World Prison Occupancy Rates by Country

Treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of civilization of any country.
Sir Winston Churchill
Speech to House of Commons, July 20, 1910

Think of a bird in a very small cage. The cage is just big enough that the bird can stay alive but not necessarily healthy. Now, as a matter of policy, let's jam another bird into the cage...and sometimes two or three or four. Essentially, that's what is happening to thousands of prisoners in the U.S. and throughout the world.

Using data visualization, we can focus on the issue of prison occupancy throughout the world. We should keep in mind that occupancy is a legal term and an occupancy rate is determined by the building's designed capacity.

Examples of prison occupancy rates include Grenada's 375%, Zambia's 331% and Bangladesh's 316%. Occupancy in the U.S. is 107% and England 113%.

Thanks to the International Centre for Prison Studies of King’s College London who maintains the excellent online World Prison Brief.]]>