21 Most Brutal Prisons In The World

Petak Island Prison, Russia

Safe prisons don’t exist in Russia. Petak Island on White Lake is a maximum-security detention center for the country’s worst prisoners. All inmates are isolated, spending 20 or more hours a day in solitary confinement. Compounding the isolation is the location of the large, drafty fortress in Northwest Russia-White Lake is one of the 10 largest lakes in Europe. Prisoners receive visitors two days a year. The isolation and lack of basic facilities, many of the islands residents lose their minds before they complete their sentence. The frigid winter temperatures in the region average 10 degrees Fahrenheit can reach lows near -40 in January. Here, Mother Nature can shorten a prisoner’s life span.