27 June 2023

Cyprus has the second highest prison density in Europe, according to the Council of Europe’s Annual Penal Statistics for 2022 (SPACE I), released on Tuesday,

The report highlights that among women inmates, Cyprus has the highest proportion (9.5%) in prison administrations with more than 1 million inhabitants. Additionally, Cyprus ranks third in terms of prison administrations with the highest proportions of foreign inmates (52% in countries with more than 1 million inhabitants).

As of January 31, 2022, the total number of inmates in Cyprus, including pre-trial detainees, was 808. The ratio of inmates per staff member in Cyprus was 2.0, slightly higher than the average of 1.5.

The report also provides statistics on different types of offences in Cyprus. Drug offences accounted for 20% of the prison population, followed by homicide (11.7%), including attempted homicide, and theft (5.2%).

Another notable finding is that Cyprus has the lowest average length of imprisonment, standing at 1.3 months.

Overcrowding

Regarding prison overcrowding, Cyprus ranks second in Europe. The report states that prison density across Europe increased by 4.8% from January 2021 to January 2022. Prison administrations reporting a density of more than 105 inmates per 100 places, indicating severe overcrowding, include Romania (124 inmates per 100 places), Cyprus (118), France (115), Belgium (115), Turkey (113), Greece (108), and Italy (107). The average prison density across Europe was 84.8.

Gender

In terms of women inmates in Europe, the report indicates that 5 out of 100 inmates were women as of January 31, 2022. Among prison administrations in countries with more than 1 million inhabitants, Cyprus had the highest proportion of women inmates (9.5%), followed by Malta (8.6%), Latvia (8.4%), Czech Republic (8.1%), Hungary (7.6%), Slovak Republic (7.3%), Finland (7.2%), Spain (State administration, 7.2%), and Portugal (7%).

Foreign inmates

Regarding foreign inmates in Europe, the survey reveals that 16% of the prison population were foreigners as of January 31, 2022. Countries with the highest proportions of foreign inmates in prison administrations with more than 1 million inhabitants were Switzerland (70%), Greece (59%), Cyprus (52%), Austria (49%), Malta (49%), Catalonia (Spain, 48%), Belgium (43%), Estonia (33%), Italy (31%), Slovenia (29%), Denmark (27%), Spain (State administration, 27%), and Germany (26%). On the other hand, prison administrations with the lowest percentage of foreign inmates were Romania (1%), the Republic of Moldova (1.4%), and Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1.4%).

Offences

In terms of offences, the report states that drug offences remained the most common main conviction among prisoners, accounting for 19% of the prison population. Other significant offences include theft (15%), homicide or attempted homicide (14%), robbery (10.8%), assault and battery (10.3%), sexual offences excluding rape (6%), rape (5%), road traffic offences (4.6%), and economic or financial crimes (3.9%). In Cyprus, the percentages were 20.0% for drug offences, 11.7% for homicide including attempts, and 5.2% for theft.

Incarceration rates

For incarceration rates (number of inmates per 100,000 inhabitants), the report indicates that on January 31, 2022, there were 981,575 inmates across the 48 prison administrations of Council of Europe member states that participated in the survey. The countries with the highest incarceration rates were Turkey (355 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants), Georgia (237), and Azerbaijan (217). Among prison administrations in countries with more than 1 million inhabitants, Cyprus had one of the lowest incarceration rates, with 66 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants, along with Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 49), Finland (50), the Netherlands (54), Norway (56), Slovenia (66), and Germany (67).

From January 31, 2021, to January 31, 2022, the median incarceration rate increased by 2.3% in countries with more than 1 million inhabitants. The prison administrations with the most significant growth in the incarceration rate were Slovenia (+23%), Finland (+15%), and France (+15%). In Cyprus, there was a decrease of 1.4%.

Furthermore, the median average length of imprisonment across European prison administrations was 8.5 months. Among prison administrations in countries with more than 1 million inhabitants, the highest average length of imprisonment was observed in Portugal (30.6 months), Ukraine (27.9), and the Republic of Moldova (27.7). Cyprus had one of the lowest average lengths of imprisonment at 1.3 months, along with Switzerland (1.8) and Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3.6).

Age of prisoners

Lastly, approximately 16.5% of all inmates were over 50 years of age, with Italy having the highest proportion (28%) of inmates in that age group. Around 3% of all inmates were 65 years or older, and North Macedonia had the highest proportion (8.3%) of inmates in that age category. In Cyprus, 14.7% of inmates were aged 50 or over, and 2.7% were aged 65 or over.