Prisons in Turkey
Encyclopedia
Like in many other countries prisoners in Turkey
are separated into remanded prisoners
(in pre-trial detention) and convicted prisoners
(whose sentences are being executed). The basic three types of prisons are closed, semi-open or open prisons. A difference is made between ordinary closed prisons and high security prisons
. Many prisons have separate blocks (wings) for women and some also for children (juveniles), but there are also prisons for women or children alone.
prisons were called dungeon
s (zindan). In Turkey
these were mostly dark and damp towers. The first prison was built in Sultanahmet quarter of Istanbul
and it was called general prison (Hapishane-i Umumi).
Besides the death penalty
the Penal Code
of 1858 included three different types of sentences: rowing on a galley (kürek), pillory
ing (prangabentlik) and imprisonment in a tower (kalebentlik).
The Penal Code of 1 March 1926 (Law 765) made a difference between heavy crime
s and corresponding sentences
(ağır suç and ağır ceza) and light crimes (hafif suç and hafif ceza). Besides offences (cürüm) there is a separate law on infringement
s (kabahat). By Law 5349 dated 11 May 2005 the differentiation between light and heavy sentences was lifted.
in all of the then existing 67 provinces
. Members of armed and unarmed left and right organizations that had been engaged in bitter fighting were charged at military courts
and in some places held in military prison
s. The military prison Mamak in Ankara
, Metris Prison (in Istanbul) and the prison in Diyarbakır
(often called dungeon) gained notoriety.
Because of the large number of prisoners new prisons were built. In a report of November 1988, Amnesty International
said that the number of prisons had increased to 644 and their capacity had been raised from 55,000 to more than 80,000. Since 1986 relatives of prisoners organized in the Human Rights Association (HRA)
or in groups in solidarity with certain prisoners such as TAYAD). With their help the prisoners tried to make their demands for improved prison conditions for which they frequently went on hunger strike
(often also called death fast) public.
In April 1991 Law 3713 on Fighting Terrorism (called Anti-Terror-Law, ATL) was passed. Article 16 provided that all prisoners charged under this law had to be held in high security prisons.
(it was called "special type prison"). Their death fast resulted in the death of 12 prisoners. In 2000 a similar action against the high security prisons (now called F-type Prisons) was not successful, although the death toll was much higher. There are currently 13 F-type prisons (14, if the prison on İmralı Island is added) and two D-type prisons (also high security prisons).
On the homepage of the General Directorate for Penal and Arrest Centres figures on prisoners can be found on the number of prisoners for each year. The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey has included such figures in their annual reports.
On 31 January 2010 the official figures were:
In June 2010 Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin answered a question tabled by Batman deputy Bengi Yıldız. He stated that between 2010 and 2015 a total of 86 new prisons with a capacity of 40.026 prisoners were to be built.
or Human Rights Watch
the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has frequently dealt with the situation in Turkish prisons. A major concern were the F-type prisons
, the high security prisons that the CPT encouraged Turkey to build. and the situation on the island İmralı
, where Abdullah Öcalan
has been the only prisoner since 1999.
On 6 March 2008 a report was published on a visit to the island between 19 and 22 May 2007. This was the fourth visit. In conclusion the CPT said (in para 31.): Abdullah Öcalan has now been imprisoned, as the sole inmate of the High-Security Closed Prison of Imralı - an island which is difficult to reach - for almost eight and a half years. Although the situation of indisputable isolation to which the prisoner has been subjected since 16 February 1999 has had adverse effects over the years, the CPT's previous visits had not revealed significant harmful consequences for his physical and psychological condition. This assessment must now be revised, in the light of the evolution of Abdullah Öcalan's physical and mental condition."
During visits to other facilities the CPT marked certain shortcomings. The report of 8 December 2005 (on a visit in 2004), for instance, included the following recommendations:
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
are separated into remanded prisoners
Detention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
(in pre-trial detention) and convicted prisoners
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
(whose sentences are being executed). The basic three types of prisons are closed, semi-open or open prisons. A difference is made between ordinary closed prisons and high security prisons
Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries...
. Many prisons have separate blocks (wings) for women and some also for children (juveniles), but there are also prisons for women or children alone.
History
In the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
prisons were called dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
s (zindan). In Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
these were mostly dark and damp towers. The first prison was built in Sultanahmet quarter of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and it was called general prison (Hapishane-i Umumi).
Besides the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
the Penal Code
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
of 1858 included three different types of sentences: rowing on a galley (kürek), pillory
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
ing (prangabentlik) and imprisonment in a tower (kalebentlik).
The Penal Code of 1 March 1926 (Law 765) made a difference between heavy crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s and corresponding sentences
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
(ağır suç and ağır ceza) and light crimes (hafif suç and hafif ceza). Besides offences (cürüm) there is a separate law on infringement
Infringement
Infringement, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language.In a legal context, an infringement refers to the violation of a law or a right. This includes intellectual property infringements such as:*Copyright infringement...
s (kabahat). By Law 5349 dated 11 May 2005 the differentiation between light and heavy sentences was lifted.
The time between 1980 to 2000
On 12 September 1980 the military seized power in Turkey and the five generals (General Staff) announced martial lawMartial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
in all of the then existing 67 provinces
Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is divided into 81 provinces, called il in Turkish .A province is administered by an appointed governor , and was formerly termed a "governorate" ....
. Members of armed and unarmed left and right organizations that had been engaged in bitter fighting were charged at military courts
Military tribunal
A military tribunal is a kind of military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime, operating outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors...
and in some places held in military prison
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
s. The military prison Mamak in Ankara
Mamak, Ankara
Mamak is a metropolitan district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, part of the city of Ankara. According to 2010 census, population of Mamak is 549,585 The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is ....
, Metris Prison (in Istanbul) and the prison in Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
(often called dungeon) gained notoriety.
Because of the large number of prisoners new prisons were built. In a report of November 1988, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
said that the number of prisons had increased to 644 and their capacity had been raised from 55,000 to more than 80,000. Since 1986 relatives of prisoners organized in the Human Rights Association (HRA)
Human Rights Association (Turkey)
The Human Rights Association is an NGO for advancing Human rights in Turkey, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ankara.- History :...
or in groups in solidarity with certain prisoners such as TAYAD). With their help the prisoners tried to make their demands for improved prison conditions for which they frequently went on hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
(often also called death fast) public.
In April 1991 Law 3713 on Fighting Terrorism (called Anti-Terror-Law, ATL) was passed. Article 16 provided that all prisoners charged under this law had to be held in high security prisons.
The time since 2000
In 1996 the political prisoners succeeded in their objection to be transferred to the first high security prison in EskişehirEskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
(it was called "special type prison"). Their death fast resulted in the death of 12 prisoners. In 2000 a similar action against the high security prisons (now called F-type Prisons) was not successful, although the death toll was much higher. There are currently 13 F-type prisons (14, if the prison on İmralı Island is added) and two D-type prisons (also high security prisons).
Facts and figures
According to the General Directorate for Penal and Arrest Centres (Ceza ve Tevkifevleri Genel Müdürlüğü, part of the Ministry of Justice) 384 prisons existed in Turkey as of 1 December 2008. 346 of them were closed and 28 were open prisons. In addition there were three closed and one open prison for women and three correctional centres for children. For the same date the number of prisoners was given as 103,296; among them 44,038 on remand and 59,258 convicts.On the homepage of the General Directorate for Penal and Arrest Centres figures on prisoners can be found on the number of prisoners for each year. The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey has included such figures in their annual reports.
| Year | Convicted | On remand | Total | |||||||
| Ordinary | "Terror" | Sum | Ordinary | "Terror" | Sum | |||||
| 1990 | 27,731 | 1,642 | 29,373 | 14,488 | 1,745 | 16,233 | 45,606 | |||
| 1991 | 10,652 | 395 | 11,047 | 14,760 | 1,044 | 15,804 | 26,851 | |||
| 1992 | 12,301 | 522 | 12,823 | 15,597 | 3,062 | 18,659 | 31,482 | |||
| 1993 | 14,300 | 847 | 15,147 | 14,681 | 4,977 | 19,658 | 34,805 | |||
| 1994 | 15,787 | 1,094 | 16,881 | 15,638 | 6,412 | 22,050 | 38,931 | |||
| 1995 | 20,371 | 1,637 | 22,008 | 17,058 | 7,025 | 24,083 | 46,091 | |||
| 1996 | 24,651 | 2,328 | 26,979 | 17,697 | 6,207 | 23,904 | 50,883 | |||
| 1997 | 32,155 | 4,179 | 36,334 | 19,346 | 4,926 | 24,272 | 60,606 | |||
| 1998 | 31,647 | 4,239 | 35,886 | 19,670 | 4,835 | 24,505 | 60,391 | |||
| 1999 | 37,986 | 6,145 | 44,131 | 19,953 | 3,497 | 23,450 | 67,581 | |||
| 2000 | 20,378 | 4,467 | 24,855 | 20,467 | 4,190 | 24,657 | 49,512 | |||
| 2001 | 22,425 | 5,116 | 27,541 | 24,886 | 3,182 | 28,068 | 55,609 | |||
| 2002 | 25,514 | 5,123 | 30,637 | 25,928 | 2,622 | 28,550 | 59,187 | |||
| 2003 | 28,554 | 4,161 | 32,715 | 29,605 | 1,976 | 31,581 | 64,296 | |||
| 2004 | 23,840 | 2,170 | 26,010 | 30,302 | 1,618 | 31,920 | 57,930 | |||
| 2005 | 22,765 | 2,093 | 24,858 | 29,475 | 1,537 | 31,012 | 55,870 | |||
| 2006 | 24,220 | 2,116 | 26,336 | 42,222 | 1,719 | 44,141 | 70,477 | |||
| 2007 | 34,852 | 2,418 | 37,608 | 47,091 | 2,102 | 53,229 | 90,837 | |||
| 2008 | 42,234 | 2,540 | 45,207 | 50,470 | 2,899 | 58,028 | 103,235 | |||
On 31 January 2010 the official figures were:
| Year | Convicted | On remand | Total | |||||||
| Ordinary | "Terror" | Sum | Ordinary | "Terror" | Sum | |||||
| 2010 | 53,805 | 3,051 | 56,856 | 57,024 | 3,254 | 60,691 | 117,547 | |||
In June 2010 Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin answered a question tabled by Batman deputy Bengi Yıldız. He stated that between 2010 and 2015 a total of 86 new prisons with a capacity of 40.026 prisoners were to be built.
Prison types
Using the official material of the General Directorate for Penal and Arrest Centres the Democratic Turkey Forum prepared a table on prisons in Turkey as of October 2008. Further details have been included as "particulars".| Type | Number | Capacity (single) | Capacity (complete) | Particulars |
| A | 21 | 24-30 | 792 | Prisons built in district between the 1950s and 1970s. There are 4 wards (koğuş), bathroom, kitchen, library and a conference hall. |
| A1 | 16 | 24-40 | 508 | Further to type A: there are two cells and room next to the wards that can be used as a kitchen. |
| A2 | 17 | 40 | 744 | 5 wards and 2 disciplinary cells. |
| A3 | 31 | 60 | 2,295 | 6 wards. |
| B | 16 | 64 | 1,068 | 7 wards and 2 disciplinary cells; each ward has its own exercise yard (havalandırma). |
| C | 7 | 164-300 | 1,696 | 8 wards and 4 disciplinary cells. |
| D | 2 | 750 | 1,732 | 11 blocks, one block for administration; 230 rooms (cells). Block E is for communal use (laundry, library etc.). The lower floors of block H and L consist of disciplinary cells. The first and second floor of block G have 10 rooms each for observation (müşahade) on arrival. This block also has two infirmaries with 10 beds each. These prisons are built on the system of individual cells and cells for three people. |
| E | 45 | 600-1,000 | 29,753 | Built on two floors based on the ward (koğuş) system and later changed to rooms for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 persons. Each room has its own exercise yard. The lower floors are for eating; the upper floors are the dormitories. |
| F | 13 | 368 | 4,966 | See F-type Prisons (Turkey) F-type Prisons (Turkey) F-Type-Prisons or in its official title F-type High Security Closed Institutions for the Execution of Sentences are called high-security prisons according to the Turkish Law 5275 on the Execution of Sentences.The F-type prisons were erected to accommodate imprisoned members of armed organizations... |
| H | 5 | 500 | 3,255 | Built on two floors on the room (cell) system. There are 200 individual cells and 100 cells for 3 persons. |
| K1 | 83 | 60 | 3553 | They are found in districts with 4 wards and 2 disciplinary cells. Each ward has its own exercise yard. |
| K2 | 24 | 60-150 | 1,446 | Like type K1 with 6 wards and 2 disciplinary cells. |
| L | 16 | 15,084 | Closed prisons, built in big cities in place of old prisons. There are units for 7 people measuring 208.93 m² (2,248.9 sq ft) in total, cells have 12.45 m² (134 sq ft), exercise yards have 165.19 m² (1,778.1 sq ft) and common living space is 56.59 m² (609.1 sq ft). Cells are closed at night; during the day 7 prisoners are together. There are 61 units for 7 people, 4 rooms for 3 people and 40 individual cells. | |
| M | 24 | 9,107 | These prisons that were built on two floors in the ward system, cells for 4, 6, 8, 10 people were made. Each room has its own exercise yard. The prisons have 6 disciplinary cells. | |
| T | 4 | 616 | 6,277 | They were built in big cities in place of old prisons. There are 72 rooms for 8 prisoners, 8 rooms for 3 prisoners and 16 individual cells of 16 sqm. The (living and sleeping) room for 3 people measures 27 m² (290.6 sq ft). The sleeping space for 8 people (upper floor) is 28 m² (301.4 sq ft) and the living space (lower floor) 32.5 m² (349.8 sq ft). For the exercise 8 people have a yard of 35 m² (376.7 sq ft) und 3 people of 30 m² (322.9 sq ft). The sports hall measures 494 m² (5,317.4 sq ft) and outside 251 m² (2,701.7 sq ft). There is space for 450 people during open visits and 36 people for closed visits. Room for 32 lawyers meeting their clients exists. |
| F(o) | 1 | 350 | 350 | open prison for women |
| F(c) | Paşakapısı | closed prison for women; Paşakapısı and Bakırköy are in Istanbul | ||
| Bakırköy Bakirköy This article is about a neighbourhood in IstanbulBakırköy is a neighborhood, municipality and district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey. The quarter is densely populated, has a residential character and is inhabited by a middle class population... |
506 | construction started in 2008; 38 units for 12 people each; 2 units for 3 people and 44 individual cells. | ||
| Sincan | 352 | District close to Ankara, 24 units for 12 people each, 12 units for 3 people each, 28 individual cells. | ||
| K(c) | 3 | 366 | closed prison for children | |
| K(e) | 3 | 100-250 | 360 | education centre for children; juveniles aged 12 to 18 are held here. In case an education was continuing at the age of 18 permission can be given to stay longer (up to the age of 21). |
| (c) | 23 | 6,277 | ||
| (o) | 28 | 6,405 | ||
| (o) | 38 | 2,617 | ||
Comments of international institutions
Besides NGOs such as Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
or Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has frequently dealt with the situation in Turkish prisons. A major concern were the F-type prisons
F-type Prisons (Turkey)
F-Type-Prisons or in its official title F-type High Security Closed Institutions for the Execution of Sentences are called high-security prisons according to the Turkish Law 5275 on the Execution of Sentences.The F-type prisons were erected to accommodate imprisoned members of armed organizations...
, the high security prisons that the CPT encouraged Turkey to build. and the situation on the island İmralı
Imrali
İmralı is a small Turkish island located in the south of the Sea of Marmara, west of Armutlu-Bozburun peninsula within Bursa Province. It served from 1999 until 2009 as a maximum-security prison island for its only inmate, Abdullah Öcalan...
, where Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan , Kurdish founder of the terrorist organization called Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978.Öcalan was captured in Nairobi and extradited to the Turkish security force, and sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which concerns the formation of armed gangs...
has been the only prisoner since 1999.
On 6 March 2008 a report was published on a visit to the island between 19 and 22 May 2007. This was the fourth visit. In conclusion the CPT said (in para 31.): Abdullah Öcalan has now been imprisoned, as the sole inmate of the High-Security Closed Prison of Imralı - an island which is difficult to reach - for almost eight and a half years. Although the situation of indisputable isolation to which the prisoner has been subjected since 16 February 1999 has had adverse effects over the years, the CPT's previous visits had not revealed significant harmful consequences for his physical and psychological condition. This assessment must now be revised, in the light of the evolution of Abdullah Öcalan's physical and mental condition."
During visits to other facilities the CPT marked certain shortcomings. The report of 8 December 2005 (on a visit in 2004), for instance, included the following recommendations:
- staff at Izmir (Buca) Closed Prison and the E-type prisons in Aydın and Gaziantep to be given a firm reminder that the ill-treatment of inmates is not acceptable and will be the subject of severe sanctions; it should be made clear to them that prisoners who breach discipline must be dealt with exclusively in accordance with existing disciplinary procedures and that any form of unofficial punishment will not be tolerated (paragraph 50).
- the Turkish authorities to take all necessary steps to develop the communal activity programmes at Izmir F-type Prison No. 1, in terms of both the range of activities on offer and the number of prisoners engaging in those activities; in this connection, the remarks made in paragraphs 57 and 58 to be taken fully into account (paragraph 59);
- immediate steps to be taken to ensure that every prisoner at Aydın and Gaziantep E-type Prisons has his/her own bed (paragraph 63);
- the necessary steps to be taken to ensure that occupancy rates in all prisoner accommodation units at Aydın and Gaziantep E-type Prisons are of a reasonable level (paragraph 63);
- the level of hygiene in prisoner accommodation areas at Gaziantep E-type Prison to be reviewed (paragraph 63).
External links
- Website of the General Directorate for Prisons (Turkish)
- CPT on Turkey
- Democratic Turkey Forum Daily, weekly and special reports on human rights in Turkey in German, English and Turkish