Introduction
The World Prison Population List gives details of the
number of prisoners held in 211 independent countries
and dependent territories. It shows the differences in
the level of imprisonment across the world and makes
possible an estimate of the world prison population
total. The information is the latest available at the end of
February 2005.
This is the sixth edition of the List. Previous editions
were published by the Research and Statistics
Directorate of the UK Home Office. ICPS is happy to
continue this work, which complements the information
which it already publishes and updates regularly on
the World Prison Brief section of its website
www.
prisonstudies.org.
It has been compiled, like previous editions, from a
variety of sources. In almost all cases the original
source is the national prison administration of the
country concerned, or else the Ministry responsible for
the prison administration. Most figures relate to dates
between mid-2002 and the end of February 2005. Since
prison population rates (per 100,000 of the national
population) are based on estimates of the national
population they should not be regarded as precise. In
order to compare prison population rates in different
regions of the world, and to estimate the number
of persons held in prison in the countries for which
information is not available, median rates have been
used because they minimise the effect of countries with
rates that are untypically high or low.
The List has a number of weaknesses. Figures are
not available for eleven countries and the information
does not relate to the same date. Comparability is
further compromised by different practice in different
countries, for example with regard to whether all pretrial
detainees and juveniles are held under the authority
of the prison administration, and also whether the
prison administration is responsible for psychiatrically ill
offenders and offenders being detained for treatment for
alcoholism and drug addiction. People held in custody
are usually omitted from national totals if they are not
under the authority of the prison administration.
Despite its limitations it is hoped that the World Prison
Population List will be found useful by academic
criminologists who are studying the use of imprisonment
world-wide and by non-governmental organisations who
are interested in variations in criminal justice practice.
The data - for all its imperfections - may prompt fresh
thought among policy makers and other criminal justice
experts about the size of the prison population in their
country, given the high costs and disputed efficacy of
imprisonment.
