Top 10 carefully guarded prisons in the world

The very idea of being able to keep someone like that locked up did not leave humanity for several stages of its formation. And in each of them, it was prisons as a place of detention of convicts that were the most important instrument of the justice systems, whose main goal, in the end, was always to govern every human society. Over the thousands of years of existence, the prisons have gone through their stages of evolution and have taken a unique position, which is reflected in both traditional and pop culture.

From countless novels, movies and TV shows, the concept of a prison is familiar to most people. Despite the countless number of places of detention on our planet, there are those among them whose names are quite widely known. This top 10 is intended to introduce the reader to a list of similar objects, both for the purpose of entertainment and edification.

10. Belmarsh prison

HM, or 'her Majesties' (“Her Majesty”), Belmarsh Prison is a Category A prison in Greenwich, southeast London. Although it has only been operating as a maximum security prison since 1991, it is known both within the United Kingdom and abroad. For two millennia, the most famous criminals were detained here.

At the moment, there are about a thousand prisoners in Belmarch. The facility gained its reputation not only because of such well-known criminals as Charles Bronson and Ronnie Biggs, but also thanks to the reputation of "British Guantanamo", due to the fact that in the early 2000s after 9/11 it was used to contain detainees " on charges of committing a terrorist act ”.

9. Federal Correctional Complex Terre-Hot

This facility, located in Vigo County, West Indiana, opened in 1940. It contains male prisoners of all three categories - from especially dangerous to those who have committed minor crimes. More precisely, this complex consists of three institutions that perform different functions: the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), Terra-Hot itself and the United States Correctional Facility Terra-Hot. The former is in the middle category, while the latter is predominantly on death row. The total number of those serving sentences in this complex is more than 3000.

8. Tradmore War Prison

Tadmor Military Prison was built in the early 20th century as a barracks complex for the French Mandate, and today it is one of the most famous places of detention in the world. Located about 200 kilometers northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus, Tadmor, during its first ten years as a prison, gained notoriety as a place of detention in harsh conditions, where human rights are violated, torture and even executions are carried out. And although the institution was closed in 2001 after a series of high-profile events on political and religious grounds, Tadmor began to function again in 2011 in connection with the events of the "Arab Spring" to keep prisoners.

7. Camp Delta

Camp Delta is the name of the correctional center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He gained worldwide fame thanks to the well-known personalities contained within its walls who carry a potential danger as terrorists, as well as those who came here directly from the combat zones. Unfortunately, it has become a kind of symbol of this type of institution. Built in the spring of 2002, Camp Delta has, like any other American prison, several divisions dedicated to prisoners with a specific need or categorization. Due to its unique location, there have often been sad cases of violation of the rights of prisoners, but more on that another time.

6. Correctional Prison of the Highest Severity of Sentences (ADX), Florence

The Maximum Secretive Correctional Prison in Florence, Colorado, USA, opened in 1992. It has the status of a maximum security prison and is commonly known as the "Alcatraz of the Rocky Mountains". There are 439 male prisoners who were considered too dangerous to be detained in other high security prisons, of which there are many in the country. This correctional facility has six levels of security, all of which take great care to ensure that most of the inmates are kept separate from each other at all times. They are imprisoned here for a variety of crimes, and although among them there are a number of high-profile names associated with terrorist activities both at the international level and at the national level, numerous members of organized criminal groups and mafiosi are also in prison.

5. Kincheng Prison

Built in the late 1950s, Kincheng Prison is a reminder of the turbulent flow of Chinese history. Used to contain predominantly political prisoners, many of whom were members of the Chinese Democratic Movement in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The facility is located in the Changping District in northwest Beijing. The Kincheng High Security Prison was built under the leadership of the Soviet Union and was originally used to contain Kuomintang war criminals as a result of their nationalist action against the communist government. Kincheng became famous for its grandeur of buildings, high level of security and its geographic integrity. In addition to a team of 5,000 prisoners supervising inmates, the prison has the tallest fences (boasting one of the tallest watchtowers in the world), is several thousand feet above sea level, and is surrounded on all sides by dangerous valleys.

4. Alcatraz Island

Perhaps the mention of this object in the context of this list of the most famous and closely guarded prisons and can be considered not entirely correct, nevertheless, how could you not include in it a paragraph about the famous island of Alcatraz? Located in the Bay of San Francisco, 2.5 km from the California city of the same name, Alcatraz Island was planted in the 1860s. Initially, there was a lighthouse on the island, then a small military fortification and only then a prison. War criminals were initially held in this unremarkable location until the facility was handed over to the federal government in 1933. Over the next 30 years, the island received the status of a federal prison with the maximum strict regime of execution of sentences and a notoriety, thanks to several famous prisoners. Famous Prohibition-era gangsters from Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly to political prisoners like Rafael Cansel Miranda celebrated on Alcatraz Island before it was closed in 1963. Today, the island remains internationally renowned as an American landmark and attracts an incredible number of visitors each and every year.

3. Fuchu Prison

Not much is known about this highly secure facility in Japan, but its impeccable security system is well known. Located in the city of Fuchu, but in the west of the Tokyo metropolis, the prison is constantly receiving new prisoners from among the most famous in Japan. Despite the notorious Japanese liberalism regarding prison conditions, a number of reports from former prisoners and journalists have made the atrocities outside the prison public.The security system here is one of the most advanced in the world, and therefore, the statistics of escapes from Fuchu is zero.

2. Santa's prison

Located in the 14th arrondissement of the French capital, Paris, Santa Prison was built in 1867. A terrifying structure, both aesthetically and literally, it has earned an international reputation as the world's most secure prison facility. Over the years of Santa's existence, there were many especially dangerous prisoners, many of whom participated in military conflicts of their time, both international and local. During World War II, the German occupation forces used the prison to detain members of the internal resistance and almost everyone who spoke or acted against the occupation. Thanks to its exceptional architecture, Santa is completely protected from the possibility of prisoners escaping, despite the fact that he is located in the very center of Paris, and over the years has repeatedly become the center of attention of the international press.

1. Arthur Road

Built in 1926, Arthur Road or Mumbai Prison, as it is known by that name; is the oldest and largest detention facility in the western Indian city of Mumbai, formerly Bombay. It occupies the entire complex of about 2 hectares of land and can accommodate up to 1,000 prisoners, but at the moment there are at least 2,000 people in Arthur Road. As a result, conditions of detention are appalling, and overcrowding in cells only contributes to the spread of diseases due to unsanitary conditions and lack of medical care. This is the most terrible prison in India, from which, moreover, it is impossible to escape. There is not a single case of a successful escape from Arthur Road. Meanwhile, since the prison is located in the fourth most populous region of the planet, the situation promises to get worse.