Croatia Bottom of the Prison Spending List

The Croatian taxpayer is forking out a lot less than its European counterparts on prison spending…

An official study, compiled by the University of Lausanne for the Council of Europe, revealed that in total, European countries spent €25.4 billion on running prisons in 2013, with Croatia near the bottom of the list for spending.

Croatia only spent €7.50 a day, €89.50 less than the European average of €97 a day per prisoner. At the other end of the scale Britain spent €117 a day, France €97, Austria €107 and Spain €53. Together with Croatia at the bottom, were Greece, spending just €3.2 per day, and Lithuania (€12.50). Sweden (€317), Norway (€283), Denmark (€186) and Finland (€167) were comfortably the biggest spenders.

Croatia had a rate of 102.1 inmates (including pre-trial detainees) per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with Russia (475), Lithuania (323), Estonia (248), Poland (205) Spain (148), and England & Wales (147). Nordic countries had the lowest rate with Iceland (47.2, Finland (57), Sweden (61) and Denmark (73). The European median was 133.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. Croatia was at the bottom of the list of countries with more than 100 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants.

The report suggested that overcrowding was a problem in 21 European prisons. Croatia, with 111 inmates per 100 places, was included in the group with Italy (148/100), Hungary (145), Cyprus (138) Belgium (134), Portugal (117), France (117) and Romania (116).