Prison overcrowding remains a
critical issue in many European countries, as highlighted by the
Council of Europe's (CoE) Annual Penal Statistics on Prison
Populations (SPACE I) for 2023.
Across Europe, the inmate-to-capacity ratio rose by 2% from
January 2022 to January 2023, reaching 93.5 inmates per 100
places. Severe overcrowding (over 105 inmates per 100 places)
was noted in Cyprus (166), Romania (120), France (119), Belgium
(115), Hungary (112), Italy (109), and Slovenia (107). High
prison densities were also reported in Greece, Sweden, North
Macedonia, Croatia, and Türkiye.
As of January 31, 2023, 1,036,680 inmates were detained across
48 reporting prison administrations out of 51 Council of Europe
member states. From January 2022 to January 2023, the median
European prison population rate increased by 2.4%, from 113.5 to
116.2 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants. Significant rises in
prison populations were observed in 16 administrations, notably
the Republic of Moldova (+52%), North Macedonia (+26%), and
Cyprus (+25%).
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