Despite the democratic revolution in 1995, the situation in Haiti has not improved, and it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The grinding poverty, expanding slums and the flow of people from the countryside are the primary causes of Haiti's swiftly growing crime problem. The legal system, with underpaid and corrupt judges, is not up to coping with it, and in the meantime the prisons are overflowing.
Bruno Stevens (Belgium) photographed the atrocious situation in two Haitian prisons, the main institution, the Penitencier National, where more than 1600 prisoners have to share 900 beds, and Fort National, the only prison for women and children in Haiti, where two-thirds of the prisoners are still awaiting trial. While family members and several aid organisations try to alleviate the worst suffering, reforming the judicial system is no priority for the government.
