Imprisonment has been used as a form of punishment since the 17th century. In those early days, even orphans were imprisoned for minor offenses or while awaiting trial. These “prisons” were more like detention centers rather than places to serve sentences.
After the American Revolution, the United States established the world’s first three prisons: one in Massachusetts in 1785, one in Connecticut in 1790, and another in Pennsylvania in 1794. As violence, corruption, and disease became rampant in prisons, the idea of prison reform started to take hold.
The adjustment center at Saint-Quentin prison is considered the harshest of the three death row units in the prison. 
Today, prisons vary greatly in size and living conditions. This is usually related to the types of criminals they hold. Some minimum-security prisons in the U.S. and other countries offer comfortable beds, private bathrooms, and recreational programs. Wealthy individuals or celebrities sometimes serve their sentences in places equipped with flat-screen TVs and other comforts. However, this practice is controversial, as it minimizes the discomfort for those who can afford it.
On the opposite end, there are prisons that are overcrowded, lack proper healthcare, and expose inmates to significant risks of violence. Here are ten of the most notorious prisons in the world, listed in no particular order.
10. Black Dolphin Prison, Russia
Located near the Russian-Kazakhstan border, Black Dolphin Prison, also known as the Sixth Penal Colony, houses the country’s most dangerous criminals. These include serial killers, cannibals, pedophiles, and Chechen terrorists. The prison gets its name from a dolphin sculpture created by the inmates. The sculpture sits on the lawn near the reception area.
Inmates are monitored 24/7 by video surveillance. They are isolated from both the prison staff and the outside world. Each cell, measuring about 4.6 square meters, holds two inmates and has three steel doors for added isolation. Prisoners are allowed only 90 minutes of outdoor time per day in a barren concrete yard. When moving inside, they must wear handcuffs, blindfolds, and walk bent over to avoid interacting with others or familiarizing themselves with the layout of the prison.
9. Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, Kenya
Kenya is known for its harsh prison conditions, and Kamiti Maximum Security Prison is widely regarded as one of the toughest. Built by the British in 1954, Kamiti was originally intended to house criminals during the 1952 declared state of emergency. The prison is notorious for its overcrowding and poor hygiene. Despite having an official capacity of 1,200, reports suggest it holds 1,800 to 2,500 inmates.
Health problems such as HIV, syphilis, tuberculosis, and dysentery are rampant. The prison gained more notoriety in 2008 after a riot, triggered by a contraband inspection, was filmed and broadcast on television. Kamiti made headlines again in 2021 when three convicted terrorists escaped, leading to the arrest of seven guards for their involvement.
8. Terre Haute Prison, United States
Located in Indiana, the Terre Haute Prison complex includes high, medium, and low-security units and is known as the “Northern Guantanamo.” It serves as the site for federal executions in the U.S. The American Civil Liberties Union in 2008 accused the prison of inhumane conditions, especially in its Special Housing Unit, where death row inmates are denied necessary medical care and mental health services. The noise has been reported to prevent inmates from sleeping.
In 2021, Terre Haute Prison reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the federal system, including death row inmates. Despite the suspension of federal executions under Attorney General Merrick Garland, Terre Haute still houses 46 male death row inmates, including Dylann Roof, the perpetrator of the 2015 Charleston church shooting.
7. San Quentin Prison, United States
Located in California, San Quentin is notorious for its violence and has housed many infamous criminals, such as Charles Manson, Scott Peterson, and Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy. San Quentin’s Death Row Adjustment Center is the only facility in California that houses more than 700 death row inmates. It also contains the state’s only gas chamber.
In the 1960s and 1970s, San Quentin became infamous for corruption and racially motivated riots, often incited by guards. In 2022, the state started closing its death row section, relocating the inmates after a three-year moratorium on executions.
6. Diyarbakir Prison, Turkey
Diyarbakir Prison was built by the Turkish Ministry of Justice in 1980. Following the 1980 military coup, it became a notorious facility for holding Kurdish prisoners, where torture was used to force them to assimilate. Over 500 people died in the prison, many due to the torture they endured.
In the early 1980s, the “barbaric period” saw new prisoners subjected to systematic abuse, including physical and mental torture, sleep and food deprivation, hanging, electric shocks, and threats of rape. These abuses contributed to the rise of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which continues to oppose the Turkish government. In 2021, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced plans to convert Diyarbakir Prison into a cultural center, which sparked mixed reactions.
5. Mendoza Prison, Argentina
Mendoza Prison is three times over its capacity, leading to severe overcrowding. Up to five inmates are crammed into cells that measure just 43 square feet (4 square meters), and many prisoners are forced to sleep on the floor without mattresses. Amnesty International reported in 2005 that Mendoza’s prisoners face dire conditions, including abuse that sometimes leads to death. The prison lacks adequate medical care and has no proper sewage system, forcing prisoners to use plastic bags and bottles as toilets.
4. Gldani Prison, Georgia
In 2012, a scandal at Georgia’s Gldani Prison in Tbilisi brought international attention to prison abuse in the country. Videos filmed by a former prison guard showed inmates being tortured and assaulted, sparking nationwide protests. These protests led to reforms in prisoner treatment.
Although prison conditions in Georgia have improved over the last decade, Gldani Prison became notorious again when it detained the country’s former president, Mikheil Saakashvili, sparking further protests and renewed scrutiny of the prison’s reputation.
3. ADX Florence, United States
ADX Florence, also known as the “Supermax” or “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” is the highest-security prison in the U.S. Opened in 1994, it houses some of the world’s most dangerous criminals, including Ted Kaczynski (the “Unabomber”), Ramzi Yousef (the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing), and Zacarias Moussaoui, one of the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks.
Inmates at ADX Florence spend 23 hours a day in solitary confinement in 7 x 12-foot concrete cells. They receive food through a slit in the door and are escorted by guards wearing multiple restraints during their one hour of daily outdoor exercise. The former warden, Robert Hood, described the prison as “a clean version of hell.”
2. Camp 14, North Korea
Located in central North Korea, Camp 14 is a notorious political prison camp that holds up to 15,000 prisoners, mostly political dissidents. Established in 1959, inmates are forced to work in mines, textiles, and agriculture under harsh conditions. They often suffer from extreme hunger and are subjected to brutal punishments.
The camp operates under a “three-generation punishment” system, meaning entire families are imprisoned for the crimes of one member. Many inmates die without having committed any crime.
1. Gitarama Prison, Rwanda
Gitarama Prison is one of the most overcrowded prisons in the world. Originally designed to house 400 inmates, it now holds more than 7,000. Many of them are suspected perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Due to overcrowding, prisoners must stand barefoot on dirty floors, causing severe foot rot. Many require amputations, but the prison has only one full-time doctor, unable to treat most prisoners, resulting in an estimated six deaths daily.
