Moldova was among the five countries in Europe with the highest number of prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants.

The data are given in the Council of Europe report on prisons and prisoners for 2023. Over the year this indicator increased one and a half times – from 159.1 to 251.9.

The largest number of prisoners per 100,000 population is in Turkey – 408.4, Georgia – 256.1, Azerbaijan – 243.9, Moldova – 241.9 and Hungary – 210.7. In neighbouring Ukraine and Romania the coefficient is 116.2 and 120.9. It is lowest in Liechtenstein – 15.1, and the median in the Council of Europe countries – 106.5.

 

If we compare the data for 2022 and 2023, we can see that Moldova’s prisoner rate has increased sharply. However, this has a statistical explanation. A lawyer from the Promo-LEX human rights organisation, Nicoleta Hriplivii, told NM that the compilers of the 2022 report derived the ratio based on a population of about 4 million people, although the real number of Moldovans is much smaller. The 2023 report was based on a more realistic figure of 2.5 million people, which explains the sharp increase in the coefficient.

“If you compare the current report with the previous one, you might get the impression that the situation has worsened, but it has, on the contrary, improved slightly,” the lawyer said.

The report singles out the categories of offences committed in a separate column. 22.1 per cent of prisoners are in prison for murder or attempted murder, 9.1 per cent for theft and drug offences. In Council of Europe countries, the median proportion of murderers and attempted murderers is 12.8 per cent, with the highest rate in Albania at 31.4 per cent.

 

The median proportion of women among prisoners is 5 per cent, and in Moldova it is 5.4 per cent. In most countries, the rate is not particularly different from the median. Andorra has the highest proportion of women prisoners at 11.5 per cent, Iceland at 9.9 per cent and Cyprus at 9.2 per cent.

In terms of the ratio of prisoners per prison officer, Moldova is also at the top of the list, with a ratio of 2.4. Above Moldova are only Turkey (4.5), Georgia and North Macedonia (2.7 each), and Cyprus (2.6). As noted by human rights activists, when this coefficient is high, it leads to an increased workload for prison staff, and also favours co-operation agreements between the prison administration and the so-called authorities among prisoners.

Source: rupor.md