Between 1 January and 15 September 2020, the incarceration rate decreased by 4.6% in 35 prison administrations, reveals a report on the “Evaluation of the short-term impact of the Covid-19 on prison populations” conducted for the Council of Europe. The latter analysis is part of a four-part study (https://bit.ly/3pim4GT ): - before the pandemic (1 January); - at the end of the first month of lockdown (April 15); - at the end of lockdown (June 15); - at the end of the summer (September 15).
While the downward trend noted in the first three reports was reversed during the summer in the prison administrations of 12 countries, it remained stable in 22 countries and was even confirmed in Bulgaria and Montenegro.
This general downward trend since January is explained by the release of prisoners under preventive measures against Covid-19 (143,000 in 25 administrations, including 111,000 in Turkey), but this is not the only reason, says Professor Marcelo Aebi, director of the study (University of Lausanne), who also cites the decrease in both crime and activity in the penal system due to lockdown.
The study also states that at least 3,300 inmates and 5,100 prison officers have been infected in 38 European prison administrations. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)