NCJ Number
143577
Journal
Federal Prisons Journal Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall 1992) Pages: 57-64
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Three people from Middle East Watch, a human rights organization, visited four prisons, two police lockups, and five detention camps in Israel in August 1990 and 1992 to inspect and report on facility conditions.
Abstract
At each facility they met with the administrator, who provided an overview and answered questions. They then toured the kitchen, housing units, isolation cells, medical facilities, education centers, work sites, and recreation areas. They talked freely with randomly selected inmates as well as selected inmates. The four Prison Service facilities appeared to be orderly, well-run institutions that more than adequately provide for inmates' basic needs. They also provide an impressive array of educational, vocational, and recreational opportunities. One of the police lockups was crowded, poorly lit, and poorly ventilated in 1990 but had improved by 1992; the other had large, well-lit, well- ventilated cells. Each of the army detention camps holds from 450 to 6,200 prisoners, most of whom live in large tents. These camps generally lack work opportunities, and prisoners determine the daily living arrangements. In these and the other facilities, prisoners were well fed, received medical treatment, were free to spend time with one another, and received visits from their lawyers and families. The Israeli Defense Forces and the Ministry of Police have both made significant efforts to improve the facilities. Photographs