Prison condition in Haiti among the worst on the world

Haiti's prison system has been reported as among the worst on the globe. Prisoners are crammed into holding cells shoulder-to-shoulder. They huddle on the cement floor because no beds exist, and they have to sleep in shifts. Often no running water is available, and the men are afflicted with scabies, chronic hunger, mental disturbances, and high blood pressure.

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The U.S., in order to alleviate the conditions of too many inmates and too little space, is planning to erect two new prisons in Haiti. They will be located in Petit Goâve and Cabaret. Cost estimates for the project are expected to be from five to ten million USD.

In Focus Haiti: House Call in Hell, World's Worst Prison

The prisons are to be built according to international human rights policies. Contract proposals have been already submitted, and it is hoped the reviewing and awarding process will not be delayed by bureaucratic procrastination.

One non-government organization dedicated to raising the living standards in Haiti's squalid prison system is Health and Human Rights in Prisons Project (HHRPP). A non-profit, it draws on many resources, specializing in criminal law and health services. HHRPP delivers these services, along with working as advocates to comprehensively deal with inmates' rights to fair treatment in all aspects of their prison life: civil, political, social, and economic.

HHRPP takes on issues such as indefinite periods of pre-trial detention and demoralizing living conditions through streamlining health and legal services for each inmate. They advocate on behalf of prisoners for an overhaul of the present prison conditions.

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