Number of prisoners in Switzerland reaches record high
There have never been as many people in Swiss police custody as at the beginning of 2026. At the same time, the number of short, unsuspended custodial sentences fell to an all-time low.
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Number of prisoners in Switzerland reaches record high
As of January 31, 2026, the number of detainees in Swiss prisons stood at 7,119. This is the highest number since statistics were recorded. The high number of detainees led to a nationwide occupancy rate of 97% in correctional facilities. Of the 7,119 inmates, 63% were serving a sentence or a court-ordered measure, 31% were in pretrial detention or held for security reasons, and 6% were incarcerated for other reasons.
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The numbers are based on the Criminal Conviction Statistics and the Imprisonment Statistics published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Monday. A total of 111,962 convictions of adults were entered in the criminal record last year. More than half were road traffic violations.
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The number of short, unsuspended custodial sentences fell to a historic low of 2,937. The conditional fine was the most common sanction, with 78,693 cases. Meanwhile, the number of state referrals remained stable last year at 2272 cases.
In 2025, 2,272 deportation orders were issued, 94% of which were mandatory. More than half were issued for a period of more than five years. Of those ordered to be deported, 37% were from a European Union country.
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Adapted from German by AI/ac
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