Overcrowded And Overstretched: Europe’s Prison Systems Face Growing Strain

France and Turkey report the highest levels of prison overcrowding among Council of Europe member states, with 131 inmates per 100 places. Recent data indicates French prison overcrowding reached 139.1 percent in April 2026. Across the studied countries, there was an 8.5 percent year-on-year increase in inmates, totaling over 1.1 million by January 2025, with a slight rise in the proportion of women prisoners.