'Wholly unsuitable conditions': How full are Europe's prisons?
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Prison populations are rising across the EU, and so are complaints. Overcrowding and violence are surging, but which countries are worst affected?
Amid mounting complaints of rising violence and overcrowding across European prisons, the number of prisoners in the EU increased by 2% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the latest figures from Eurostat.
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In 2024, there was one prisoner for every 883 inhabitants in the EU, with the highest rates found in Hungary, Poland, Latvia, and Czechia.
Only one in 18 adult prisoners was female, and one in five prisoners across the bloc had a foreign citizenship in their reporting country in 2024.
On the other hand, the lowest prisoner rates were observed in Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany.
Meanwhile, the number of personnel, including police officers, judges, and prison staff, also increased in 2024.
For example, the number of police officers in the EU has been rising since 2015 and reached its highest level in 2024.
However, there were 1.9 prisoners per prison personnel in the EU — a ratio that has stayed the same since 2022.
Mounting complaints over prison conditions
Some EU countries, such as Greece and Portugal, have recently raised concerns about prison overcrowding and poor detention conditions.
The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) urged Greece to address these persistent issues following a visit in January 2025.
Many male prisoners in Greece are held in "overcrowded" and "wholly unsuitable conditions", which amount to "inhuman and degrading treatment", according to the CPT.
"Overcrowding seriously undermines the living conditions of the prison population and the rehabilitation efforts of the prison administrations," said Marcelo Aebi, Head of the SPACE research team from the University of Lausanne, in a statement to the Council of Europe.
The report also notes that in most prisons, cells and dormitories were infested with bedbugs and cockroaches, were often cold and damp or even mouldy, and had leaking roofs and ceilings.
CPT also stated that sanitary facilities were regularly out of order, and there was insufficient access to hot water or heating.
In addition, around 230 detainees at the Lisbon prison in Portugal protested for better conditions at the beginning of May, refusing to return to their cells without speaking with the prison director.
The demonstration occurred due to unsanitary conditions in the establishment.
More recently, in a rare move, prison staff across Belgium began a nationwide strike on 11 May, protesting against severe overcrowding, rising violence and heavy workloads.
Belgian prisons currently hold 13,733 inmates, despite having an official capacity of just 11,064 places.
Authorities say 754 prisoners are sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
However, this problem is not limited to just these two member states.
In 2024, 13 countries reported overcrowded cells, while 14 countries had "empty cells".
The highest rates of overcrowding in the EU were observed in Cyprus, Slovenia, and France, while the lowest rates were found in Estonia, Lithuania, and Luxembourg.
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