Exploring Jails around the World: Inside Once Toughest Jails

Thursday, October 13, 2022

 The word jail itself can never be a fascinating term to use. It has always been associated with feelings of terror, fear, and anxiety. However, when you go on to explore and visit the most famous jails around the world, it can be indeed an intriguing experience to witness.

Murder, torture, and huge losses: the world’s most notorious former prisons present a gloomy and dismal experience as their tragic stories are told.

However, many of these once-terrifying locations now serve as a memorial to some of history’s darkest eras and are, therefore, interesting sites to explore.

Alcatraz Island, USA

It was a federal penitentiary from August 11, 1934, to March 21, 1963, after having previously been an army fort and a military prison. Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Stroud, better known as the Birdman of Alcatraz, were among the ‘celebrity’ convicts. It’s an extraordinary site to see on an audio tour; outside, you feel the windswept loneliness, but inside, you can hear the sounds of the city carried over the icy water, and inside, you get an intriguing glimpse into prison life and the cells.

Alcatraz tickets are all inclusive. The ticket price includes the ferry transportation service provided by Alcatraz City Cruises, the cellhouse audio tour provided by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act fee.

Robben Island, South Africa

Robben Island in South Africa is most known for the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela. It is another scary island prison, seven miles off the coast of Cape Town. Although it had been a prison for centuries, it became a maximum-security facility for political prisoners in 1959. Between 1961 and 1991, about 3,000 of them were incarcerated here, including Nelson Mandela. Robben Island became a museum and a South African national monument in 1996 after the last prisoners were released. Adult tours cost R230, and children’s tours cost R120.

La Sante Prison, France

Built in 1867 in the heart of France’s national city, Paris, La Santé Prison is, without a doubt, among the most famous jails in the world. La Santé is famed for being the jail from which you will not be able to escape till you die. Despite its central location, the prison’s structure and security procedures are so effective that escape is impossible. A few hundred prisoners had to learn this the hard way a few years ago, when what they thought was a way out of prison – a drainage pipe – was also sealed down and almost suffocated to death.

Camp 22, North Korea

The Hoeryong concentration camp, also known as Camp 22, was a North Korean jail that was claimed to have closed in 2012. Human rights violations, human experimentation, and sadistic mistreatment had occurred at Camp 22. The North Korean regime has consistently denied its existence. The conditions in Camp 22 were among the worst ever seen, with over 1500-2000 people dying each year alone from malnutrition, most of them children. Torture on inmates included hanging torture, water torture, box room torture, and kneeling torture. They were also trials of novice medical officials who would perform surgical procedures on them, killing them in most cases.

Fuchu Prison, Japan

Let us progress from the most basic and oldest prisons to one of the most advanced security systems ever implemented in prison. Few data are known about the Fuchu Prison in Tokyo’s western district, which had previously housed World War II prisoners. The Fuchu jail, which houses some of Japan’s most renowned criminals, boasts a spotless track record of no escaped prisoners. There are more complex security procedures in place than you can imagine, and Japan does not want anyone to know about them.

Devil’s Island, French Guiana

On Devil’s Island, there is another well-known French jail. A book and a film were also made of this; however, the story is real in this case. Devil’s Island is located in the Caribbean, off the coast of French Guiana. It was open for 90 years, beginning in 1832, and housed around 80,000 inmates. It was constructed, like other island jails, to be nearly hard to escape from, and the dense forests and infected waterways around it did just that.

Although Albert Dreyfus was imprisoned there, Devil’s Island became famous after a former inmate, Henri Charriere, wrote a novel about his successful escape. Later, the film “Papillon” was made.

HMP Belmarsh, UK

HM Prison Belmarsh is located near Greenwich, South East London, and houses ‘category A’ convicts, as determined by Her Majesty. Belmarsh has been a maximum security prison since 1991, housing approximately 1000 of Britain’s most dangerous and violent convicts. The facility’s security level is strong enough that it has earned the moniker “British Guantanamo.”

Port Arthur, Tasmania

Finally, another prison worth visiting is Port Arthur in Tasmania. It was a prison colony and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From 1833 through the 1850s, it housed the most dangerous convicts. You can still go to the prison, hospital, church, and lunatic institution. The prison was built on a peninsula that was surrounded by severe waters.

So, here are some of the most dangerous and fierce prisons and jails around the world. Even though it might be frightening to watch, do not miss the opportunity to experience a chill down your spine as you walk through the life and torture of convicts.

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