brutal today.

1. Carandiru Penitentiary

Photo BBC

Carandiru Penitentiary is known for its human rights violations. It was built in 1890 and became so overcrowded in the 20th century that the prisoners created their own rules and took over command from the small number of guards who were employed there, according to Prison History. At one point, the facility held 8,000 inmates, who were often malnourished and received insufficient medical care. Many had transmittable diseases that spread through the prison population.

A 1992 prison riot resulted in 111 deaths. Military police intervened and killed the inmates, even those who surrendered. Commanding officer Colonel Ubiratan Guimarães was arrested but eventually released after several mistrials. He was assassinated in 2006. Doctor Drauzio Varella was a physician at the facility between 1989 and 2001, and he revealed how horrible conditions were at the prison in a book. His testimony led to public outcry and the eventual demolition of the prison in 2002. The surviving building is currently a public museum.

Top 10 Largest Prisons In The UK - Inmate Population Curious to know what prisons are the biggest in the UK? Check out our top 10 largest prisons in the UK in terms of inmate ...

What Is The Oldest Prison In The UK and Who is the Oldest Prisoner Do you know what prison is the oldest in the UK and who is the oldest prisoner?

Top 10 Oldest Prisoners in the World Who is the oldest prisoner in the world? Check out the answer in our list of the 10 oldest inmates on Earth below!