SAUDI ARABIA
The view from behind bars
• Bail is almost always denied.
• Use of torture is allegedly widespread.
• Access to legal counsel during interrogation and trial is not guaranteed.
• Penal code includes beheading and public flogging.
What will get you locked down
• The use or possession of alcohol (zero tolerance).
• The breaking of morality laws—including dress and head-covering codes for women—which are enforced by religious police.
• Possession of pornography.
• Engagement in homosexual acts.
Atkins's advice
Remember that a confession may be the most practical way to prevent interrogation from escalating to actual torture—and give you time to seek legal representation.

INDIA
The view from behind bars
• Inadequate food and medical care.
• Lengthy detention times before trial without (bail) are common.
• No prisoner transfer agreement exists between India and the U.S.
• Americans can be targeted for extortion by the corrupt, underpaid police.
What'll get you locked down
• Disputes over business contracts can be settled by the criminal justice system.
Atkins's advice
Discreet payments, or baksheesh, could get you out of trouble or better treatment.

MEXICO
The view from behind bars
• The police have been accused of torturing U.S. citizens to extract confessions.
• Meals and medical care are often inadequate; in some cases, you may have to pay out of pocket for all of your prison expenses.
• Conditions can be violent; an American was allegedly beaten to death in jail by inmates and a prison guard in 2000.
• Detention while waiting for a trial can last for weeks or longer.
• Inmates are sometimes targeted for extortion by underpaid prison guards and officials.
What'll get you locked down
• Possession of firearms and/or ammunition almost always results in jail time.
• Drivers involved in accidents in which someone is seriously hurt are automatically jailed—sometimes for months—pending determination of fault and payment of restitution.
Atkins's advice
If you are jailed, make sure that your lawyer knows about the Prisoner Transfer Treaty and that everything possible is being done to get you transferred to an American prison.

PERU
The view from behind bars
• Harsh prison conditions made worse by inmate violence or extreme altitude.
• Slow judicial processes mean long pretrial detention times.
What'll get you locked down
• Extremely harsh drug laws.
Atkins's advice
Coca leaf preparations are traditionally used to counter the effects of altitude sickness by locals and tourists alike; avoid all other forms of coca.

THAILAND
The view from behind bars
• Despite generally good treatment by prison officials, prisons are overcrowded, extremely humid, and uncomfortable.
• Slow judicial processes can result in long pre-trial detention times.
What'll get you locked down
• Drug-related offenses can be punished with a lifetime prison sentence or the death penalty.
• Many (mostly women) are duped into becoming drug mules when they agree to transport a package or suitcase out of the country in exchange for money or a free vacation.
Atkins's advice
Despite the availability of cheap drugs, remember the consequences.

CHINA
The view from behind bars
• Isolation: It is extremely difficult to contact people who are in Chinese jails.
• No prisoner transfer treaty exists between the U.S. and China.
• There is no independent monitoring of Chinese prison conditions.
What'll get you locked down
• The criminal justice system is used to enforce business contracts in a dispute. There are currently around 30 Americans jailed for business-related offenses in China. (Many claim that they are in jail for refusing to pay bribes.)
Atkins's advice for travelers: If you're arrested in China? Pray.

Attorney Dick Atkins provides a free initial consultation (+1 215 977 9982; Dickatkins@aol.com).

We might call this our most practical, helpful post of the year.