Once again, we Americans have outdone ourselves. Not only have we retained our top ranking as the most incarcerated nation on Earth, we've broken our old record and created an even more glaring disparity. We've managed to incarcerate even more of our citizens per capita than ever before, surpassing South Africa, Cuba, and Russia.
From the 2005 World Prison Population List:
"Introduction
The World Prison Population List gives details of the number of prisoners held in 211 independent countries and dependent territories. It shows the differences in the level of imprisonment across the world and makes possible an estimate of the world prison population total. The information is the latest available at the end of February 2005.
This is the sixth edition of the List. Previous editions were published by the Research and Statistics Directorate of the UK Home Office. ICPS is happy to continue this work, which complements the information which it already publishes and updates regularly on the World Prison Brief section of its website www.prisonstudies.org.
It has been compiled, like previous editions, from a variety of sources. In almost all cases the original source is the national prison administration of the country concerned, or else the Ministry responsible for the prison administration. Most figures relate to dates between mid-2002 and the end of February 2005. Since prison population rates (per 100,000 of the national
population) are based on estimates of the national population they should not be regarded as precise. In order to compare prison population rates in different regions of the world, and to estimate the number of persons held in prison in the countries for which information is not available, median rates have been used because they minimise the effect of countries with rates that are untypically high or low.
The List has a number of weaknesses. Figures are not available for eleven countries and the information does not relate to the same date. Comparability is further compromised by different practice in different countries, for example with regard to whether all pretrial detainees and juveniles are held under the authority of the prison administration, and also whether the prison administration is responsible for psychiatrically ill offenders and offenders being detained for treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction. People held in custody are usually omitted from national totals if they are not under the authority of the prison administration.
Despite its limitations it is hoped that the World Prison Population List will be found useful by academic criminologists who are studying the use of imprisonment world-wide and by non-governmental organisations who are interested in variations in criminal justice practice. The data – for all its imperfections – may prompt fresh thought among policy makers and other criminal justice experts about the size of the prison population in their country, given the high costs and disputed efficacy of imprisonment.
Key points
- Over 9 million people are held in penal institutions throughout the world, mostly as pre-trial detainees (remand prisoners) or having been convicted and sentenced. Almost half of these are in the United States (2.09m), China (1.55m plus pretrial detainees and prisoners in ‘administrative detention’) or Russia (0.76m).
- The United States has the highest prison population rate in the world, some 714 per 100,000 of the national population, followed by Belarus, Bermuda and Russia (all 532), Palau (523), U.S. Virgin Islands (490), Turkmenistan (489), Cuba (487), Suriname (437), Cayman Islands (429), Belize (420), Ukraine (417), Maldive Islands (416), St Kitts and Nevis (415), South Africa (413) and Bahamas (410).
- However, almost three fifths of countries (58%) have rates below 150 per 100,000. (The rate in England and Wales - 142 per 100,000 of the national population - is above the mid-point in the World List.)
- Prison population rates vary considerably between different regions of the world, and between different parts of the same continent. For example:
• in Africa the median rate for western African countries is 52 whereas for southern African countries it is 324;
• in the Americas the median rate for south American countries is 152 whereas for Caribbean countries it is 324;
• in Asia the median rate for south central Asian countries (mainly the Indian sub-continent) is 55 whereas for (ex-Soviet) central Asian countries it is 386;
• in Europe the median rate for southern European countries is 80 whereas for central and eastern European countries it is 184;
• in Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) the median rate is 111.
- Prison populations are growing in many parts of the world. Updated information on countries included in previous editions of the World Prison Population List shows that prison populations have risen in 73% of these countries (in 64% of countries in Africa, 79% in the Americas, 88% in Asia, 69% in Europe and 69% in Oceania)."
Source:
International Centre for Prison Studies
King’s College London – School of Law
3rd Floor
26-29 Drury Lane
London WC2B 5RL
Tel: 00 44 (0)20 7848 1922
Fax: 00 44 (0)20 7848 1901
