A preliminary version of the 2024 Annual Report on Internal Security (RASI) reveals that, as accessed by Lusa, the nation’s prisons housed 12,360 inmates, marking a slight increase from 2023’s figure of 12,193 prisoners.
Despite this rise, the RASI indicates that the prison system has not experienced overcrowding for the sixth consecutive year, with an occupancy rate of 96.8%.
Regarding incidents of assaults on prison guards, the data shows an uptick in such cases: 42 prison guards were assaulted, six more than in 2023.
The preliminary report, approved today during the Supreme Council of Internal Security meeting, traditionally analyzes the nationality of inmates, revealing a 5.6% rise in foreign prisoners over the past decade. The year 2024 marks the second consecutive increase in the last 10 years. In percentage terms, 82.6% of the inmates were Portuguese, while 17.4% were foreign nationals, an increase from 16.7% in 2023.
The distribution across continents remains consistent with previous years: Africa accounts for 43.3%, with a notable presence from Portuguese-speaking African countries, South America follows with 34.3%, led by Brazil, and Europe accounts for 16.8%, with significant numbers from Romania and Spain.
There were 65 deaths reported within the prisons, with nine of these being suicides, a decrease compared to 2023, which saw five more suicides.
The Annual Report on Internal Security also notes that nine prisoners escaped from custody, including five from Vale de Judeus prison on September 7, 2024; seven have been recaptured.
The report further highlights that the Prison Guard Corps conducted over 8,500 searches inside prisons, involving more than 15,500 inmates, which led to a 3.8% increase in drug seizures. The guards discovered more hashish but less cocaine and heroin within the facilities.
