| Country | Italy |
|---|
| Ministry responsible |
Ministry of Justice
|
|---|---|
| Prison administration |
Department of Prison Administration
|
| Contact address |
Largo Luigi Daga 2, I-00164 ROME, Italy
|
| Telephone |
+39 06 66 59 13 21
|
| Fax |
+39 06 66 16 51 39
|
| Website | |
| Head of prison administration (and title) | Santi Consolo
Head of the Department of Prison Administration
|
| Prison population total (including pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners) | 61 758
at 31.8.2024 (Ministry of Justice - not including those in institutions for minors, of whom there were 409 at 30.6.2019)
|
|---|---|
| Prison population rate (per 100,000 of national population) | 105
based on an estimated national population of 58.98 million at end of August 2024 (from Eurostat figures)
|
| Pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners (percentage of prison population) | 25.5%
(31.8.2024 - not including those in institutions for minors)
|
| Female prisoners (percentage of prison population) | 4.3%
(31.8.2024 - not including those in institutions for minors)
|
| Juveniles / minors / young prisoners incl. definition (percentage of prison population) | 0.3%
(30.6.2019 - under 18; including those in institutions for minors)
|
| Foreign prisoners (percentage of prison population) | 31.6%
(31.8.2024 - not including those in institutions for minors)
|
| Number of establishments / institutions | 206
(2020 - 189 penal institutions for adults, 17 for minors)
|
| Official capacity of prison system | 51 734
(31.8.2024 - not including those in institutions for minors)
|
| Occupancy level (based on official capacity) | 121.3%
(31.8.2024 - not including those in institutions for minors)
|
| Prison population trend (year, prison population total, prison population rate) |
|
|---|
Physical and mental illness prevalent in Italian prisons
Suicide rate growing in Italy jails: Report
Senate gives final approval to jail over-crowding decree
Italy court strikes down drug law blamed for prison crowding
Italy: 13,000 prison inmates from Muslim countries
Pages
- Pre-trial/remand prison population: trend
- Female prison population: trend
- Prison population trend up to 2000
Pre-trial/remand prison population: trend
The table below gives an indication of the recent trend in the pre-trial/remand prison population. The final row shows the latest figures available.
It consists of the number of pre-trial/remand prisoners in the prison population on a single date in the year (or the annual average) and the percentage of the total prison population that pre-trial/remand prisoners constituted on that day.
The final column shows the pre-trial/remand population rate per 100,000 of the national population.
ITALY
Year | Number in | Percentage | Pre-trial/remand |
2000 | 23,456 | 43.4% | 41 |
2024 | 15,734 | 25.5% | 27 |
Note. These figures do not include minors held in ‘custodia cautelare’ in ‘istituti penali per minorenni’.
It should be noted that the number of pre-trial/remand prisoners fluctuates from day to day, month to month and year to year. Consequently the above figures give an indication of the trend but the picture is inevitably incomplete.
The pre-trial/remand population rate is calculated on the basis of the national population total. All national population figures are inevitably estimates but the estimates used in the World Prison Brief are based on official national figures, United Nations figures or figures from other recognised international authorities.
Female prison population: trend
The table below gives an indication of the trend in the female prison population. The final row shows the latest figures available.
It consists of the number of female prisoners in the prison population on a single date in the year (or the annual average) and the percentage of the total prison population that female prisoners constituted on that day.
The final column shows the female prison population rate per 100,000 of the national population.
ITALY
Year | Number of | Percentage | Female prison |
2000 | 2,235 | 4.2% | 3.9 |
2024 | 2,686 | 4.3% | 4.6 |
The number of female prisoners fluctuates and so the above figures give an indication of the trend but the picture is inevitably incomplete.
The female prison population rate is calculated on the basis of the national population total. All national population figures are inevitably estimates but the estimates used in the World Prison Brief are based on official national figures, United Nations figures or figures from other recognised international authorities.
(If the rate were calculated on the basis of the number of females in the national population it would of course be approximately double the figure in the final column).
Prison population trend up to 2000
The figures below give an indication of the prison population trend in the years up to 2000. They supplement the more recent figures that are shown at the foot of the Overview page and in the graphs below.
ITALY
|
Year |
Prison |
Prison population rate |
|
1933 |
53,389 |
126 |