Armenia among countries with highest percentages of pre-trial detainees
The total number of inmates was 2,120 persons in Armenia last year, according to the Council of Europe’s Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations for 2022, released today.
Not taking into account countries with less than one million inhabitants, the lowest incarceration rates were found in the prison administrations of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (49), Finland (50), the Netherlands (54), Norway (56), Cyprus (66), Slovenia (66), Germany (67), Denmark (71), Armenia (72), Switzerland (72), Sweden (76), and Ireland (76).
From 31 January 2021 to 31 January 2022, the median incarceration rate grew by 2.3% in countries exceeding one million inhabitants. The prison administrations where the incarceration rate grew the most were Slovenia (+23%), Finland (+15%), France (+15%), Northern Ireland (UK) (+13%), Montenegro (+12%), Croatia (+10%), Türkiye (+9.2%), Sweden (+8.2%), Albania (+8.2%), Hungary (+7.9%), Armenia (+7.9%), Latvia (+7.3%), Romania (+6.5%), Poland (+6.1%), North Macedonia (+5.8%), and Denmark (+5.5%). Of the prison administrations of countries with a population exceeding one million inhabitants, only those of Bulgaria (-8%), Estonia (-6.3%) and Germany (-5.5%) reported a noteworthy decrease in their incarceration rates.
No information on average age of inmates in Armenia is available in the report.
Armenia was ranked among the countries with the lowest number of female inmates (2.9%, 62 female prisoners).
There were 104 foreigners among inmates in Armenia (5% of all the prison population).
In countries of more than one million inhabitants, the prison administrations with the highest percentages of pre-trial detainees were Albania (58%), Armenia (57%), Switzerland (45%), the Netherlands (43%), Montenegro (41%), Northern Ireland (UK) (41%), Denmark (38%), Belgium (36%), Ukraine (36%), Croatia (34%), Malta (33%), Italy (30%), Scotland (UK) (30%), Serbia (28%) and France (28%).
The prison administrations with the lowest percentages of pre-trial detainees were Czech Republic (7.4%), North Macedonia (11%), Lithuania (11%), Romania (12%), Poland (12%), Türkiye (13%), Slovak Republic (14%), Spain (State administration) (16%) and England and Wales (UK) (16%).
There is no information in the report about the length of imprisonment in Armenia.