it's known as the alcatraz of the
rockies it's considered the country's
most
secure prison welcome to watch mojo and
today we're counting down our picks for
the top 10
toughest prisons in the world it's
called
the arena and it's where california's
most vicious criminals square off
despite huge risks overwhelming odds and
sometimes
certain death prisoners continue to
break out
many will die here and many more will be
put to death
for this list we'll be looking at
infamous prisons that are notorious for
their violence and poor living
conditions
which prison do you think looks the
scariest let us know in the comments
below
number 10 lasante prison
located in paris lasante is anything but
your typical prison
since its inception in 1867 it has been
the site of several riots
executions and escapes according to
prison doctor veronica vassiore inmates
often suffer from health issues due to
several factors including
poorly ventilated cells and only being
allowed to take showers twice a week
living conditions were so terrible at
lasante that many prisoners have
attempted to take their own lives
given these circumstances we truly find
it hard to believe
that a prison would include the french
translation of the word health in its
name
number nine bangkuang central prison
just north of bangkok thailand is
bangkuang central prison
opened in 1933 bangkuang houses
thailand's execution chamber and is
notorious for its high risk and
dangerous criminals
it's been the subject of novels and
movies but the thai authorities have
never allowed the reality of life inside
these walls to be filmed
historically prisoners were typically
forced to have shackles welded to their
legs to prevent escape
though these regulations were changed in
2013
still the overcrowded inmates are all
squeezed into small
cells and torture is reportedly
commonplace
in the last few years the prison's
population has trebled because of a
government crackdown
on drug trafficking seven thousand men
are now packed into a prison
built to hold around half that number
past inmates have told stories of guards
beating mentally ill elderly and
pregnant prisoners
and malnourished inmates attacking each
other over anything of value
many will die here and many more will be
put to death
as for the meals well the term maggot
infested seems to come up a lot
number eight diyarbakir prison located
in southern turkey
diabakur is one of the most inhumane
prisons in the world owing to rampant
and systemic prisoner abuse
the prison is notorious for overcrowding
and prisoners are often subjected to
various forms of torture
including sleep deprivation physical
beatings and even a dog that was trained
to bite genitals
medhi zanna the former mayor of
diabloker who spent over a decade in the
prison
revealed that new prisoners were thrown
into a bathtub full of human waste
and that's just the tip of the iceberg
things were especially bad when diabetes
served as a military prison in the 1980s
with many killed by guards and dozens
taking their own lives
number 7 sabaneta prison
this prison in maracaibo venezuela was
an extremely violent prison that
operated from 1958 to 2013.
built to house just 700 prisoners
sabonita was home to 3700 by the time it
closed in the early 2010s
the prison was entirely run by the
inmates themselves
complete with a hierarchy of gangs and
leaders known as prans
one of the prans was mochio edwin a man
who had committed triple homicide in the
late 2000s
naturally the prison was rife with
violence
in 1994 inmates intentionally started a
fire and killed those who tried to
escape
reportedly resulting in over 150 deaths
in 2013 the final year of the prison's
operation
69 prisoners were killed by other
inmates
number six adx florence
located in fremont county of colorado
adx florence is a supermax prison
one level higher than maximum security
and housing the absolute
worst criminals in the country it's
known as the alcatraz of the rockies
it's considered the country's most
secure prison
these criminals are often extremely
violent and typically pose a
serious threat to prison staff other
inmates or even national security
florence houses just 359 prisoners
each of whom is kept in a small concrete
cell for 23 hours a day
what does 23 hours a day by yourself do
to your mind
well it's going to warp it in some ways
the same way
because it's a traumatic experience
mental health often deteriorates inside
the cells
and at least eight inmates have
apparently committed suicide over the
years
the few who have been inside and made it
out
call the supermax life after death
others say it's a clean version
of hell some of the prison's most
notable inmates
include the 1993 world trade center
bombers
numerous terrorists with links to al
qaeda the boston marathon bomber
the unabomber terry nichols of the
oklahoma city bombing
and mexican drug lord el chapo you'll
remember this surveillance video of
el chapo escaping through a tunnel dug
under his prison cell in mexico
in 2015. no such luck with super
max it's built into solid rock number
five
karinderu penitentiary built back in
1920
brazil's corindaroo was once south
america's largest prison
housing more than 8 000 inmates the
prison was infamous for its poor quality
of life
rampant health issues and numerous human
rights violations
the latter eventually culminated in the
corindaroo massacre
the event began after a game of football
as a fight between two teams escalated
into a chaotic prison
riot the military police were called in
and proceeded to massacre the inmates
many of whom were unarmed and killed in
defensive positions
by the end of the riot 111 prisoners
were dead
riddled with 515 bullets in total
over 60 police officers were convicted
for their crimes but the trials have
since been deemed null
number 4 mohanga prison formerly known
as gitarama prison
rwanda's muhanga prison was built to
house just 400 prisoners but ended up
housing
7 000 as you can imagine living
conditions
inside the prison are deplorable and
many prisoners suffer from gang green
owing to the filthy accommodations given
that they're often forced to stand
all day on the wet and dirty ground the
health complications are many and severe
there have even been reports of
cannibalism bridget troyon of the
international committee of the red cross
has succinctly stated quote
the conditions here are completely
inhumane
number three san quentin state prison
serving as the oldest prison in
california san quentin was opened in
1852
and remains one of the united states
most infamous penitentiaries
notoriously violent and in some areas
dangerously overcrowded
the prison has earned a telling nickname
it's called
the arena and it's where california's
most vicious criminals square off
it's known as the most populous death
row in the country with the new york
times even deeming it quote
the largest in the western hemisphere
since 1893
over 400 people have been put to death
in san quentin
i was an evil person
knowing another way to put it you know i
didn't care
for other people's lives i was an adult
and i
chose to do what i did it's housed some
of the most dangerous men in america
including charles manson richard ramirez
and richard chase
the prison is also notable for being
extremely old
outdated and dirty with prisoners
receiving poor health care
out in the general population of the
prison inmates get yard time for just a
couple of hours twice a week
other than showers and meal times these
are their only moments outside their
cells
a chance to socialize and make allies
number two alcatraz twelve barren acres
in the middle of san francisco bay in
1934
it seemed the perfect place for an
escape-proof prison for america's worst
criminals
although it closed all the way back in
1963
alcatraz was notorious in its time and
remains one of the most iconic prisons
in the world
owing to its reputation and unique
setting located on alcatraz island just
off san francisco the prison's remote
and secluded location
made it the perfect place to house high
risk and dangerous criminals
despite huge risks overwhelming odds
and sometimes certain death prisoners
continue to break out
life inside the prison was said to be
hell with many prisoners going insane
and committing suicide owing to the
relentless
violence and poor living conditions this
wasn't a prison of rehabilitation
this was a prison of punishment strictly
punishment
we weren't sent here for our crimes
that we committed out in that free world
technically we're
sent here for crimes that we committed
and other penitentiaries
it eventually gained the nickname
alcatraz owing to its reputation and it
housed some of the most notorious
criminals of its day including al capone
mickey cohen machine gun kelly and
robert stroud
aka the birdman of alcatraz before we
continue
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number one guantanamo bay located off
the coast of cuba guantanamo bay was
open in 2002
under the direction of president bush
following the september 11th attacks
bush initiated the war on terror and
opened guantanamo bay to serve as a
military prison
signs of non-compliance are clear to see
bodily fluids stay in the ceiling where
prisoners tried throwing them at guards
service men now use face masks and extra
barriers have been put in place between
prisoners and staff
the prison has received widespread
criticism for indefinite detention
without trial and the routine use of
torture
including waterboarding and sexual abuse
as concerns grew about detainee
treatment
the world was told the same thing the
detainees are not choir boys they are
believed to be
determined killers these people are
terrorists they're terrorists
that's the only thing i can say they're
terrorists there have also been reports
of several suicides and of numerous
suicide attempts
under the obama administration the
number of inmates was reduced however
guantanamo bay
remains open for many years it's been
clear that the detention facility at
guantanamo bay
does not advance our national security
it undermines it amnesty international
has called the prison a major human
rights violation
describing it as quote the gulag of our
times
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