Inside 20 Prison Cells From Around The World

By Juliet Smith 2 years ago

1. El Salvador - Penal De Ciusad Barrios

(Image Source/ Demilked)

This is inside Penal De Ciudad Barrios, Ciudad Barrios, San Miguel in El Salvador. The tiny cells have around 30 people squashed inside. These cells were initially meant to be holding cells for around 72 hours because they are not fit for living full term. But now they house prisoners for around a year.

2. Russia - Black Dolphin

(Image Source/ Demilked)

Here is a glimpse into Black Dolphin Prison, Sol-Iletsk in Russia. This is a world renowned prison and it is known for housing some of the most notorious and dangerous criminals. The likes of terrorists, murderers, cannibals and more. This prison's security is extreme.

3. Spain - Aranjuez

(Image Source/ Demilked)
This is a look inside Aranjuez Prison, Aranjuez, Spain. And yes, you are probably wondering why it looks so nice and why there is a family inside. This prison treats it prisoners very well and they have very good conditions. It's far from many of the prisons on this list.

4. Norway -Bastøy Prison

(Image Source/ architecturendesign)

In this picture we can see Bastøy Prison, Horten, Norway. It is a very large prison and has low security. it is managed by the community. Inside we can see that conditions here are not bad at all, in fact it has been branded by many around the world as comfortable if not luxurious in terms of a prison.

5. Scotland - HMP Addiewell

(Image Source/ Demilked)
This is HMP Addiewell, Lothian, Scotland. This prison is more about learning and rehabilitation. Rather than the focus being on punishment the idea is that the prisoners focus on the reasons behind why they committed the crime. They do activities, counselling and work as part of their programme.

6. Japan - Onomichi Prison

(Image Source/ Demilked)
Here is a look into the inside rooms at Onomichi Prison, Onomichi, Japan. Here, the prison is just for senior offenders. Due to the ageing population of Japan, elderly criminals are becoming more common. And so this prison is just for seniors who commit crime.

7. Uganda - Luzira Prison

(Image Source/ architecturendesign)

In the Luzira Prison, Kampala, Uganda, the structure of the prison is more similar to a westernized prison for example of America or Britain. The prisoners are given more responsibility and the inmates are responisble for the peace to be kept within the prison.

8. Netherlands - Norgerhaven

(Image Source/ architecturendesign)
In Norgerhaven Prison, Veenhuizen, Netherlands the crime rate is so low that they actually had an under-crowding problem. Unlike many places such as Britain who face the opposite problem. in fact they struck a deal with Norway to take some of their prisoners.

9. San Diego - Cartagena

(Image Source/ Demilked)

Here is a picture of San Diego Medium-Security Women’s Prison, Cartagena, Colombia. It may look like a fairly relaxed environment for a prison, and that is because it is. This low security prison is often used for women nearing the end of their sentences. This is a restaurant run by inmates.

10. California - San Quentin

(Image Source. thetravel.com)
This prison is located in the north of San Francisco, San Quentin in California. It is the oldest and largest prison in California, and not only California but the largest in the whole of the United States. It's one of the well known prisons as it has attracted a lot of attention.

11. Haiti's Civil Prison

(Image Source. thetravel.com)
The living conditions in this prison in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as we can see are very low. And, this picture at least shows beds because a lot of the time hammocks are suspended from the ceiling. Due to lack of resources, money and space some of the prisoners do not have enough to eat.

12. Kabul - Pul-e-Charkhi

(Image Source. thetravel.com)
This is a photo of the inside of Pul-e-Charkhi Prison just outside of Kabul. This prison is known for riots and prisoners having managed to escape on different occasions. It was also once known for being the prison to mainly hold members of the Taliban.

13. United States -ADX Florence Prison

(Image Source. architecturendesign.com)

This prison is the ADX Florence prison, Colorado, United States. This faciility is secured and monitored way more than any standard prison. It is built for the criminals who are too dangerous to be in the normal system. And so surveillance here is constant, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

14. Germany - Landsberg Prison

(Image Source, thetravel.com)
Here we can see inside a cell in Landsberg prison in Germany. This German Prison is widely known for housing one of the most evil men of all time - Adolf Hitler. Now, it is run by a different organisation method which is a progressive correctional facility.

15. New Zealand - Otago Corrections Facility

(Image Source, thetravel.com)
This is Otago Corrections Facility, Milburn, New Zealand. One look inside and you may assume this is a teenage boy's bedroom. But no, the inmates here are pretty lucky and live a comfortable and some even say luxurious life while they serve their sentences.

16. Lilongwe Prison -Malawi

(Image Source, TheTravel)
This picture is pretty shocking, and so far away from the previous prison situation in New Zealand. This is a prison in Lilongwe, Malawi. It was once built for around 800 people but the prison population got so big that this prison faces unbelievable overcrowding problems.

17. Champdollan Prison - Switzerland

(Image Source, TheTravel)
This is Champ-Dollon Prison in Geneva, Switzerland. When we compare this to the last photo the differences are incomprehensible. This prison looks spotlessly clean and the conditions look good. This prison is not only for the Swiss population and in fact only 7% of the inmates are from Switzerland.

18. Detention And Rehabilitation Center - Philippines

(Image Source, TheTravel)
If you thought that looked like an organised female prisoners dance class in the photo... then you would not be wrong. This prison is very unique in this way. To keep the prisoners engaged as well as doing their physical fitness the prison offers dance classes.

19. Evin Prison - Iran

(Image Source, TheTravel)
Evin Prison does not meet standards of an acceptable prison by any means. This is due to overcrowding and terrible sanitation and unliveable conditions. Even the water quality is awful and the food is barely edible, if they manage to get enough food as it is.

20. Las Colinas Detention And Reentry Facility - California

(Image Source/ architecturendesign)
Here we can see inside Las Colinas Detention And Reentry Facility, Santee, California. This prison was the first of its kind in the US and was fairly groundbreaking at the time it was built.Again, the aim is for the prisoners to be reintroduced not to stay in prison for even being punished.

21. Robben Island - South Africa

(Image Source/ Colby College Community Web)
Robben Island is a small island off the coast of Cape Town that has been used for a variety of reasons. It was originally used to isolate political prisoners at the end of the 17th century; the first settlers to employ it as a jail were Dutch, and served as a leper colony and an animal quarantine facility during the nineteenth century.

22. Leoben Justice Center - Austria

(Image Source/ World Architects)
Every prison isn't crazy because of brutal and inhumane living conditions. Designed in 2004 by Josef Hohensinn for groups of up to 13 people, the Justice Center at Leoben stands out from the crowd because it is a stunning piece of architecture and a beautiful jail.

23. Devil's Island - French Guiana

(Image Source/ All That's Interesting)
Devil's Island was included in the French penal colony for more than 100 years. Originally used as a leper colony, the space became used to house political prisoners and was one of the scariest prisons in the world. Most prisoners died due to the harsh conditions.

24. Newgate Prison - England

(Image Source/ London Insight)
Originally built by Henry II in 1188, Newgate Prison is a London based facility that was destroyed in the 1666 great fire of London, later rebuilt with sick additions. Prisoners were forced to watch public executions and punished if they didn't pay rent.

25. La Sabeneta Prison - Venezuela

(Image Source/ Twitter)
La Sabaneta Prison is one of the most lawluss and frightening prisons you could land in. While it's just designed for 700 prisoners, 3,700 are housed there due to lack of funding and understaffing. The prison is hugely overrun by bloodthirsty gangs.

26. Gitarama Central Prison - Rwanda

(Image Source/ Newscrab)
With 7,000 prisoners crammed into a space meant for 400, they have the choice to stand all day or huddle together when given the chance. The lack of space is the prison's biggest issue that started back in the 1990s. Prisoners have died due to suffocation.

27. Camp 22 - North Korea

(Image Source/ Daily Mail)
Given that it is cut off from the rest of the world, footage of North Korea's prison is hard to come by, and the prisoners face lifelong detention. Around 50,000 prisoners are housed here, mainly for criticizing their government. All prisoners must work and carry out physical tasks.

28. Georgia Gldani Prison - Tbilisi

(Image Source/ Daily Mail)
While poor medical care, unsanitary conditions and overcrowding are among its worst problems, this Tbilisi prison has more than that. Prisoners suffer at the hands of prison guards who beat and assault them in all sorts of ways. They were exposed during released footage in 2012.

29. Peru San Juan de Lurigancho - Lima

(Image Source/ Anibal Martel)
One of South America's harshest prisoners, there are barely any guards to control 11,500 inmates in a space designed for 2,500. Inmates here experiment with the latest technology of the black market, cockfighting and drugs. Occasionally, "nurses" and "attorneys" of their choice will visit.

30. Black Beach Prison - Equatorial Guinea

(Image Source/ The Guardian)
If you happen to end up in this facility, you would be subject to overcrowding, chronic disease, malnutrition, guard brutality and a lot of torture. It's also heard that there is a major rat infestation at this prison. Inmates here are subject to this violence and treatment everyday.

31. Nairobi Prison - Kenya

(Image Source/ Progressive International)
Opened in 1911, Nairobi Prison was originally intended to house 800 prisoners. With no expansion or change, the facility eventually housed more than 4,000 prisoners. In one prison cage with room for three people, twelve were actually subject to the space.

32. Butyrka Prison - Russia

(Image Source/ The Moscow Times)
Butyrka Prison falls within the Teverskoy District in Russia and originally housed political prisoners during its Soviet Period. However, with overcrowding now rife, a 10 man cell will hold up to 100 prisoners. Diseases, tuberculosis and AIDS are rampant within this facility.

33. Diyarbakir Prison - Turkey

(Image Source/ Alchetron)
Based in the South-eastern part of Turkey, this prison is notorious when it comes to human rights (or lack thereof). Opened in the 1980s, the conditions are so inhumane that even lawless criminals tried to change it. With hunger strikes, prisoners tried to demonstrate their suffering.

34. El Rodeo Prison - Venezuela

(Image Source/ Sky News)
Within this facility, 50,000 of Venezuela's more brutal criminals are homed and involved in rampant gang wars. The administration can only do so much here while brutality, violence and assault occur within the facility. The Armed Forces even offered to assist in the controlling of the prison.

35. Penal de Ciudad Barrios Prison - El Salvador

(Image Source/ BBC)
The main problem at this facility is the lack of prison guards. With the country's most notorious criminals housed here, you'd think that they would employ the most experienced prison guards too. The ratio of guards to prisoners is 1:50, therefore, prisoners are free to do as they wish.

36. Mendoza Prison - Argentina

(Image Source/ The Guardian)
In a space meant for 600 inhabitants, 1,600 are crammed into the living conditions. The prison is notorious for inhumane conditions, torture and death. Amnesty International recorded that inmates who enter that aren't yet sentenced come out worse than when they arrived.

37. Rikers Island - NY, USA

(Image Source/ The New York Times)
Inmates claim that the penitentiary here is worse than the roughest back streets of New York. City officials made the decision to make this the country's strictest prison and SWAT teams became in charge. They confiscate thousands of makeshift weapons, which brought down the violence rates.

38. Tadmor Military Prison - Syria

(Image Source/ BBC)

Located in the Syrian Desert, the facility was more infamous for torture, harsh conditions and summary executions. A poet within the prison declared the facility as a "kingdom of madness and death". A massacre once took place in 19802, where defence forced murdered a thousand inmates.

39. La Santé Prison - France

(Image Source/ The Guardian)

Prison Physician Vasseur wrote a book on the facility's disgusting conditions. Suicide and depression are rampant, with inmates choosing to drink drain killers and chemicals to relieve themselves of the torture. With 124 suicides in 1999 alone, and the situation has probably worsened.

40. Carandiru Penitentiary - Brazil

(Image Source/ History Hit)
This prison was shut down due to a massacre in 2002, which left 111 inmates dead after military police stormed the facility. The event exposed to the world the prison's harsh realities of the facility, with at least 1 in every 5 inmates having HIV and inmates undergoing surgery with no anaesthesia.

41. Tuol Sleng Genocide Prison Museum

(Image Source/ blogpost)
Now it's used as a museum - a museum to display the atrocities that occurred here. It was a place where execution and torture amongst the prisoners were common during the Cambodian genocide. For these reasons, you can actually go and visit the museum today.

42. Elmina Castle Prison, Portugal

(Image Source/ blackthen)
Emina Castle has a very dark and bloody past. Around 30,000 slaves ended up here. They were taken on their way to North and South America and once they passed through the doors (it became known as the doors of no return) of Elmina Castle they were never let out alive ever again. It no longer exists, just a building shrouded in its past.

43. Litoral prison, Ecuador

(Image Source/ lithgowmercury)
This prison is as violent and bloody now as it ever was in the past. Some time ago there was a massacre here where 300 of its prisoners were killed. Recently this year, a merciless gang tried to seize control of the prison through any violent means they could - they almost succeeded.

44. Tower of London, UK

(Image Source/ britannica)
The Tower of London did not let any old prisoner into its walls. It was saved for high-profile prisoners of status and prominence. It had been built in the 11th century as a fortress by Willian the Conqueror. Around 133 executions were held here including two of Henry V111's wives and Guy Fawkes.

45. Galapagos Islands prison

(Image Source/ discoveringgalapagos)
The Galapagos Islands at one point in history acted as a kind of prison, used as a penal colony by Ecuador. They were made to work continuously as a form of physical and mental torture. The construction itself was a 65 foot wall now named The Wall Of Tears - ordered to be built for the sole reason of making these people work.

46. Predjama Castle, Slovenia

(Image Source/ cnn)

Predjama Castle in Slovenia looks as foreboding as it is...it is built into the side of a mountain and looks like it is straight out of a horror movie. It was the perfect setting for a prison and many executions happened between its walls. It is no longer a prison today.

47. Lisbon Prison, Portugal

(Image Source/ blogspot)

There are so many incidents that happen in this prison that it has been demanded by many that it needs to be shut down. Violent outbursts by the prisoners and the staff are a common thing here. Space, fights, conditions...they are all so bad that this prison needs to be demolished.

48. Carabanchel Prison, Spain

(Image Source/ Atlas Obscura)

Carabanchel Prison was constructed by political prisoners who had been captured after the Spanish Civil War between the years of 1940 and 1944. Until it closed down in 1998 it remained one of the biggest prisons in Europe. The design of the prison was based on Jeremy Bentham's panopticon. The panopticon was the idea that someone is always watching you.

49. Bang Kwang Prison, Bangkok

(Image Source/ bangkokpost)
Bang Kwang Prison is in Bangkok, Thailand. This prison has earned a reputation for its routine torturing of its inmates. And, before they face death row they are given around 2-hours notice before they die. Then, they are taken away for good. It has been ironically named the Bangkok Hilton.

50. Alcatraz Prison

(Image Source/ wikipedia)

We are all familiar with Alcatraz... it's one of the most renowned prisons of all time. One of these reasons is because it is placed on a tiny island, the only building. So the prisoners are stuck on the island. It also housed Al Capone - Scarface here. It had many violent incidents here and in the end, it was forced to close.

51. ADX-Florence Supermax Facility

(Image Source/ wikipedia)
The ADX-Florence is situated in Colorado and is a facility designed to hold the worst and most dangerous criminals. It has 24-hour solitary confinement for many prisoners. It has also been known as an environment rife with inmate abuse as well as the torture of its inmates.

52. Diyarbakir Prison

(Image Source/ theguardian)
The Diyarbakir Prison in Turkey is known for being highly inhumane. In fact, in the past, they actually used to incarcerate children for lifelong sentences. It has also become notorious for prison guard violence against the inmates and in one particular case, 10 inmates were killed in one incident.

53. La Sabaneta Prison

(Image Source/ time.com)

The La Sabaneta Prison is located in Venezuela, South America. The prison is designed to house up to 15,000 prisoners - but in reality, it houses 25,000. As well as the horrendous conditions a variety of terrible things have happened here including one incident where a gun-fight led to the death 150 prisoners.

54. Al-Ha'ir Prison, Saudi Arabia

(Image Source/ news.com)
Al-Ha'iir is a prison in Saudi Arabia. It is a political prison with the ultimate security. It is the largest in Saudi Arabia and it houses both men and women. It is known for its horrendous treatment of its inmates. And, its special facilities include isolation rooms as well as rooms equipped to torture people.

55. Liepaja Prison, Latvia

(Image Source/ theguardian)
Liepaja prison is located in Latvia and when it was initially built it was meant to be an infirmary. However, during the majority of the 20th century, it was actually used as a Nazi and Soviet military prison. Now, it is used as a hotel that you can visit to explore its history.

56. Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia

(Image Source/ balkaninsight)
Sremska Mitrovica is the biggest prison in Serbia. Among the many dark prisons on this list, this prison also has a horrifying past. During the Yugoslavian Civil Wars, it was actually used as a concentration camp. During this time it held thousands of Croatian and Bosnian prisoners capture.

57. Tadmor Prison

(Image Source/ bbc)
Tadmor Prison has one of the worst reputations in the world, it's one of the worst places to serve time in the world. It has been described as being designed to punish its inhabitants in every way. In 2010 it had to shut down but only for a brief time, it reopened in 2011 and it's still as terrible now.

58. Pitesti, Romania

(Image Source/ theguardian)
Pitesti was a Communist prison. It became known for its experiments with brainwashing. Through the use of physical torture, it would try and change the minds of people including intellectuals who believed in the experiment. The inmates were also starved. Guards also made inmates turn on each other, torture each other, and even do things like make them urinate in each other's mouths.

59. Carlisle Castle Dungeons

(Image Source/ Englsihheritage)
Carlisle Castle once imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, but it isn't the English castle's most famous resident that makes it one of the scariest. It's the treatment afforded to its lower-born prisoners that earned the castle such an infamous reputation. It was built in 1092, the castle's dungeons housed prisoners for hundreds of years in squalid conditions.

60. Burgu i Qafë Barit, Albania

(Image Source/ theguardian)
The Qafë Bar Prison is a prison located in Albania. It was first made as a political prison in Communist Albania at the village of Qafë Bar where it would house its prisoners. It was known for its austere conditions and its extremely hostile environment.

61. Podgorica Prison, Montenegro

(Image Source/ wanderella)
This prison, Podgorica of Montenegro, is one of the harshest prisons in the world. People have been known to be sentenced to time in prison for crimes such as gathering in a house. The punishments are no less strict, executions are a common practice here.

62. Leopoldov Prison, Slovakia

(Image Source/ theslovakspecator)
Leopoldov prison is the biggest prison in Slovakia. It was built as a fortress in the 17th-century, intended to defend against the Ottoman Turks. It was then converted into a high-security

prison
in the 19th century. Now, it has earned itself a name for its severe conditions, punishments, and sanctions.

63. Idrizovo, Macedonia

(Image Source/ historyofmecedonia)
The Idrizovo prison holds around 60% of its country's criminals. It is hugely cramped as it's inhabited well over its true capacity. Disease is rife here and it has been described as having inhumane and degrading conditions. It's a strong contender on the list.

64. Craiova prison, Romania

(Image Source/ theguardian)
The Craiova prison in Romania has a hellish reputation globally for its bloody feuds and its rife violence. Death and violent crime are just an everyday occurrence in this facility. It is somewhere that you want to avoid a all costs, even as a criminal.

65. Chateau D'If, France

(Image Source/ atlastobscura)
Chateau D'If is a prison that is situated in France, on an isolated island. It was built as a fortress and then used as a prison. Its haunting atmosphere was portrayed in Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, which accurately captured not only the harsh exterior but the relentlessness of the inside of the prison too. Nobody would ever escape.

66. The Mamertine, Italy

(Image Source/ Rome)
The Mamertine in Italy built in Ancient Rome has gained a reputation not only for its brutality but also for its biblical links. The two figures from Christianity, St. Peter, and St. Paul both spent time here locked up in the dungeons by the Roman Emperor Nero. People were bundled in underground dungeons and locked up.

67. Solavetsky Monastery, Russia

(Image Source/ crimereads)
Solavtsky is the oldest official prison in Russia. Although, it was originally built to be a monastery back in the 16th century. Then as time grew on, the government also began using the island to place exiled political dissidents. Then after the Bolshevik Revolution, it was used as a labor camp so brutal that it inspired conditions for the gulags.

68. Camp Sumter, US

(Image Source/ britannica)
The prison was described as being the deadliest landscape of the civil war. It imprisoned more than 45,000 Union troops just in the last year of the civil war alone. Thousands died here due to cramped conditions and the spread of disease. In fact, they were so bad that the US government sent the heads of the prison to death.

69. Robben Island, South Africa

(Image Source/ wikipedia)

You may recognise the name of Robben Island prison in South Africa and this is because it held the great Nelson Mandela. The brutal prison is only a drop in the ocean in terms of the history of this building. As well as a prison it was also a whaling institute, a mental institute for the clinically insane, and a military outpost in WW2.

70. HMS Jersey

(Image Source/ wikipedia)

The HMS Jersey is a prison in Britain, and it houses some of the most dangerous criminals in the United Kingdom. It has been nicknamed HMS Hell because its past is very dark. It used to hold prisoners during the American Revolution, in the most appalling conditions you could ever imagine.

71. Tallinn Central Prison, Estonia

(Image Source/ erumusu)
The Tallinn Central Prison does not stand today in Estonia as a prison, it has now been turned into a museum. But, back decades ago in the past, this prison was not a place you would ever hope to come across - especially if you intended on leaving it alive.

72. Port Arthur Australia

(Image Source/ portarthur)
Port Arthur in Australia became the tipping ground for criminals shipped off by other countries which already had an excess of people in their prisons. And so, countries especially England used to ship their prisoners to America, but when they no longer allowed it they sent them to Port Arthur.

73. Con Don on Con Son, Vietnam

(Image Source/ tripadvisor)
Con Don is located on Con Son Island. It was a prison in Vietnam which, was originally established by French Colonists and gained fame during its use in the Vietnam war. This was the start of a long line of bloody and violent incidents that occurred here.

74. Homlesburg Prison, US

(Image Source/ film.org)
Homlesburg Prison became the inspiration behind many horror stories or dark pieces of literature. This was because people knew there were shocking things going on inside its walls. Some of the conspiracies were about how the government was performing drug experiments on the inmates.

75. Unit 731, China

(Image Source/ buggedspace)
Unit 731 prison has a very haunting past. It was initially used as a research facility...for biological weapons. They would test on subjects and the rumours were dark and terrifying. It is a known fact that terrible things happened inside the walls of Unit 731.

76. Eastern State Penitentiary

(Image Source/ discoverphl)
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a prison that used mental torture to 'correct' the minds of the criminals held there. They would stay in complete isolation - always. And, in their time outside they were hooded so that the only thing they could do was stay in their own head, always.

77. Ohio State Reformatory, US

(Image Source/ unusualplaces)
If this looks or sounds familiar, that's because the Shawshank redemption movie was shot here. The prison itself, of course, attracted the making of the film because of its ruthless reputation. Ohio State Reformatory is somewhere you only want to see in the movie.

78. Camp Ashcan, Luxembourg

(Image Source/ usahec)
Camp Ashcan was used in the second world war as a camp for the prisoners of war. As is often the reputation of prisons during ww2 it was ruthless and unethical. It was overseen by the US and it would interrogate suspects that were possibly linked to the Nazis.

79. Stein Prison, Austria

(Image Source/ themirror)
Stein Prison is a prison in Austria for people who have been declared clinically insane. But, the treatment of its inhabitants is ruthless and there have been a variety of horror stories. In fact, it has recently been in the media for its mistreatment of one the inmates.

80. Flanders, Prison Belgium

(Image Source/ lensculture)
Flanders Prison in Belgium is known for its horrifying conditions. There is a crisis where there are many more prisoners than its capacity can hold. Inmates are squashed into rooms and there are not enough beds to go around. Similarly, crime is rife here.

81. Isfahan Mongol Prison, Mongolia

(Image Source/ nationalcouciliran)
Isfahan Mongol Prison is one of the most renowned prisons in the world... and for all terrible reasons. It has earned a firm place here on this list amongst the worst prisons in the world. Hundreds of its prisoners have been tortured and then executed here.

82. Patarei Sea Fortress, Estonia

(Image Source/ inyourpocket)

This Patarei prison sea fortress is a haunting building and it looks as atmospheric as its history is. It imprisoned Nazis from the war and it now stands as a marker of history. This building has housed a number of criminals but it has also been used as a barrack base as well as a prison

83. Zenica Prison, Balkan

(Image Source/ pondfive)
Zenica Prison in the Balkans has become notorious for its lack of human rights. Its inmates are not given the necessities or the basics that class as living up to the standards of basic human rights. It's still open to this very day and the accusations of its terrible conditions remain.

84. Piotrkow Prison, Poland

(Image Source/ theindependent)
Piotrkow Prison in Poland is one of the toughest prisons in the entire world. It's been purposely built to hold the most dangerous and the most notorious criminals of all time. Serial killers, rapists... you name it, the worst crimes and criminals are held inside this building.

85. Burrel Prison, Albania

(Image Source/ memorie)
Burrel Prison is a very high-security prison that is located outside just outside the town of Burrel, in northeastern Albania. Altogether it can hold a maximum of 198 inmates. It's earned a name for itself...and not for the right reasons. It houses Albania's worst criminals.

86. Remetinec P
rison, Croatia

(Image Source/ balkaninsight)
Remetinec prison is a prison located in the Remetinec neighborhood of Zagreb, Croatia. It's Croatia's largest prison, holding up to around 560 inmates at any one time. It may not be the worst on the list, but it's earned its place for a reason and crime within the prison is high.

87. Wallonia Prison, Belgium

(Image Source/ lensculture)
Inside Wallonia in Belgium, the walls are almost collapsing, and there is an overpowering stench of the very basic toilet bucket. There is also severe overcrowding in the cells which makes it feels like the inmates are suffocating. There are a LOT of deaths that happen here.

88. Old Melbourne Gaol

(Image Source/ timeout)
Old Melbourne Gaol is Melbourne's most feared destination and it is rumoured to be haunted. The prison was operating for around 80 years and during this time there were no less than 133 executions. Both in the time of the prison, till today people do not want to go anywhere near this fearsome place.

89. The Bastille, France

(Image Source/ pinterest)
The Bastille has a long history. The fortress was declared as a state prison back in the year 1417. In the 1950s the defences of the Bastille were strengthened and fortified in response to the Imperial threats that loomed. This fortress prison played a massive part in the rebellion of the Fronde and the battle of the faubourg Saint-Antoine.

90. Kilmainham Gaol Prison, Ireland

(Image Source/ pinterest)
Kilmainham Gaol used to be a prison in Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland. Whilst it was running as a prison there were a lot of Irish revolutionaries that were held here and executed, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. These orders were given by the UK Government.

91. Coiba Island, Panama

(Image Source/ thelineup)
The Coiba Island Prison in Panama was a penal colony in 1919. It housed hundreds of political prisoners and prisoners who were the leaders of the parties involved. There was mistreatment and torture here as well as horrendous violence and murder. There were ritual mock executions for each prisoner.

92. Pontefract Castle, UK

(Image Source/ exploringcastles)
Pontefract Castle is located in Yorkshire, England. It has a long and brutal history and it dates back to the 11th century. Murders and executions have left blood splatters throughout its sordid history. People were held in its famous dungeons. Hundreds of people have met their end here...

93. Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

(Image Source/ abc7chicago)
Guantanamo Bay prison has become known all over the world as one of the toughest prisons ever. It is a detention camp used as a United States military prison. There is no leniency here whatsoever. Many do not make it out alive again once they have been brought here.

94. Terre Haute, USA

(Image Source/ businessinsider)
The Terre Haute prison in the

United States
is a maximum-security housing some brutal and violent inmates. It is a

United States
federal prison for male inmates in

Terre Haute
, Indiana. And, here they have some of the worst kinds of criminals imaginable, the violence inside the prison is a reflection of this.

95. Altamira, Brazil

(Image Source/ indiatvnews)
In 2009 Altamira prison in Brazil was deemed the largest prison and institution in the area both in Para state ad Brazil. And, due to the huge extent of it, it houses hundreds of inmates. With this in mind, we can imagine what the inside is like - rife with gangs, violence, and also terrible conditions. They may have space but resources are low here.

96. Peterhead, Scotland

(Image Source/ dailyrecord)
HMP Peterhead was a prison in Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, but it no longer functions as a prison now. It operated from 1888 to 2013. It has since turned into a museum. This is because its notoriety has brought mass attention to the facility, so much so that people want to visit it today in morbid fascination.

97. Parc Prison, UK

(Image Source/ itv)
HM Prison Parc in Wales is a category B male private prison and prison for young offenders. It's the only prison that is privately run in the whole of Wales. Yet, this does not mean that it had higher standards. In fact, perhaps because it is a male institute the violence between the inmates is rife within the prison.

98. Brandvlei Correctional Centre, South Africa

(Image Source/ iol)
Brandvlei Correctional Centre is a prison situated in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is a maximum-security unit and it is home to many dangerous criminals, many of who have committed unimaginable crimes. The prison is known for housing the notorious gang - The Numbers.

99. Santa Maria Capua Vetere prison

(Image Source/ santamariamorningpost)
Santa Maria Capua Vetere prison is a prison located in Italy. It has had a long history and reputation of abuse and mistreatment towards its inmates. Prison officers were known to beat the inmates and things do not seem to have changed much now by way of reputation...

100. Millhaven Institution, Canada

(Image Source/ prisonbreakweekly)
Millhaven Institution may have tried to make the name more pleasant sounding than prison...but the reality is even more grim. The crimes and standards here make the prison an extremely brutal environment. Some well-known inmates here include Russell Williams, Paul Bernardo, Clifford Olson, Roger Caron, and Grace Marks.

Los Tequez, Venezuela

(Image Source/ rta)
Ramo Verde Prison also known as Los Tequez in Venezuela is a military prison. Military prisons are renowned for being extremely harsh and ruthless and this is no different. It has become known for its extreme rules and policies as well as maximum security.