According to the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations for 2022, Georgia ranks second among the CoE’s 46 member states in terms of prison population. The figures were presented as ratios, percentages, and rates per 100,000 inhabitants.
Key Findings of the SPACE I survey
Although a smaller population naturally results in a lower nominal number of prisoners, Georgia still stands out with 237 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest rates in Europe.
The report notes that a wide variety of factors can influence prison population rates, these factors are interconnected, and that their influences are complex and multi-layered. One of such factors, the report says is that “countries with harsher penalties—such as mandatory minimum sentences, long sentences for certain crimes, or few alternatives to incarceration—should have higher incarceration rates. Conversely, in systems where judges have more flexibility in sentencing, they might choose more frequently options like probation or community service instead of prison sentences.”
Furthermore, Georgia has the highest average age of prisoners among countries, with over one million inhabitants, at 44 years old, compared to the European average of 38 years old.
According to the Council of Europe, the percentage of female prisoners in Georgia is 3.3%, which is lower than the European average of 5.4%.
Approximately 24% of Georgia’s prison population is serving drug-related sentences. That’s nearly one in four inmates.
Despite its high prison population, Georgia has a relatively low percentage of inmates serving sentences of less than six months, at 0.6%. This suggests that Georgia’s criminal justice system may prioritize longer sentences or have different sentencing practices compared to other European nations. The average length of imprisonment in European countries is about 11.2 months, with a median of 8.5 months. Georgia exceeds this range with an average length of imprisonment of 14 months.
The Council of Europe excluded territories not under government control when calculating rates per 100,000 inhabitants for countries like Georgia, whose territories are under Russian occupation. Using general population figures as a proxy, this approach may introduce some inaccuracies.
Also Read:
- 18/04/2023 – Explainer | Why Has the Number of Strasbourg Cases Against Georgia Decreased Since 2012?
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