Incarceration rate in European countries in 2021
The country with the lowest incarceration rate in this year was Liechtenstein, which had 30.7 people in prison for every 100,000 inhabitants.
The United States leads the world in total number of people incarcerated, with more than 2 million prisoners nationwide (per data released in October 2021 by World Prison Brief).
The Benefits of Norway's Prison System
The most profound benefit: Norway has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world. Only 20% of Norway's formerly incarcerated population commit another crime within two years of release. Even after five years, the recidivism rate is only 25%.
Norway's prison system houses approximately three thousand offenders. Norway's prison system is renowned as one of the most effective and humane in the world. Norway does not instate capital punishment or life imprisonment.
Those with the highest proportions of female prisoners (excluding some very small jurisdictions) are Hong Kong-China (19.7%), Qatar (14.7%), Macau-China (14.1%), Laos (13.7%), Myanmar (12.3%), Vietnam (12.1%), Brunei Darussalam (11.9%), and the United Arab Emirates (11.7%).
In Victoria, 43.6% of prisoners released during 2018–19 returned to prison within two years (to 2020–21). This rate is slightly lower than the Australian rate of 45.2%. The Northern Territory had the highest rate at 58.9%, and South Australia had the lowest rate at 33.2%.
Norway is an extremely cold country that has long winters, so this is one of the reasons for this country's lower crime rate. Statistics reveal that Norway typically has fewer than 30 murders per year. This country also has strict gun laws, including the types of weapons that are used for hunting and sports.
Norway has consistently ranked number one on a number of lists entailing the best, most comfortable prisons in the world. Since the 1990s, Norway's prison system has evolved into spaces that represent comfort, healing and inclusivity.
Bastoy Prison, Norway
The Bastoy Prison, 46 miles southeast of the nation's capital, is home to no more than 100 murderers and rapists. The prison complex offers recreational opportunities like fishing, tennis instruction, and horseback riding. Prisoners live in cottages and work on luxuriant farms.
The short summary of the Norwegian prison system is that it focuses on rehabilitation the inmates, not punishing them. Their punishment is the loss of freedom, so they will still be treated like humans, and have access to basic needs and some entertainment.
Aside from Fangelsið Akureyri, which is in the northern city of Akureyri, prisons in Iceland are all located in the southwest end of the country. This includes the oldest prison, Hegningarhúsið, which is located in downtown Reykjavík. This roughly corresponds with the country's population centres.
Australian Crime Case Dropped By 4% over 2020-21
The latest up-to-date ABS crime figures show Australia is getting safer over time. In 2020-21, the Australian police department prosecuted 359,975 criminals, a considerable decline from the previous year's 413,025 prosecutions (by 4%).
Iceland takes the GPI crown for the safest country in the world, followed by New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, and Austria in the top five. But what exactly makes these 12 countries so safe?
Overall, the national homicide rate has dropped steadily from a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 people in 1992-93 to 0.82 in 2020-21 – a decrease of 55% over nearly 30 years. When it comes to the type of homicides occurring in Australia, domestic killings were the most common in 2020-21, accounting for about 36% of incidents.
Of the factors associated with recidivism, the three strongest relationships were with age, prior prison admissions, and problematic substance use. Over half of sentenced prisoners released in 2008/09 and 2009/10 were identified as having highly problematic substance use.
Crime agency annual figures show total property offences among 10 to 14-year-olds particularly increased, jumping 47.8 per cent from 2081 to 3076 last year. Offences against a person – such as an assault – rose 27 per cent for the youngest age group, up from 1705 to 2165 in the same period.
1. Halden Prison, Norway. Best Jail to once visit as it's great to be a criminal in Norway, with luxurious, fully-furnished cells that feature televisions and freezers. Also, many of the guards at Halden Prison are not even armed!
A. Women and Jail (p. 340) • Females comprise only 12.7% of the jail population but are the largest growth group in jails nationwide. Pregnancy, drug abuse, and low educational levels are significant sources of difficulty for jailed women and substantive medical programs for female inmates are often lacking.