A Comparative Perspective of Imprisonment Trends in Slovenia and Europe from 2005 to 2014

This paper analyses trends in imprisonment in Slovenia from 2005 to 2014, and compares them with the ones observed in the rest of Europe. Data were taken from the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics – SPACE I. The primary results show that Slovenia increased its prison population by 30% during the period under study and, after 2011, the prison population of Slovenia was increasing, while in the rest of Europe, it was decreasing. Nevertheless, Slovenia still has one of the lowest prison population rates in Europe, which can be explained mainly by the fact that the average length of imprisonment is lower in Slovenia than in the rest of Europe. The paper also analyses the evolution of the structure of the Slovenian prison population in terms of gender, nationality, and type of offence for which prisoners are convicted. Furthermore, it discusses the influence of legislative changes, the creation of new places for prisoners, and crime trends on the prison population rate