Nota: La página que ha solicitado no está en su idioma predeterminado. Usted está usando nuestra plataforma en otro idioma ahora.

Prisons in Italy - statistics and facts

Italy's prison population was 57,749 as of July 2023. Nonetheless, the operational capacity of Italian prisons was about 51,285 inmates. Prison overcrowding is a serious concern in the country, with some of the facilities recording an overcrowding rate of more than 180 percent. For instance, a prison located in the Southern town of Taranto, in the region of Apulia, was occupied at 196.4 percent of its capacity in the most recent data, representing the most overcrowded penal institute in Italy. Moreover, the number of inmates constantly increased from 2020 to 2023.

Demographics of prisoners

The most common crimes committed by inmates of both genders in Italy are drug crimes, robbery, and theft. 2022 demographic data on the prison population in Italy show that prisoners aged between 50 and 59 years make up the largest group of detainees, with over 10,500 individuals. In regards to educational level, the largest group of prisoners hold a lower secondary school degree, namely a middle school certification. On the other hand, inmates with a professional school degree or a university degree represent the smallest incarcerated population. Although women are a small fraction of all prisoners, there are a considerable number of mothers living in prisons with their children. In November 2023, there were 22 mothers with 23 children in prisons in Italy.

Suicide and the status of prisoners

In addition to overcrowding, several problems affect Italian penal institutes. The number of suicides among prisoners has brought attention to the mental health status of detainees. Between 2000 and 2022, the number of prisoners who who took their life peaked in 2022 at 84. Despite a slight decrease in 2019, the number of suicides has increased almost constantly in the following years. The number of attempted suicides has also grown over the past few years. A further problem of the Italian prison system is the tough conditions for Mafia prisoners. In 2019, the European court of human rights (ECHR) ruled that the Italian prison system for Mafia inmates must be reviewed, as the conditions under which they are serving their sentence violates their human rights.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 31, 2024

Key insights

Prison population in Italy
57.749
Most common crime leading to incarceration in Italy
Property crime
Number of crimes in Italy
2.26m
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Prison population and capacity in Italy as of July 2023

Fraud & Identity Theft

Prison population and capacity in Italy 2023

Prison population in Italy as of 2023, by crime type

Fraud & Identity Theft

Prison population in Italy 2023, by crime type

Total number of crimes in Italy from 2014 to 2022

Property Crime

Total number of crimes in Italy 2014-2022

Related topics

Recommended

4

Recommended statistics

Overview

3

Overview

Prison population

4

Prison population

Mothers, minors, and foreigners

6

Mothers, minors, and foreigners

Fatalities in prison

4

Fatalities in prison

Overcrowding

5

Overcrowding

Hard prison regime

4

Hard prison regime

Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Meredith Alda
Meredith Alda
Sales Manager– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Group Director - LATAM– Contact (Latin America)
Email
latam@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu