During the two-day conference, presenters focused on the history of prison and incarceration in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, and the manifestation of this strained and complex history in today's society.

In spite of the finite space prisons and detention facilities occupy, presenters emphasized the way these places serve as a nexus between past and present, intrinsically illuminating the world outside their walls. Be it an official prison or a far-away detention facility that technically does not exist, a nexus is created between past colonial rulers, authoritarian rulers, and the regimes of today. Given this, carceral facilities of North Africa have been witness to transitional justice and the exchange of power, usually by force.

The presenters used their diverse backgrounds to leave conference participants with a new lens through which to view North African incarceration and its accompanying art, literature, and film.