New report shows disturbing conditions inside Israel's prisons

A new report published by the public defender on Tuesday morning reveals a troubling picture of the conditions in which prisoners are held in the aftermath of the war in Gaza. According to the Supreme Court ruling, the Israel Security Service (Shin Bet) must ensure a minimum living space of 4.5-4 square meters, which includes a bed and mattress for each prisoner.

The findings regarding the conditions of criminal and security prisoners in Israeli prisons were exposed during comprehensive visits by representatives of the ombudsman to prisons throughout the country in recent times. According to the report, in Wing 1 of the Carmel prison, there were about 88 prisoners, 10 above the allowed capacity. In one of the cells, 13 prisoners were placed, with beds in the center of the room, each given a living space of 2.42 square meters.

In the Russian Compound, a detention facility in Jerusalem, about 170 detainees are held regularly. However, due to the outbreak of the war, there were about 230 detainees. The conditions there were not good because the detainees were without mattresses and had to eat meals in the dark without electricity. The findings show that there were detainees who were left in their cells after the cancellation of the yard time due to the war outbreak. 

As a result, some detainees did not see daylight throughout their detention period and some complained that their clothes were not replaced. Several of the Jewish security detainees in the facility complained that a few hours before the visit, their mattresses were taken from them, and the prison administration clarified that there are different guidelines regarding Jewish security detainees compared to Arab security detainees and explained: "The guidelines given to the different populations of security prisoners are a direct result of the risks and dangers they seek to prevent, the existing and necessary differentiation between populations with different risk characteristics of security prisoners."

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Recommendations for improving prison conditions

In the public ombudsman's report, they recommend adding prison spaces, promoting rapid construction plans for correctional facilities, reducing the number of prisoners and defendants behind bars and fences, among other things, by releasing prisoners to house arrest under electronic supervision, releasing suspects arrested for investigation purposes, and expanding the administrative mechanism.

Alongside the severe overcrowding prevailing in correctional facilities, it should be mentioned that during the emergency period, numerous changes were made that further affected the rights of prisoners, worsened their conditions, and intensified their distress. Recently, the gradual return to routine in the penal sector has included preventing visits and furloughs, reducing educational, therapeutic, and rehabilitation activities, reducing the hours of outdoor ventilation to the point of keeping inmates confined to their cells for 23 hours a day, and restricting telephone access.

The Israel Prison Service stated, "With the outbreak of the 'Iron Swords' war, the prison service operates under a state of emergency with the admission of thousands of security and criminal prisoners. With the appointment of the prison service's new commissioner, Superintendent Kobi Yaakobi, on January 24, 2024, he requested to receive the responsibility for the prison service and took concrete steps, including promoting the 888 plan to add prison spaces, continuing the planning of the prison service, paying attention to the Supreme Court's decisions, and ensuring the safety and security of the staff."