Council of Europe: new report published reveals an alarming increase in European prison overcrowding

The Council of Europe has released its 2024 Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations (SPACE I), revealing a growing concern over prison overcrowding across Europe. As of January 31, 2024, one-third of European prison administrations are facing this critical challenge, with the overall number of inmates per 100 available places rising from 93.5 to 94.9 in just one year. The report highlights severe overcrowding in six prison administrations, including Slovenia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Romania, and Belgium, with inmate-to-place numbers ranging from 113 to 134 per 100 places.

The statistics show a total of 1,021,431 inmates kept in 51 penal institutions of Council of Europe member states, representing an average prison population frequency of 105 inmates per 100,000 residents across Europe. While some countries experienced significant increases in their prison population rates, others saw some decreases. Notably, thirteen prison administrations, including Slovenia, Sweden, and Italy, saw significant increases, while only six, including Bulgaria, Luxembourg, and Türkiye, reported considerable decreases. The report also reveals that violent crimes are estimated for about one-third of the sentenced prison population, with drug offenses and theft being the most common reasons for incarceration.

Professor Marcelo Aebi, supervisor of the SPACE research team from the University of Lausanne, emphasises the detrimental effects of overcrowding on inmates’ living conditions and rehabilitation efforts. He suggests that reducing sentence lengths, especially for non-violent and low-risk offenders, could be an effective tool for managing prison overcrowding. The report also highlights other key findings, such as the proportion of pre-trial detainees (26% of all inmates in European prisons), the share of foreign nationals in prisons (16% overall), and the average age of inmates (37 years). 
These statistics, collected annually by the University of Lausanne, provide important information into the state of the penal systems of the Council of Europe member states.