The Council of Europe’s Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE) report for 2016 has been published, and reveals that many European prisons are near full capacity.
The survey was conducted by the University of Lausanne, and surveyed 47 out of 52 prison administrations across 47 Council of Europe member states. It shows that many European prisons are near full capacity, with more than 90% of prison places currently occupied.
The SPACE report indicated that, following a steady decrease since 2012, the number of incarcerated people grew from 2015-2016, from 115.7 to 117.1 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants. A number of countries saw sharp increases in the incarceration rate, including:
- Bulgaria (10.8%);
- Turkey (9.5%);
- Czech Republic (7.6%);
- Serbia (6.6%); and
- Denmark (5.5%).
There was also an increase in the average length of detention, which reached 8.5 months. This measurement, alongside the incarceration rate, is used by the Council of Europe to monitor the ways in which criminal law is applied in member states.
Were there any areas of improvement?
Some countries saw a reduction in the incarceration rate from 2015 to 2016, although this was not significant enough to reduce the average rate across all 47 members. These countries include:
- Iceland (-15.9%);
- Northern Ireland (-11.8%);
- Lithuania (-11.1%);
- Belgium (-10.1%); and
- Georgia (-6.7%).
One strategy to reduce the number of incarcerated people is to offer alternative measures, such as community service. While the report suggests that uptake in these alternative sentences has significantly increased, it is not clear yet what impact this has had on the incarceration rate.
Marcelo Aebi, director of the study, explained: “The high number of persons serving community sanctions and measures casts doubts about whether they are being used as alternatives to imprisonment or if they are becoming a supplementary sanction”.
Is the situation sustainable?
As well as the revelation that many European prisons are near full capacity, the report also indicated that overcrowding remains a significant problem in some Council of Europe member states. For example, while the incarceration rate across Belgium dropped, the country still had some 120 prisoners per 100 available places.
This was also the case for 12 other prison administrations, meaning that urgent action needs to be taken by countries such as France, Portugal, Italy and Hungary to address overcrowding and ensure that the rights of prisoners do not suffer.
