German correctional facilities are operating at near capacity, with some exceeding their limits, according to data obtained from the 16 state justice ministries by the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
Nationwide, 60,391 out of a total of 70,279 prison spaces are currently occupied, reflecting an overall utilization rate of approximately 86 percent. The situation is particularly acute in Rhineland-Palatinate, where virtually no free spaces remain. To mitigate overcrowding, authorities have implemented measures such as utilizing suitable cells with multiple occupants. Additionally, since May of this year, sentences of substitute confinement are generally being served in open-facility settings, which is easing pressure on closed penal institutions.
Similar high occupancy rates are being reported in Bremen, Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg and the Saarland, where prisons are operating at over 90 percent capacity. This contrasts with the period during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the number of incarcerated individuals significantly decreased. This reduction was attributable, in part, to the temporary suspension of substitute confinement orders, taken to minimize the risk of infection within correctional facilities.
Federal statistics indicate that 55,890 people were incarcerated in Germany as of March 2022 and this number has been trending upward since 2023.
The RND’s inquiry, conducted between June 24, 2024 and July 22, 2024, encompassed all 16 state justice ministries. The data incorporates figures for both male and female inmates, as well as juveniles, across both closed and open-facility settings, encompassing individuals serving prison sentences or incarcerated for other reasons.
A state-by-state overview reveals the following occupancy levels: Berlin (3,543 of 4,304 spaces occupied); Brandenburg (1,152 of 1,481); Bavaria (10,042 of 11,530); Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (955 of 1,200); Schleswig-Holstein (1,241 of 1,421); Bremen (696 of 717); Lower Saxony (4,934 of 5,934); Saarland (904 of 973); Rhineland-Palatinate (3,180 of 3,196); Baden-Württemberg (7,255 of 7,720); and Saxony (2,963 of 3,770).