Turkey’s prison population is the highest in Europe, as revealed by the 2022 Council of Europe (CoE) Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations report, also known as SPACE I.
The report, based on data from January 2022, indicates that the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions has led to a resurgence in prison populations across Europe. Out of the total 981,575 inmates in European jails as of 31 January 2022, Turkey accounted for the highest number with 330,945 prisoners. England and Wales, Poland, France, Germany, and Italy followed Turkey on the list.
The report shows Turkey has surpassed all other European countries in terms of the rate of increase of the prison population between 2005 and 2022. During this period, Turkey witnessed a surge of 369 percent. Albania, Serbia, and Greece also experienced increases in their prison populations, while Estonia, Latvia, and the Netherlands saw notable decreases.
When considering the data in proportion to the population, Turkey once again was highest, with 355 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants. Georgia, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Albania, the Czech Republic, and Latvia closely trail Turkey in this regard.
Prison density is another concern highlighted in the report, with European countries witnessing a 4.8 percent increase from 87.4 to 91.6 prisoners per 100 places between January 2021 and January 2022. Romania, Cyprus, France, Belgium, Turkey, Greece, and Italy were identified as countries with the most severe overcrowding.
The report also provides insights into the offences for which individuals were incarcerated. Drug-related offences account for the highest proportion at 19 percent, followed by theft, murder or attempted murder, robbery, assault and battery, non-rape sexual offences, rape, traffic offences, and economic and financial crimes.
Despite the alarming figures, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has allocated 8.7 billion Turkish Lira for the construction of 36 new prisons over the next four years, further exacerbating Turkey’s already high incarceration rate. With the opening of 20 new prisons this year, the number of Turkish penal institutions will reach 419, compared to 399 as of January 2023.
