According to the annual report published today by the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE), spending per inmate in European prisons has decreased during the economic crisis, and this has likely caused a negative impact on the quality of life of persons in custody. On the other hand, the crisis has not had a significant effect on the number of individuals in custody, although there has been a minor reduction in prison overcrowding.
Conclusions point out as well that the analysis of recent trends for the period lasting from 2007 to 2013 showed a small change in the structure of custodial populations across Europe, with the drug offenders becoming the largest category of sentenced inmates in European prisons.
