Many ordinary objects could be turned into weapons or otherwise misused by people with ingenuity and nothing to lose. That's why, as we've noted in the past, there's an entire industry that produces ordinary household an...

The Associated Press reports that Zurich, Switzerland, is opening a new jail and wants to make sure that everything is in order before the grand opening. So it's recruiting volunteers who would be willing to stay locked...

(Photo: Shereen Marisol Meraji/NPR)When a child's father is sent to prison, it may be years before the child gets to see that man again. Traveling great distances for visits can be expensive. That's why Hope House was fo...

Murru Prison was a Soviet prison and forced labor camp on Lake Rummu in Estonia. The Soviet Union sent its enemies there to toil in the open-air quarry. But it is no longer an icon of tyranny. It's a pleasant beach and s...

(Photo: Darwin Correctional Centre by Bidgee)It was a cunning plan. During the night, the four inmates at a prison in Darwin, Australia climbed over the fence, where they met partners on the outside. These colleagues gav...

This is the Morrin Cultural Centre in Quebec City, Canada. It was originally built by the French in 1712 as a redoubt. After the British conquest, it served as a prison. The current building was constructed from 1808 to...

(Photo: Neil Conway)Inmates at the Berlin Tegel jail in Germany have to work at regular shifts inside the prison. To many of them, this makes them not just prisoners, but employees. So they've formed a union to represent...

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR6KzKyNr3I](Video Link)In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Hard Time," Miles O'Brien is captured by an alien species and falsely convicted of a crime. A trailer for that episode is...

(Photo: Gorgona)Gorgona is a small Italian island in the Ligurian Sea. It's a lovely place with scenic rocky cliffs and abundant sea birds. It's also home to a prison with some of Italy's most savage criminals. 50 inmate...

Robert Vick is a prisoner at a minimum security prison in Lexington, Kentucky. He's serving 6 years for burglary and 5 years for possession of a forged instrument. On Sunday, he escaped. He spent about 20 hours outside w...