00:00How full are Europe's prisons?
00:05The number of prisoners in the EU increased by 2% in 2024 compared to the previous year,
00:12according to the latest figures from Eurostat.
00:15In 2024 there was one prisoner for every 883 inhabitants in the EU,
00:21with the highest rates per 100,000 inhabitants found in Hungary, Poland, Latvia and Czechia.
00:27On the other hand, the lowest prisoner rates were found in Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.
00:33Meanwhile, the number of personnel, including police officers, judges and prison staff, also increased in 2024.
00:40For example, the number of police officers in the EU has been rising since 2015 and reached its highest levels
00:47in 2024.
00:48Nevertheless, some European countries, such as Greece and Portugal,
00:51have recently raised concerns about prison overcrowding and poor detention conditions.
00:57The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
01:03urged Greece to address these persistent issues following a visit in January 2025.
01:09However, this problem is not just limited to Greece and Portugal.
01:13In 2024, 13 EU countries reported overcrowded cells, while 14 countries had empty cells.
01:19The highest rates of overcrowding in the EU were observed in Cyprus, Slovenia and France,
01:25while the lowest rates were found in Estonia, Lithuania and Luxembourg.
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