| Country | Namibia |
|---|
| Ministry responsible |
Ministry of Safety and Security
|
|---|---|
| Prison administration |
Namibia Correctional Service
|
| Contact address |
Private Bag 13281, Windhoek, Namibia
|
| Telephone |
+264 61 284 6219
|
| Fax |
+264 61 223606
|
| Website | |
|
info@ncs.gov.na
| |
| Head of prison administration (and title) | Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela
Commissioner-General
|
| Prison population total (including pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners) | Circa
8 900
at 2021/22 (Office of the Inspector General of Police and national prison administration - 4,804 pre-trial detainees in police custody at July 2021, 4,087 in prisons at February 2022) (N.B. The trend information at the foot of this page and in the graphs does not include pre-trial detainees in police custody.)
|
|---|---|
| Prison population rate (per 100,000 of national population) | Circa
318
based on an estimated national population of 2.8 million at late 2021 (from United Nations figures)
|
| Pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners (percentage of prison population) | 54.0%
2021/22
|
| Female prisoners (percentage of prison population) | 2.9%
(February 2022 - not including those in police custody)
|
| Juveniles / minors / young prisoners incl. definition (percentage of prison population) | 0.1%
(February 2022 - under 18; not including those in police custody)
|
| Foreign prisoners (percentage of prison population) | 8.9%
(February 2022 - not including those in police custody)
|
| Number of establishments / institutions | 13
(2019 - the number of prisons)
|
| Official capacity of prison system | 5 424
(February 2022 - capacity of the prisons)
|
| Occupancy level (based on official capacity) | 75.4%
(February 2022 - occupancy level in the prisons)
|
| Prison population trend (year, prison population total, prison population rate) |
|
|---|
Extra-long prison terms ruled unconstitutional
Namibia: Supreme Court Weighs Up Extra-Long Prison Terms
Convicted offenders entitled to privileges in prison
Prisons release board hits the ground running
Community service for prisoners comes to Windhoek
Pages
US State Department Human Rights Country Report 2013: Namibia
Southern Africa Litigation Centre
- 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.
NAMIBIA
Year | Number in | Percentage | Pre-trial/remand |
2001 | 250 | 5.2% | 13 |
2013 | c. 3,720 | c. 49.4% | c. 158 |
N.B. In this table the figures above the line do not include pre-trial prisoners detained in police holding cells. Those below the line include all pre-trial/remand prisoners
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.
NAMIBIA
Year | Number of | Percentage | Female prison |
2000 | 104 | 2.1% | 5.4 |
2022 | 118 | 2.9% | 4.2 |
N.B. The figures in this table do not include pre-trial prisoners detained in police holding cells.
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.
NAMIBIA
|
Year |
Prison |
Prison population rate |
|
1992 |
2,711 |
176 |
N.B. The figures in this table do not include pre-trial prisoners detained in police holding cells.