Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
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.
