It depends a lot on who you are and what you did. But in general, there is no single system, and one Saudi prison can be very different from another. At the same time, the state here is rich enough to carry out experiments in such a sphere that is of little interest to the average person.
European prisons, more like hotels, are not built here at all. But then there are American-style prisons - with a long corridor and a large number of open cells, in which, unlike the United States, there are often not one, but several bunk beds. In them, prisoners have access to a TV, library, good food, medical care, a sports ground.
Family visits are often allowed here and even a monthly child support allowance is paid. In some cases, the inmate is even allowed to temporarily leave the prison, provided that he comes back in a couple of days. Good reasons can be the wedding of a son or daughter, participation in the burial of close relatives.
Of course, such indulgences and such conditions are provided almost exclusively to local offenders, which, despite the high standard of living, are enough in Saudi Arabia. Curiously, the authorities are quite supportive even of political prisoners, and not just of criminals.
But it also happens in another way. Of the 34 million population, a third of the inhabitants here are migrants who work in jobs that the Saudis themselves consider unworthy or are simply lazy. As elsewhere in the world, the number of delinquencies among guest workers will be higher than among indigenous people. And completely different conditions are provided for them.
Usually in the Middle East, a prison is a kind of stone structure. Inside there are small cells, densely packed with bunk beds, of which there will be from 5 to 10. The cell door is rarely locked, but even this can happen if the prison has a strict boss.
The food is pretty basic. It could be an egg, some bread, some butter. Biryani, a local version of chicken pilaf, will be served for dinner. Water comes from clean taps. Toilets are just holes in the floor, familiar to the inhabitants of the post-Soviet space. Oh yes, toilet paper is often not provided. You will need to wash yourself with your left hand with water from a jug or bottle. This takes some practice.
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Prisoners often visit other cells, this is not prohibited. A TV in such a prison is unlikely to be found and the inmates have few other things to do but chat with each other for days.
But the main point, how the Saudi zone differs from Western prisons, is that the guards here do not pay attention to anyone at all. But it is also not necessary to deliberately provoke them to any actions. The answer can be very harsh - this is not Europe.
That variant of places, not so distant, that I described, is even the best. Sometimes the prison is an ordinary sand pit with a metal fence around and above. There will be very low sanitation and zero comfort. People who have violated not just civil laws, but the rules of the Muslim legal order have a chance to get here. For example, traffickers in illegal substances.
Another worse zone is a huge one-story building with a metal roof, the interior of which is divided into many isolated chambers. It looks more like a temporary warehouse, only the outer perimeter will be energized. They put 20-30 people here, many of whom sleep on the floor. They will rarely let out into the open air and during a walk people, like in a movie, move in a circle.
There is one plus for Muslim believers in Saudi prisons - access to the prayer room is always free.