Council of Europe report: Romania among six European countries facing severe prison overcrowding

Romania continues to face significant prison overcrowding, according to the Council of Europe’s latest data, released on Friday, July 18. The 2024 Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations (SPACE I) show that Romania is among six countries in Europe with severe overcrowding, housing 116 inmates for every 100 available places.

The report, which covers data up to January 31, 2024, places Romania behind only Slovenia (134), Cyprus (132), France (124), and Italy (118) in terms of overcrowding severity, alongside Belgium (113).

Across Europe, 15 prison administrations in countries with populations over 500,000 reported more inmates than available places.

Despite this, Romania recorded one of the lowest proportions of pre-trial detainees in Europe, at just 13%, far below countries like Albania (58%) and Armenia (53%). The low percentage suggests that the country’s overcrowding problem stems primarily from sentenced inmates, not from prolonged detention during legal proceedings.

Romania also reported the lowest proportion of foreign nationals in its prison population - just 1.1%. This contrasts sharply with Western European states such as Luxembourg (75%) and Switzerland (72%), where the majority of inmates are foreign citizens.

In terms of incarceration rate, Romania did not rank among the top, which was dominated by Türkiye (356 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants), Azerbaijan (264), and Georgia (261). However, countries in the region, such as the Republic of Moldova (235) and Hungary (195), reported significantly higher rates, suggesting that regional pressures on prison systems remain high.

When it comes to the average length of imprisonment, overall, in Europe, individuals were held in detention for 11.3 months, with significant differences across countries dependent on the punitiveness and effectiveness of criminal law policies. The longest average detention periods were found in Portugal (31.1 months), Azerbaijan (29.7), the Republic of Moldova (25.6), and Romania (25.5), considering countries with more than 500,000 inhabitants.

The SPACE surveys, conducted annually by the University of Lausanne for the Council of Europe, serve as key tools for monitoring prison conditions and informing policy decisions across member states. According to professor Marcelo Aebi, head of the SPACE research team, reducing sentence lengths - particularly for non-violent offenders - remains a crucial lever in addressing overcrowding.

(Photo source: P