The number of people deprived of liberty in the world continues to remain high in recent years. According to international studies, the total number of people currently held in prisons on our planet is around 9.4 million.
Modern.az reports that these data are based on statistics provided by the "Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research".
This figure is not only an indicator of the criminal situation, but also a kind of mirror of countries' legal systems, social policies, and governance models.
Which countries have the most prisoners?
According to global statistics, large states are at the top of the list in terms of the number of people in prison.
The list is headed by China. This country has 1.95 million prisoners. The United States of America comes in second on the list. According to official data, approximately 1.73 million people are reported to be in prison in the country.
Other countries included in the top "ten" are:
Brazil — 664 thousand
India — 448 thousand
_nRussia — 356 thousand
Turkey - 246 thousand
Thailand - 230 thousand
Indonesia - 199 thousand
Mexico - 172 thousand
Iran - 162 thousand
This picture shows that a high number of prisoners is directly related not only to the level of crime, but also to the punitive policies applied by states.
Although Russia, Iran, and Turkey are in the top "ten" in terms of the number of prisoners, the indicators are also high in other countries of the region. For example, the number of prisoners in Georgia and Armenia is significantly higher in proportion to the population. In Georgia, 10,523 people are in prison, and in Armenia, 2,469 people.
Studies show that not all those in prison are convicted persons. A significant portion of them are persons for whom no court decision has yet been issued. According to statistics, approximately 30% of those currently in prison are under investigation, and the share of female prisoners is 6-7%. At the same time, on average, there are 140-150 prisoners per 100,000 people.
More than 9.5 million people in prison reflects a serious social reality on a global scale. This indicator reveals the state not only of the law enforcement system, but of societies as a whole. Experts believe that in the future, many countries will move away from strict punitive policies and give more preference to rehabilitation and reintegration models.
