Overcrowding in Romanian prisons remains an issue despite lower incarceration rate

Romania is the European country where the incarceration rate fell the most during 2016-2018, according to the Council of Europe (CoE) statistics published on April 2.

The incarceration rate fell in Romania by 16%, compared to a 6.6% overall decline. Romania was followed by Bulgaria (-15%), Norway (-11.6) and Finland (-9.9%). In contrast, incarceration rates increased in Iceland (+25.4%), Italy (+7.5%), the Netherlands (+5.9%), Denmark (+5.8%) and Montenegro (+5.5%).

However, the overpopulation of existing facilities remains a significant problem in Romania, according to the same statistics, despite the decreasing number of inmates.

According to the CoE, eight countries have experienced a general overcrowding problem in prisons: North Macedonia (122.3 inmates per 100 places), Romania (120.5), France (116.3), Italy (115), Republic of Moldova (113.4), Serbia (109.2), Portugal (105.9), and Czech Republic (105.6).

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