In recent years in Turkey, the S- and Y-Type prisons, commonly referred to by the public as ‘Pit-Type’ prisons, have spread. These prisons go beyond physically locking up inmates; they isolate them from social life, human relations, and basic rights.
Designed as high-security penal institutions, the S- and Y-Type prisons were initially built for inmates serving aggravated life sentences, but over time prisoners outside this status have also begun to be held under the same conditions. Unlike F-Type prisons, S- and Y-Type facilities operate solely on a cell system, with no wards. The cells are single-person, and prisoners spend 22.5 hours of the day in this confined space. The right to time outdoors is limited to only 1.5 hours, and these yards are not directly connected to the cells.
‘Pit-Type’ prisons directly harm human health
The main criticism of these prisons is that they condemn inmates to social isolation. Practices such as constant surveillance by cameras, deprivation of sunlight, strip searches, the imposition of standing roll calls, and restrictions on visitation rights are cited as threats to both physical and mental health.
The Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul Branch Prison Commission, in response to our questions on the most common rights violations in ‘Pit-Type’ prisons, said: “The real issue in ‘Pit-Type’ prisons is the severe isolation. The absence of sunlight, the outdoor yards being located away from the cells, the fact that inmates are taken out for only an hour or an hour and a half a day, the lack of any chance to meet with other prisoners, and the installation of wire mesh with holes barely one square centimeter in size on top of the barred windows, which restrict airflow… Prisoners say they long even for the sound of a human voice.
The lack of sunlight in cells is a fundamental health problem. It negatively affects many bodily functions, including the immune system. Inadequate airflow also disrupts biological health. Living in such a confined space produces harmful consequences for both mental and physical health. It is also known that social deprivation due to isolation leads to mental disorders.”
Prolonged isolation can cause psychological disorders, sensory deprivation, and cognitive impairments. As a result, inmates may develop disorientation, depression, anxiety, and various psychosomatic illnesses. According to reports from the Ankara Medical Chamber, this form of isolation directly damages human health and has irreversible effects.
Public unawareness of ‘Pit-Type’ prisons
S- and Y-Type prisons are seen as structures that, by their very architecture, send the message to inmates: “You are alone.” Human rights defenders demand that these facilities be shut down and that the penal system be made compatible with human dignity.
The IHD Istanbul Branch Prison Commission, stressing the direct impact of ‘Pit-Type’ prisons on human health, underlined that the public is not even aware of them: “We don’t think the public has information, let alone awareness, about ‘Pit-Type’ prisons. When even sensitive democratic circles have barely addressed them, it is unlikely they will ever make it onto the wider public agenda.
Unfortunately, these prisons are not in line with existing laws. But everything the authorities do is normalized as legal. Even though ‘Pit-Type’ prisons and the practices inside them have no legal basis, they are not being legally challenged by any institution or person. Beyond the health problems mentioned earlier, this also means that the capacity of society to oppose state authority, or any authority, is being eroded. The destructive impact of ‘Pit-Type’ jails on society and the opposition is heavier than that of F-Types. That weight has already begun.”
Similar practices in the world
Globally, the counterparts of ‘Pit-Type’ prisons often appear as instruments of oppression under authoritarian regimes. Nazi Germany’s concentration camps, the torture centers of Latin American military dictatorships, and facilities like Guantanamo in the United States are cited as similar examples designed to isolate and silence prisoners. The ‘Pit-Type’ prisons in Turkey are seen as a modern reflection of these historical examples. Forcing inmates to spend most of their day in single cells, restricting communication rights, and severing ties with the outside world makes these facilities not just penal institutions but also laboratories of isolation.