Purpose of the isolation S, R, Y type prisons in Turkey

Fikret Akar, who is currently on hunger strike against the isolation type of prisons, sent us a letter explaining the purpose of these prisons.

“REHABILITATION PROGRAM THAT DOES NOT AIM TO REHABILITATE”

On Saturday, February 1, 2025, we were brought to Karatepe “Well-Type” Prison. We refer to it as “Well-Type” because, under the name of “High Security Prison,” its architecture literally places inmates in a well, and the practices implemented here are designed to make prisoners feel as though they are at the bottom of that well. In short, the goal of these Well-Type prisons is to alienate people from each other and from themselves.

We can think of this as a two-pronged system. The first aspect is architectural. The second is its practices.

Architecturally, it involves forcing an entire life into a cell of approximately 4.50 x 3.60 meters — a 16 square meter space. The toilet, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, daily living area, a mini wardrobe, a table, a chair, and a bunk bed are all crammed into this space. That’s all the furniture there is. To move around, you must turn back every six steps. In other words, your walking area is only six steps. The window has bars, and beyond that, a very tight wire mesh. This mesh is so dense and with such small holes that it nearly blocks fresh air from coming in. The window faces a ventilation shaft. Across from it is a corridor with similar cells, but the cells themselves are not visible — only the corridor windows are visible, which also have bars and the same tight wire mesh. In Well-Type prisons, you cannot look freely at the sky like you can in other prisons. The bars and especially the wire mesh block your view of the sky. The mesh is arranged in such a way that if you try to look at the sky for a few minutes, your sense of distance becomes distorted. The shape of the mesh creates an almost optical illusion if you look for too long. In other words, the sky and fresh air are also prohibited to the prisoner. In other prisons, inmates have the right to access daylight. That’s why each cell typically has access to a yard, which opens when the day begins and stays open until dark. Prisoners can go out whenever they want and look at the sky, which is important for eye health as we’ll discuss later. However, in Well-Type prisons, yard time is limited to one hour. In the prison where we are currently held, it’s applied as 1.5 hours. To go to the yard, you are taken from your cell and brought to a lower floor, because individual cells don’t even have their own yard access.

We go downstairs because our cells are on the third floor. Well-Type prisons have three floors. Each corridor has 6 cells, making 18 cells in total per unit, referred to as a module. To describe your cell’s location, you’d say something like “3rd floor corridor, 3rd floor, cell number 13.” Yard time is shared with prisoners from the same corridor, so a maximum of 6 prisoners can go out together. Currently, there are 3 of us in our corridor, with 3 cells kept empty. So, the 3 of us go out together.

Spending 1 hour in the yard and the remaining 23 hours in the cell is called “Solitary Confinement” in other prisons. This is how the harshest penalty under the Execution Law is implemented. The only difference is that in Well-Type prisons, you can watch TV that you buy with your own money from the canteen, whereas during solitary confinement punishment, watching TV is prohibited. So, they take away the TV during that time. In every other way, the experience is identical. In essence, being imprisoned in a Well-Type prison is continuous solitary confinement. However, the Execution Law states that solitary confinement cannot be applied for more than 20 days. Yet in Well-Type prisons, the conditions banned for use beyond 20 days are enforced for the entire duration of incarceration.

Similarly, inmates serving Aggravated Life Sentences remain in solitary confinement for life once their sentences are finalized. Many such inmates are housed in these cells in Well-Type prisons. Depending on their behaviour, they get between 1 to 3 hours of yard time. In Well-Type prisons, even stricter yard restrictions are applied than to those with aggravated life sentences.

Because of the lack of direct yard access, we addressed it under architecture, but this is also one of the most severe violations of rights. Denying a person sunlight, daylight, and the sky is one of the greatest assaults on both physical and mental health.

People under harsh isolation conditions first experience eye damage. Constantly reading and writing, focusing on close-up work, strains the eyes. Occasionally looking into the distance relaxes and protects the eyes. Without the ability to look at the sky, the eyes can’t rest and gradually lose the ability to see at a distance.

The human body is built to move; it evolved to move constantly in search of food or safety. For the body to develop and remain healthy, it must stay active. Immobility atrophies the body and its systems. Organs and limbs lose functionality, leading inevitably to disease. Even if daily exercise routines are attempted, a body confined to 15 square meters cannot move enough to maintain health. The metabolism slows. Just like livestock are fattened by restricting movement, extreme isolation has the same effect on humans.

Another cornerstone of staying healthy is sufficient and balanced nutrition. Meals in prisons are prepared by the administration and distributed to inmates. Prisoners are not allowed to cook. Meals are monotonous and made as cheaply as possible, often oily and low in nutrients. With the canteen items being extremely limited, it’s impossible to supplement one’s diet or eat a balanced, sufficient diet through purchases. This is why nearly everyone who spends a significant amount of time in prison develops digestive system issues. Additionally, it is scientifically proven that extreme stress leads to both physical and mental illnesses.

In short, prisoners who cannot access fresh air, are deprived of sunlight and daylight, cannot move sufficiently due to restricted space, and are under continuous stress due to oppressive regulations and practices — their health deteriorates rapidly. Of course, since the system that causes all these issues does not aim to heal the prisoners, accessing healthcare becomes another struggle. And even when accessed, the healthcare is substandard. As a result, diseases go untreated and rapidly progress. This is why hundreds of inmates die in prisons each year.

Some of the practices mentioned so far, and those that will be discussed later, aim to isolate and suppress inmates — these cause severe mental health damage. When they cannot share their feelings or emotionally balance themselves through socialization, emotional outbursts become part of daily life. Inmates overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness, helplessness, and despair lose their mental balance. Under the guise of “psychological support,” antidepressants and sedatives are imposed on them. As a result, they spiral even faster into that darkness. Their sense of self disintegrates. Thousands of inmates are taking antidepressants, having psychotic breakdowns, and reaching the point of harming themselves or others.

Three days after entering the institution — that is, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025 — a teacher from the Institution’s Education Unit came to our cell door with some documents. Previously, someone from the same unit had already come and had us fill out a questionnaire-style form. It included questions such as education level, profession, marital status, etc. Based on that form, the document in the teacher’s hand was a REHABILITATION PLAN. At the top of the document, it summarized the inmate’s education level, exams they wanted to take, and any special skills. Below that were “RECOMMENDATIONS” categorized under five main headings and 25 subheadings — covering topics such as education, workshops, special skills, spiritual guidance, etc. At the end of the document were some additional notes. The final paragraph reads as follows:

“Accordingly, you are hereby informed that if you do not participate in the programs conducted by the education and training service in accordance with this rehabilitation plan — which will serve as a basis for the evaluation of your good behaviour — a decision indicating that you have demonstrated good behaviour will not be issued during your sentence execution process.”

In other words, the Administrative and Observation Boards assign scores based on participation in the so-called REHABILITATION PROGRAM.

Prisoners who score below 40 points are not considered to be of good behaviour and are therefore deprived of rights such as Conditional Release and transfer to open prisons. Just as students must pass their classes to move on to the next grade, prisoners must have a passing grade for good behaviour in order to access these rights. Otherwise, they cannot progress and will continue to be subjected to imprisonment and the deprivation of various rights during their incarceration.

It is not hard to imagine that many people think, “Well, by participating in rehabilitation programs, you can increase your score, be considered well-behaved, take advantage of the benefits, and also improve yourself. That’s a good thing…” However, what has been explained so far reflects only a part of the truth about rehabilitation programs, deliberately concealing their real purpose. So now is the perfect time to ask the fundamental question of this article: What is the true aim of the rehabilitation program? What purpose does it serve, and how is it implemented? The question is short and simple. The answer is also simple—but a bit long.

People who keep pets, especially dogs, know this well. The basis of dog training is a reward-punishment system. If a dog behaves the way its owner wants, it is rewarded with attention, affection, and treats. If it exhibits undesirable behaviours, it is deprived of attention and affection and is scolded. Instinctively, the dog begins to adopt the rewarded behaviours in order to avoid scolding and receive constant praise. Over time, these behaviours become conditioned reflexes, and the dog becomes trained. Within the existing conditions, the dog’s behaviour is brought under a certain framework.

The REHABILITATION PROGRAM is the equivalent of a treat. However, a human is not a dog. A human is a being defined not only by instincts and impulses, but also by thoughts, emotions, and behaviours—a personality. And the rehabilitation or education of a human cannot be achieved by conditioning instincts and impulses, but by creating appropriate conditions for the development of thoughts, emotions, and behaviour—i.e., personality.

One of the definitions of a human being is that humans are social creatures. A person who is isolated, made lonely, and removed from sociality is cut off from their natural life and development. Under conditions contrary to human nature, no one can be rehabilitated or developed. On the contrary, they become alienated from society, their environment, and themselves. There are numerous studies and data proving the effects of isolation on humans. And, of course, those who designed the REHABILITATION PROGRAM are well aware of this information. This is where an interesting contradiction arises: If it is known that a person under severe isolation cannot be rehabilitated, then why is a REHABILITATION PROGRAM—an attempt akin to “praying for the impossible”—devised and implemented?

Before answering that, we must explain under what conditions and how this program is implemented.

Prisons are governed by strict disciplinary measures. The goal is to completely subdue the prisoner. Orders and instructions begin as soon as one enters prison: “Go there, raise your arm, wait…” The logic behind the initial strip search is also based on this. Whether you are newly arrested or transferred from another prison, you’ve already been searched multiple times. It’s impossible for you to have contraband. The searchers know this. So, the real aim of the strip search—forcing someone down to their underwear—is not to find something hidden, but to instil the idea that, from the very first moment, you have no will or choice, and that you are merely an object obligated to obey all orders and rules unconditionally.

From the beginning, countless duties and responsibilities are placed on your shoulders, but you are not allowed to make requests. In other words, you have zero rights and unlimited responsibilities. You can’t even verbalize your simplest needs—you have to submit a petition for everything. This is done to eliminate human interaction and mechanize all relationships through bureaucracy. This is a crucial aspect of isolation. You are alone in a single-person cell. For morning and evening headcounts, multiple guards enter the cell to count you and inspect the surroundings. In some prisons, especially in those with juvenile or criminal wards, all inmates are lined up and counted in formation. During searches, eight to ten guards enter, rummage through your belongings, and discard items purchased with your own money from the canteen, using excuses like “this is excessive.” Any attempt to claim your rights is met with severe punishment: disciplinary investigations are opened immediately, and penalties like communication bans (letters, calls, visits), solitary confinement, and visit suspensions are imposed—lasting months, years, or even decades.

You have no say in what the canteen sells, and you are forced to buy whatever is available at the set price. The number of books you can keep in your cell is limited to 10. Clearly, this is insufficient for in-depth research on any topic. In our prison, you are only allowed to exchange these 10 books once a month, meaning your monthly reading limit is 10 books. On top of that, many legal books are deemed “objectionable” and not given to prisoners. Rules like not receiving books during open visits or not being allowed to give books during closed visits further restrict book access.

While your right to read what you want is curtailed, you are forced to read books from the prison library, which mostly promote state-sanctioned ideologies. This reinforces the demand: think like us. Book bans, restrictions, and limitations serve this purpose.

In such harsh conditions of isolation, a prisoner’s most vital connection to the outside world is through their visitors. They are allowed one hour of closed visitation per week and one hour of open visitation per month. But those who assume prisoners regularly receive visitors are mistaken. Prisoners are often exiled to prisons far from their hometowns, making regular visits by family impossible. Given current economic hardships, families can only visit once or twice a year, usually during holidays. Requests to be transferred to prisons closer to home are denied, further deepening the isolation.

Isolation means forbidding humans from being with one another and eliminating opportunities for socialization. Authorities spare no expense and use technology extensively to enforce it. For example, a push-to-talk button is placed on cell doors to reduce human contact. If you need anything, you press the button and speak to a faceless official, waiting in vain for a solution.

Amid the infinite diversity of daily life, it is impossible to list the countless forms of oppression, impositions, and sanctions faced daily. All these aim to crush your will, turn you into a passive being who does not question, who does not demand rights, and who obeys all commands unconditionally. You are essentially robotized—an entity without thoughts, feelings, or personal behaviour, acting only on command. Just as a robot without software is a pile of metal, a person stripped of thought, feeling, and personality becomes merely a pile of flesh and bone.

The REHABILITATION PROGRAM is the software to be uploaded to this empty shell of a prisoner, left alone under physical isolation and mental pressure. It is the treat. All its content is arranged accordingly. With parallel architectural isolation and psychological-emotional isolation through bans and obstacles (on books, visits, and rights), the aim is to strip the prisoner of their own thoughts and emotions. As the saying goes, “Let it not to be misunderstood”—the prisoner’s personality is reprogrammed.

To this end, a strict surveillance program is implemented: every prisoner is monitored through the glass on their cell door every two hours, day and night.

In “Well” Type Prisons, prisoners are isolated physically by architecture and deprived of all social stimuli to isolate them emotionally and mentally as well. This system is applied similarly to both criminal and political prisoners. However, the aims of the REHABILITATION PROGRAM differ. Criminal inmates, lacking awareness and organizational experience, are more likely to surrender to isolation or display erratic outbursts, making them easier to mold into unquestioning, obedient “individuals.” Political prisoners, on the other hand, with over 50 years of experience in struggle and collective resistance, are a major obstacle. For this reason, the F-Type isolation-torture and rehabilitation program has failed against them. (This is a topic for another article.)

To prevent the tradition of resistance against isolation from spreading to “Well” Type Prisons, only a few Free Captives are sent to each of these prisons.

To achieve the desired result of the REHABILITATION PROGRAM, disciplinary regulations are used as tools to “clear the way.” The slightest protest or demand for rights is punished harshly—with bans from workshops or sports, denial of communication, solitary confinement, and more. The prisoner is forced into this equation: either behave as we want or never see the light of day again. Call it carrot-and-stick, or reformation via dog treats.

The goal of the REHABILITATION PROGRAM for political captives is to destroy their organizational awareness, dismantle their collective behaviours, and eliminate their spirit of resistance. In short, it is a forced ideological transformation. It is an ideological assault aiming to make political prisoners submit. All impositions are programmed to serve this purpose.

For example, Circular 45/1 issued on January 22, 2007, granted 10 prisoners the right to meet and talk for 10 hours a week. Prison administrations are obliged to implement this. However, this right is denied with various excuses. Instead, they say: “Go to the workshop for 4 hours a week—it’s the same.” But it’s not. Prisoners from the same corridor can attend workshops together, but political prisoners are scattered across corridors to prevent this. Moreover, workshops are part of the “rehabilitation program” and can be denied with disciplinary punishment. In contrast, the right to group conversation cannot be restricted by any punishment—it is not part of the rehabilitation program. Hence, administrations prevent this right in practice to avoid any breach in isolation.

In conclusion: Just as plants cannot grow in the desert due to lack of water, a person—guilty or not—cannot be rehabilitated under conditions of isolation. Therefore, the true goal of the REHABILITATION PROGRAM is not rehabilitation. As we’ve shown throughout this article with examples, the real aim is to say: You will think and act the way I want you to. Otherwise, I will make your life unbearable. It is a program of submission—a phase of isolation.

In light of this, the final part of the REHABILITATION PROGRAM clearly expresses its real goal:

“According to the relevant law and regulation: all rehabilitation programs attended by the convict during the evaluation period, social-cultural and sports activities, cultural and artistic programs, certificates obtained, reading habits, interactions with other prisoners and staff, expressions of remorse, compliance with institutional rules, and disciplinary records shall be scored through observation and development reports.”

“Additionally, at all stages of incarceration, the inmate’s compliance with rules, good-faith use of rights, fulfilment of obligations, readiness for reintegration, and risk of reoffending or causing harm will be evaluated. Those not showing sufficient progress or scoring below the threshold will not be deemed of good behaviour.”

“If a convict is deemed ‘not of good behaviour,’ transfer to open prisons, application of parole, or conditional release shall not be possible.”

“Thus, you are hereby informed that participation in the rehabilitation plan, as required by law, and showing the expected progress during incarceration is mandatory. Otherwise, no good behaviour decision will be made in your favour.”

The message to political captives is clear: Unless you abandon your ideology and adopt the dominant one, you will not benefit from any rights during imprisonment, including parole. It’s a choice between absolute submission or the harshest isolation. In such a scenario, the prisoner who refuses to submit has nothing left to lose. Only one option remains: resistance against isolation.

However, it must not be concluded that resistance to Well-Type Isolation is solely the duty of those subjected to it. Prisons are a mirror of society…

It is possible to learn about the socio-political condition of a society by examining its prisons. Watch the news programs carefully for a few days. You will see that people are experiencing a deep sense of loneliness and helplessness, that even a concept like “loneliness in the crowd” has emerged, that people are increasingly turning to “spiritual” methods to cope with their loneliness, and that they are trying to relieve their isolation through the virtual world—social media, artificial intelligence—and much more. You will see that crime rates are rising, that criminals with multiple prior offenses continue to commit crimes with ease, that the perception of impunity is deepening (even though prisons are overcrowded and can’t keep up with detentions), and that the public is becoming increasingly angry—so much so that disputes over yielding in traffic are now ending in armed conflict and death. You will see that brutalities against children, women, animals, and nature are increasing recklessly.

And in contrast to all of this—or rather, in a way that is inevitably parallel and causally linked—you will see that pressures on fundamental rights and freedoms are intensifying more and more each day.

Now, after considering the isolation policies described throughout this article, let us ask: are we exempt from the many problems the public is experiencing? Is it fair to blame individuals, technology, and so on? Is the isolation experienced in prisons only the problem of the prisoners who endure it?

High-Security Type Prisons are laboratories of isolation and solitude. If a virus manufactured in a laboratory and released into the public becomes a deadly public health issue, isn’t it imperative to fight for the closure of that laboratory?

FİKRET AKAR (15 MARCH 2025)

KARATEPE HIGH SECURITY PRISON

CORLU/TURKEY

As of today (20 April 2025) the current situation of the hunger strike resistance: