The population of inmates held in Argentina’s federal prisons increased in the third quarter of 2024, rising 0.9 percent year-on-year.
According to a report by the Procuraduría de Violencia Institucional (PROCUVIN), more than 11,00 people were deprived of their liberty at Servicio Penitenciario Federal (SFP) jails between July and September.
"Between July and September 2024, 11,716 detainees were registered in establishments of the Servicio Penitenciario Federal (SPF) throughout the country, which implies a quarterly increase of 0.9 percent – that is 104 more people than in the previous period – and the annual the latest quarterly PROCUVIN report.
According to PROCUVIN data, 58.9 percent of detainees (6,894 people) had a definitive sentence, up 5.3 percent on the same period last year. Just over 4,800 people, or 41.1 percent, were detained in custody while awaiting trial.
The overall figure represents just a part of Argentina’s prison population. The country has around 250 prisons, excluding various police stations that are used to – in theory – temporarily house detainees.
There are three different penitentiary regimes nationwide: the Servicio Penitenciario Federal (SFP), the Servicio Penitenciario Bonaerense (SPB) and the various provincial systems grouped together as the Sistemas Penitenciarios de Provincia (SPP).
The federal system, like its counterparts, is subject to overcrowding. In the third quarter of the year, the regime was 714 inmates over capacity – an increase of 6.5 percent in the annual comparison.
The federal prison population is currently 92.3 percent (10,809) male, 7.4 percent (872) female and 0.3 percent (35) transgender. In terms of age, 323 are young people aged 18 to 21 (2.8 percent) and 11,393 are aged over 21 (97.2 percent).
"During the July-September quarter, the number of women in prison increased by 4.1 percent, and the transvestite-trans population grew by 9.4 percent,” the report highlighted.
The report also points out that there are 10 pregnant women detained in SPF custody and six are jailed with their children.
Finally, the report notes that more than half of the population of young people between 18 and 21 years of age are being detained while awaiting a final sentence.
– TIMES/NA
