Portugal: Prisoners spend most time in prison

Lisbon: Portugal is the European country where prisoners spend the most time in prison, with periods exceeding two years on average. It is among the countries with the oldest prison populations and the one with the fewest young inmates.

The data comes from SPACE I, the Council of Europe’s annual report on criminal statistics, released today. It indicates that Portugal ranks first in the list of longest average detention periods.

The longest periods were recorded in Portugal (data for 2023), where the average detention period is 31.1 months; in Azerbaijan, where it was 29.7 months; in Moldova, where it was 25.6 months; and in Romania, where it was 25.5 months. In contrast, Bulgaria stands out, with an average prison stay of 3.9 months, Germany at 4.2 months, and Croatia and Northern Ireland at 5.2 months.

Compared to the 2021 data, the average detention period increased, reaching 30.6 months that year, with Portugal also occupying the top spot.

One explanation for this situation in Portuguese prisons, the Council of Europe admitted in its report, may lie in the limited use of short sentences, which may have resulted in “a feeling of obligation” on the part of courts to “apply longer sentences, especially when they consider imprisonment necessary, such as in cases of recidivism.”

The document also reveals that Portugal has a low admission rate, but the prison population remains above average, “possibly due to longer average sentences or the limited use of alternatives to imprisonment.” This reality, the Council of Europe admits, increases the risk of overcrowding over time.

Regarding the age of prisoners, the percentage of inmates between the ages of 18 and 25 in 2024 was 6.2%—the lowest figure in Europe. The Czech Republic and Poland follow with 7.7%, and the country with the most young people in prison is Sweden, with 28%.

On the other hand, Portugal ranks third among the countries with the most prisoners between the ages of 50 and 64, with 21%. It is ahead of Slovakia, with 25%, and Italy, with 24%. Furthermore, 4.1% of the prison population in Portugal is over 65, still far behind Croatia, which has the most prisoners over 65—9.8%.