#Mass Incarceration

This article examines the expansion and transformation of Turkey’s prison system under the rule of the AKP government, with a particular focus on the emergence of large-scale “campus prisons.” It analyzes the political logic behind mass incarceration, the spread of solitary confinement practices, and the construction of high-security facilities. Framing imprisonment as a tool of social control and political repression, the article situates recent prison policies within the broader dynamics of authoritarianism and criminalization in contemporary Turkey.

In recent years, Turkey has opened dozens of new high-security prisons without public debate or transparency. What drives this silent but massive expansion — and what does it mean for dissent?