Global Prison Trends 2026 is the twelfth edition of the flagship annual publication by Penal Reform International and the Thailand Institute of Justice. This year’s edition also received financial and research support from the Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD).
The report provides a snapshot of the state of prisons worldwide. With 11.7 million people held in prisons on any given day, the report highlights the far-reaching impact of imprisonment on individuals, families, communities and justice systems globally.
Prisons do not exist in isolation. They reflect the strength of the rule of law, governance and wider social and political conditions. The report shows that prison systems worldwide continue to be under increasing strain, with overcrowding, deteriorating conditions, ongoing gaps in healthcare, including mental health provision, and limited oversight affecting people in prison most severely.
Launched in the year of the Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the report is a key resource for policymakers, practitioners and researchers working towards safer, fairer and more humane prison systems. The report calls for prisons to remain firmly on the international agenda and grounded in human rights standards.
