5. San Pedro Prison (Bolivia): where inmates have to ‘buy’ their cells
San Pedro prison, the biggest in Bolivia’s main city, La Paz, is home to about 1,500 inmates. Once you pass the thick walls and the security gates, any resemblance to a normal jail disappears: there are children playing, market stalls, restaurants, hairdressers and even a hotel. It looks more like the streets of El Alto, Bolivia’s poorest neighborhood that sprawls on the outskirts of La Paz, than a prison. There are no guards, no uniforms or metal bars on the cell windows. This relative freedom comes at a price: inmates have to pay for their cells, so most of them have to work inside the jail, selling groceries or working in the food stalls.
“If you have money you can live like a king,” an inmate told me. Money can buy you accommodation in the “posh” sections of the prison – one of the best is Los Pinos. Here, cells are spacious and have private bathrooms, kitchen and cable TV. Outside, they have billiard tables, kiosks selling fresh juice, and food stalls. Cells cost between $1,000 and $1,500 and are bought for the duration of an inmate’s sentence.In the poor areas of the prison, inmates have to share small cells.
4. Cebu Prison (Philippines): meet the world’s most famous dancing inmates
Nothing says entertainment quite like murderers, drug dealers and sex offenders dancing to pop music in unison. Likely you’ve seen at least one of the viral videos posted online from Cebu prison in the Philippines – their “Thriller” video was ranked fifth in Time magazine’s list of Top 10 Viral Videos. The dancing is the unnatural evolution of the exercise program at the prison. While most facilities are content to let felons run around, play basketball, lift weights or knife each other, the warden at Cebu wanted discipline. And, after being inspired by a scene from “The Shawshank Redemption,” he felt music needed to be involved. Around 1,500 prisoners can contribute to the performances and they also tend to perform at charitable or cultural events and get paid for their work. The prison also does live shows, after which spectators can have their pictures taken with some of the inmates and buy souvenir T-shirts.
3. Justizzentrum Leoben (Austria): a 5-star prison
Beautiful glass and stainless steel office building? Nope – that’s a five-star prison in Styria, Austria! If you look at these figures comparing crime in Austria and crime in the U.S. you’ll notice something odd: although the U.S. has higher crime rates in virtually every category (murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, etc…) the Austrians triumph in one category: burglary. But why? Why is the rate of burglaries in Austria a whopping 40% higher than in the U.S.? I’ll tell you why: because Austrian minimum security prisons are f—ing awesome! If you’re in Austria, and have a working brain, you should be trying to get into one right now!
2. Kresty Prison (Russia): world’s most overcrowded prison
Russia’s prisons have a reputation for being the most overcrowded on earth, especially Kresty Prison in St. Petersburg. The official capacity is set at 3,000, but the actual population is always at least 10,000. Each prisoner is also said to only be allowed 4 square meters of space each and 15 minutes a week (a week!) to shower. In summer 2006 Vladimir Putin announced that the prison would be relocated to a new facility in the Kolpinsky District on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg. After the relocation is complete the Kresty building will be sold at auction. It is anticipated that the prison building will be transferred into a hotel-entertainment complex.
1. Sark Prison (Guernsey): world’s smallest prison
Sark Prison is located on the Island of Sark in Guernsey.It was built in 1856 and is apparently the smallest in the world. It can house 2 prisoners at a push and is still used for overnight stays – if you continue to play up after that you’ll get shipped off to a proper grown-up jail with corridors and staff.
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