January 18, 2006: England & Wales Top European Imprisonment Table

England and Wales have the highest rate of imprisonment amongst all western European countries, according to figures published by the Howard League for Penal Reform. As part of a series of events to mark their 140th anniversary, the charity has published international imprisonment league tables which show that:

• England and Wales imprison a higher percentage of their population than any other western European country.
• They have a rate of imprisonment 50% higher than comparable countries such as France, Germany and Italy, and almost double that of Scandinavian countries.
• They have more children and young people in prison than any western European country, and are behind only Turkey and Ukraine.
• There are many more women in prison in England and Wales than in France, Italy or Germany, even though each of these countries has a higher population than England and Wales.

Howard League director Frances Crook commented:

“Not only do we send a higher proportion of our own citizens to prison than any other western European country, we also trump Turkey, Armenia and Bulgaria in the imprisonment stakes. Is this really where we want to be? We have to end this country’s obsession with custody. Prison should be reserved for serious and dangerous offenders. If we are to end the seemingly indiscriminate use of prison then the government has to promote positive efforts to deal with crime, such as community sentences, which make people take responsibility for their offending and live a law-abiding life.”