Just imagine it, your first day in prison. You’re ushered to a cell, except on the
walk there, prison isn’t what you expected. There are no people shouting at you, no intimidation
being vented from two-man cells, but what you do feel around you is a sense of chaos. When you arrive at the cell the guy who runs
that place tells you where you’ll be sleeping. To your surprise, you’ll be packed in head-to-toe
with scores of other men. Thankfully you’re not next to the toilet,
which is a hole in the ground in the far corner. During the night as the mosquitoes buzz and
you continually wipe the sweat from your face, you need that hole in the ground, which will
mean carefully stepping over many men, people you really don’t want to stand on. This is the experience of many people who
have found themselves locked-up in a country criticized for its prison conditions. Certain prison systems around the world are
overwhelmed, and overcrowding such as this is not uncommon in many countries. If you’ve read the ex-con, locked up abroad
literature, you’ll know that many foreigners end-up getting moved to a less packed cell,
and in some prisons there is always the opportunity to pay your way to a better place, where you
won’t have to sleep crammed-in like a sardine. Some of those writers will tell you that the
first day in a place like that is the worst, but most people generally work their way through
it. There have also been a few convicts that got
locked-up abroad that got repatriated, only they preferred the rundown prison in a developing
country, despite the overcrowding, the rats, the mosquitoes and dreaded centipedes. That’s exactly what one British man who’d
been locked-up in Thailand’s Klong Prem Prison said. He preferred the chaos to the 23-hour lockdown. Generally in prisons where people sleep in
packed cells most of the day they are free to walk around a fairly large prison yard,
play sports, cook, work, even build huts and gardens in some places. Not all people prefer that, though, we guess
it depends on personality and how things went while locked-up. Ok, so now let’s have a look at some of
these prisons where men sleep almost on top of each other. The last places on this list we imagine would
not be preferred over any prison system. Let’s first put some things into perspective. Most people know that the United States has
the largest prison population in the world, and also imprisons more of its citizens than
any other country. According to Statistica, in 2019 the U.S.
has locked up 655 people for every 100,000 people. Next was El Salvador at 618 per 100,000 and
after that Thailand at 558 per 100,000. Prison policy by the way put the U.S. number
at 698 per 100,000, adding that just under 2.3 million Americans are behind bars, which
is a significant amount of the population. U.S prisons have their fair share of problems,
notably gang violence, but are people living 100 to a cell? The answer is no, they are not. While many prisons in the U.S. report that
they are over capacity, that doesn’t mean men are packed into cells in such a way they
can barely turn over during the night. In fact, according to the World Prison Brief,
the USA is only the 113th most overcrowded prison system in the entire world. You might face violence daily, eat tasteless
food, are sometimes locked-down for 23-hours a day, but you will no doubt get a bed, clean
sheets, and some snacks to buy from the prison commissary. That means the prison store, for all of you
who don’t watch prison shows on TV. So, where are the most overcrowded places? Well, we’ll start with the bad, move on
to the very bad and finish with the worst. 10. Benin
According to prison data, Benin has a prison capacity at 240 percent. Let’s bear in mind now that the USA is at
almost 104 percent. This country only locks up around 70 people
per 100,000 people, but it seems those that are behind bars don’t have much room. The website Prison Insider tells us that prisoners
in this small West African nation face not only overcrowding problems, but getting clean
water isn’t easy and neither is getting decent food. The website writes, “The majority of prisoners
sleep on the floor, head to feet, unable to move.” Because of this, the spread of disease is
a big issue, especially when lack of nutritious food is also an issue. 9. Comoros
The prison capacity of Comoros is 246.7 percent, or it was when the statistics were published
in 2018. You might not have heard of this place, and
we don’t blame you because it’s just a small volcanic archipelago off East Africa. The entire prison population is only 191 people,
so you could hardly say Comoros should make headlines. But it seems those that are banged-up behind
bars don’t have much space. In fact, it’s hard to find much information
about prisons there, but a 2016 Human Rights Report talked about severe overcrowding, malnutrition
and a general lack of any rights for prisoners. 8. Bolivia
Bolivia has a prison capacity at 253.9 percent, and it locks up 156 people per 100,000 people. In total, there are around 18,000 Bolivians
behind bars. We should say that different sources give
different numbers, but they are all quite close at least. It depends on where the data comes from and
when it was updated. One report we found states that in many Bolivian
prisons it’s the prisoners who have control, and searches have revealed that some of those
prisoners have guns inside the facility. One recent search ended with seven dead inmates
and 26 other inmates injured. Reports state that violence is common and
drugs are available throughout Bolivian prisons, but tensions are usually high just because
of terrible overcrowding. Overcrowding is said to be at critical levels
right now, and that’s mostly because there are so many people locked up for narcotics-related
offenses. 7. Sudan
Sudan’s prison capacity is at 255.3 percent. 52 people per 100,000 are locked up in this
Northeast African nation and in total that means 21,000 prisoners. The prisons here are old and decrepit, and
reform is needed. They are not only packed, but according to
reports disease is rife, and prisoners have to put up with poor sanitation and nothing
close to anything resembling nutritious food. 6. Uganda
Uganda has a prison capacity at 293.2 percent. It locks up about 120 prisoners per 100,000
and in total there are around 48,000 prisoners. According to a report published a while back,
but still relevant today no doubt, about half of the country’s prison population was still
awaiting trial. Many of those prisoners suffer from diseases,
especially multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Uganda has the second worst overcrowding problem
in Africa, which reports have said has led to a public health crisis. 5. Guatemala
Next on the list is Guatemala, with a prison capacity at 296.2 percent. This country locks up around 141 people for
every 100,000 people while the total prison population there is 24,386. Over the last ten years Guatemala's prison
population has soared, and its said for every space for one person there are six people. Corruption is rife inside, so if you have
money your time there will be better. Many of the prisons are out of control, and
it’s the people locked up who for the most part run them. As Prison Insider writes, it’s “gangs
who decide what privileges and rights are accorded to inmates, often in return for large
sums of money.” Another report says that prisoners are 12
times more likely to be killed inside prison than on the outside, and it blames overcrowding
for this. It said the prison system in this country
has completely collapsed, that it isn’t really a prison system, but rather a place
that contains criminals and allows chaos to happen inside. Some of those prisons the report said were
merely headquarters for gangs, and they had total control. 4. Zambia
So, the winner, or should we say loser, for Africa is Zambia. We should also state that for some African
nations there was no available data, so Zambia might not be the worst. It has a prison capacity rate at 303 percent. In some prisons it’s reported that where
one man should sleep there are 15 people. They obviously meant a cell, not a patch of
floor. This has led to massive outbreaks of diseases,
including tuberculosis and scabies. Prisoners lack proper sanitation and the prison
diet is terrible, which doesn’t help the spread of disease. Other reports state there have been issues
with torture inside the prisons, and generally prisoners being stripped of their human rights. The Human Rights Commission has said prisoners
are punished harshly, and many of those are still awaiting trial. One prisoner interviewed about his time in
a Zambian prison said this: “The aftermath of prison life still haunts me. I would never wish anyone to experience it. Prisons in Zambia are not fit for human habitation.” Currently around 146 people per 100,000 Zambians
deal with this kind of hell, and in total that is 25,000 people. 3. El Salvador
This Central American nation has a prison capacity at 348.2 percent. The country locks up 618 people per 100,000,
so as we said at the beginning, it is second behind the USA. In total there are 38,714 people serving time
behind bars in this nation. Unlike some of the other nations on this list,
there are many articles in the English-language media on prison conditions here. You won’t be surprised to hear that conditions
are said to be harsh, if not brutal. While many killings have happened on the streets
of El Salvador, a lot of those people have ended up in prison. You’ll find these places full of gang members,
such as those from the gangs Barrio 18 and MS 13. Some reports state that while the prison on
the outside is guarded by the army, the guards themselves are too scared to go inside. It’s the prisoners that run things, and
that doesn’t always mean everyday chaos. The Guardian writes, “The prisoners have
their own bakery, workshops making furniture and toys, and even a rudimentary hospital
that they staff themselves.” Still, you can find other reports stating
that life is hell, and you can see the photos. Men packed into small spaces, virtually sat
in piles like hamsters in a cage. This has led to infections, the spread of
numerous diseases, and some people spend 24 hours a day in their cells. Other reports said it’s like something from
the dark past, with men being given their food through the bars right into their hands. Apparently someone from El Salvador’s Attorney
General’s Office for Human Rights went inside to have a look and was lost for words. Yet other reports state that people are suffering
from diseases and other health issues, but have been denied any kind of treatment. One prisoner in an interview said where he
was imprisoned there was one bathroom for 350 inmates and it was clogged, so things,
er, started to pile up. One man had to sleep next to that bathroom,
which was part of the house where the prisoners lived. And it just gets worse, with one prosecutor
saying, “They are in subhuman conditions. A total violation of their human rights and
the law.” 2. Philippines
We’ve already done one show on a packed jail in this country, but that jail is not
alone. The Philippines is said to have a prison capacity
at 436 percent, so these guys are even more crammed together than the El Salvadorians
if that sounds possible. In this country around 179 people per 100,000
are locked up, and in total that is 188,278 prisoners. So, how is it? Well, there are various accounts, but one
man from Hong Kong that was arrested on what he called bogus drug charges, a police set-up,
said it was as bad as you can imagine. He says he was beaten-up by guards at New
Bilibid Prison on the first day. That’s the main prison in the country. He said it was hell, and often saw fights
and even people being murdered. He has now written a book about his time there. As for overcrowding, if you look at the photos
it’s nothing short of amazing. Prisoners in one place sleep on every bit
of ground, including some folk on the stairs. As one prisoner put it, “They cannot think
straight. It's so crowded. Just the slightest of movements and you bump
into something or someone.” You have literally never seen so many people
sleeping in one place so close together, with the sight looking like it came from an apocalyptic
movie, not something happening right now. The media said in 2019 that the Bureau of
Jail Management and Penology of the Philippines is trying to do something about the overcrowding,
but it’s a big hill to climb. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s zero
tolerance war on drugs has helped fill up the prisons, but it’s said they were already
overcrowded before he came into power. 1. Haiti
Haiti claims the spot for number one with a prison capacity at 454.4 percent. In this country there are 96 people locked
up per 100,000 and in total there are 10,512 prisoners. You can watch news reports about these prisons,
which all look like they are crumbling down, with men pushed up against rusted bars. Al Jazeera shows men sleeping back to back,
with some malnourished inmates lying on makeshift hospital beds looking like they have little
time to live. The cells themselves look something like abject
poverty inside an old submarine. Men walk around with plastic bowls, looking
for water or food, pushed up against each other in unimaginable squalor. Many don’t get enough food according to
the BBC and become very sick from malnutrition and diseases. It reports that in one prison alone 21 inmates
died in the last month. The BBC posted a picture of a dead man in
the hallway covered in blankets, soon to be taken away we expect. One person who was allowed to make a documentary
about one prison said, “Most of the diseases and problems happen because of proximity and
malnourishment. You add stress to people’s situation and
it leads to sickness. Cholera spreads easily, as does TB and a lot
of skin conditions.” So, do you think you could survive in one
of these places? How do they compare to the prisons where you
come from? And if you are from one of these countries
what have you heard about the prisons? Tell us in the comments. Also, be sure to check out our other video
Most Horrible Prison Experiments On Humans of All Time! Thanks for watching, and as always, don’t
forget to like, share and subscribe. See you next time.
