Our reporting activities, which we carry out with a focus on monitoring and advocacy, aim to produce periodically verifiable information, increase information on prisons with annual reports and different thematic reports, and disseminate this information. The fact that prisons are closed to non-governmental organizations and the lack of conditions for on-site monitoring makes it necessary to prepare reports using different methods. CISST prepares its reports by presenting comparable data with information sources and the database it has developed. With these studies, it aims to reduce the violations of rights in prisons, contribute to the development of prisoner rights to include all prisoners in Turkish prisons, and increase the awareness of prisoners on legal remedies.
The year 2020 will be remembered by a global pandemic, the effects of which we will continue to experience for many years. This pandemic, which directly affects social and economic life, has brought up many issues closely related to prisons. The social and psychological effects of this virus, which will continue to show its effects in the coming years, will currently prevail to be discussed and talked about. The importance of transparency in prisons and increasing access to information inevitably has been seen in 2020 as well.
This report has tried to draw a panorama of what has happened with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Turkish prisons throughout 2020. The first part of the report addressed the general situation of prisons and the changing practices with the COVID-19 measures. The second part focused on the differentiating problems of prisoners with special needs due to the pandemic.