Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Detainees in Swiss prisons at lowest level in a decade

prison
A prison in Hinwil, canton Zurich. Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Statisticians say the fall in numbers over the past year could be linked to Covid-19-related restrictions, but that longer term trends would still need to confirm this.

On January 31 this year, the number detainees in Swiss prisons was 6,316 – a drop of 8.4% compared to the same reference day in 2020, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Tuesday. It’s also the lowest number since 2011.

The prison system – 92 institutions and 7,397 places across the country – was thus 85.4% occupied, the lowest capacity level since 2003. The number of detainees per 100,000 inhabitants was 73. The global average rate, according to a 2018 UN-cited studyExternal link, is around 145 per 100,000.

Men made up 94.3% of all prisoners, while foreigners made up 70.3%. Both figures were quite stable compared to trends over the past decade.

More

Apart from those being held in preventive detention or for security reasons, who increased by 4.4%, all categories of detention are on the decline, the FSO noted: notably, those detained for breaking the Federal ActExternal link on Foreign Nationals and Integration fell from 267 in 2019 to 115 in 2020. This is down from a high of 428 in 2009.

The FSO also writes that the general drop in numbers is most likely not linked to changes in the prison system which have seen smaller establishments closing in recent years. Rather, these closures have been offset by consolidating in larger institutions. Although six prisons shut last year, the number of overall places available rose by 24.

As for the reasons behind the drop in prisoners, the FSO wrote that it “could, among other factors, be linked to the period of restrictions related to the coronavirus since 2020. However, we will have to wait a few years to confirm this from the point of view of long-term trends”.

Some 12 people managed to break out of Swiss prisons in 2020: of these, two turned themselves back in, eight were recaptured within a week and one within the year. One was not found.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Swiss Post CEO Roberto Cirillo steps down at the end of March after six years

More

Swiss Post CEO to step down

This content was published on The boss of Swiss Post, Roberto Cirillo, is stepping down at the end of March after six years in the job, the company announced on Friday.

Read more: Swiss Post CEO to step down
UBS replaces CS logos on Paradeplatz

More

UBS takes over Credit Suisse’s former Zurich HQ

This content was published on The name and logo of the former Credit Suisse headquarters at Paradeplatz 8 in Zurich's financial centre were officially replaced by those of UBS on Friday.

Read more: UBS takes over Credit Suisse’s former Zurich HQ
Outgoing Fedpol chief warns of funding cuts for police work

More

Outgoing Swiss federal police chief warns of insufficient resources

This content was published on The outgoing director of the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol), Nicoletta della Valle, has warned that officers, prosecutors and investigators in Switzerland have insufficient resources to do their work.

Read more: Outgoing Swiss federal police chief warns of insufficient resources
Swiss films recorded more admissions in 2024

More

Swiss film industry reports successful year in 2024

This content was published on Swiss films did well in cinemas in 2024, recording over 907,000 admissions, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reports. They accounted for almost 9% of all films shown last year in Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss film industry reports successful year in 2024
Migros grows in 2024 despite turbulence

More

Swiss retail giant Migros posts record 2024 sales

This content was published on Despite an ongoing restructuring programme, Swiss retail giant Migros continued to grow last year by 1.6%, posting record sales of CHF32.5 billion ($35.7 billion).

Read more: Swiss retail giant Migros posts record 2024 sales

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR