Prisoners
In 2024, the total number of persons held in Czech prisons was 19,430, of whom 8% were in pre-trial detention. The average length of pre-trial detention rose from 141 days in 2021 to 169 days in 2024. During 2024, 48 individuals were serving life imprisonment sentences. The number of prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants remains among the highest in the European Union.
Prisoners, total
Publication date: 10. 09. 2025
Year 2024
19,430
Share of women in prison population
Publication date: 10. 09. 2025
Year 2024
8.5%
The accused in custody
Publication date: 10. 09. 2025
Year 2024
1,596
Number of prison facilities
Publication date: 10. 09. 2025
Year 2024
35
Data and time series
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prisoners, total | 22,159 | 21,577 | 21,048 | 19,286 | 18,748 | 19,052 | 19,569 | 19,430 |
Men | 20,514 | 19,933 | 19,302 | 17,712 | 17,229 | 17,439 | 17,854 | 17,769 |
Women | 1,645 | 1,644 | 1,746 | 1,574 | 1,519 | 1,613 | 1,715 | 1,661 |
| Citizenship | ||||||||
Czech | 20,345 | 19,809 | 19,254 | 17,752 | 17,352 | 17,593 | 17,918 | 17,833 |
Foreigners | 1,814 | 1,768 | 1,794 | 1,534 | 1,396 | 1,459 | 1,651 | 1,597 |
| Sentencing status | ||||||||
The accused (a person in custody) | 1,809 | 1,816 | 1,798 | 1,570 | 1,392 | 1,438 | 1,566 | 1,596 |
Convicts (a person serving a sentence of imprisonment) | 20,271 | 19,677 | 19,155 | 17,612 | 17,243 | 17,498 | 17,889 | 17,719 |
Inmates ( a person in a security detention) | 79 | 84 | 95 | 104 | 113 | 116 | 114 | 115 |
| Per hundred thousand inhabitants aged 15+ | 247.9 | 240.9 | 234.3 | 214.7 | 212.5 | 209.9 | 213.3 | 210.8 |
Source: General Directorate of the Prison Service of the CR
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The accused, total | 1,809 | 1,816 | 1,798 | 1,570 | 1,392 | 1,438 | 1,566 | 1,596 |
Men | 1,662 | 1,685 | 1,648 | 1,456 | 1,289 | 1,312 | 1,440 | 1,498 |
Women | 127 | 114 | 140 | 101 | 96 | 115 | 126 | 98 |
| Citizenship | ||||||||
Czech | 1,287 | 1,276 | 1,307 | 1,226 | 1,043 | 1,064 | 1,083 | 1,176 |
Foreigners | 522 | 540 | 491 | 344 | 349 | 374 | 483 | 420 |
| Age group | ||||||||
15–17 years | 8 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 20 |
18–24 years | 212 | 201 | 217 | 151 | 116 | 146 | 158 | 144 |
25–34 years | 584 | 612 | 598 | 508 | 438 | 450 | 477 | 434 |
35–44 years | 589 | 594 | 556 | 471 | 478 | 434 | 474 | 516 |
45–54 years | 278 | 290 | 298 | 302 | 243 | 267 | 310 | 336 |
55–64 years | 116 | 96 | 100 | 96 | 91 | 106 | 104 | 106 |
65+ years | 22 | 16 | 19 | 29 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 40 |
| Per hundred thousand inhabitants aged 15+ | 20.2 | 20.3 | 20.0 | 17.5 | 15.8 | 15.8 | 17.1 | 17.3 |
| Average custody length (days) | 159 | 165 | 154 | 160 | 141 | 155 | 161 | 169 |
Source: General Directorate of the Prison Service of the CR
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convicts, total | 20,271 | 19,677 | 19,155 | 17,612 | 17,243 | 17,498 | 17,889 | 17,719 |
Men | 18,761 | 18,155 | 17,560 | 16,152 | 15,832 | 16,012 | 16,311 | 16,168 |
Women | 1,510 | 1,522 | 1,595 | 1,460 | 1,411 | 1,486 | 1,578 | 1,551 |
| Citizenship | ||||||||
Czech | 18,982 | 18,452 | 17,855 | 16,425 | 16,200 | 16,418 | 16,725 | 16,546 |
Foreigners | 1,289 | 1,225 | 1,300 | 1,187 | 1,043 | 1,080 | 1,164 | 1,173 |
| Age group | ||||||||
15–17 years | 5 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
18–24 years | 1,489 | 1,311 | 1,170 | 1,023 | 976 | 917 | 986 | 935 |
25–34 years | 6,927 | 6,587 | 6,335 | 5,776 | 5,630 | 5,599 | 5,539 | 5,302 |
35–44 years | 6,640 | 6,432 | 6,267 | 5,812 | 5,644 | 5,860 | 6,130 | 6,191 |
45–54 years | 3,715 | 3,782 | 3,788 | 3,488 | 3,464 | 3,525 | 3,616 | 22,632 |
55–64 years | 1,254 | 1,292 | 1,288 | 1,200 | 1,197 | 1,237 | 1,249 | 1,265 |
65+ years | 241 | 266 | 303 | 308 | 323 | 357 | 362 | 383 |
| Previous conviction | ||||||||
First offenders | 7,548 | 7,261 | 6,958 | 6,196 | 5,939 | 5,931 | 6,032 | 5,977 |
Recidivists | 12,723 | 12,416 | 12,197 | 11,416 | 11,304 | 11,567 | 11,857 | 11,742 |
| Per hundred thousand inhabitants aged 15+ | 226.8 | 219.7 | 213.2 | 196.1 | 195.4 | 192.8 | 195.0 | 192.2 |
Source: General Directorate of the Prison Service of the CR
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 20,271 | 19,677 | 19,155 | 17,612 | 17,243 | 17,498 | 17,889 | 17,719 |
up to 12 months | 6,230 | 6,038 | 4,216 | 3,588 | 3,697 | 4,209 | 4,330 | 4,321 |
1 to 2 years | 4,199 | 4,108 | 4,486 | 4,047 | 3,915 | 3,954 | 4,206 | 4,051 |
2 to 3 years | 3,168 | 2,945 | 2,787 | 2,783 | 2,702 | 2,602 | 2,690 | 2,677 |
3 to 5 years | 2,802 | 2,747 | 3,190 | 2,987 | 2,875 | 2,835 | 2,804 | 2,839 |
5 to 10 years | 2,629 | 2,626 | 3,022 | 2,785 | 2,659 | 2,552 | 2,544 | 2,532 |
10 to 15 years | 788 | 749 | 893 | 840 | 817 | 780 | 751 | 735 |
15+ years | 406 | 416 | 515 | 538 | 532 | 519 | 515 | 516 |
Life sentence | 49 | 48 | 46 | 44 | 46 | 47 | 49 | 48 |
Source: General Directorate of the Prison Service of the CR