According to latest statistics, there are 11.5 million people currently in penal systems around the world. Furthermore, incarceration rates have risen substantially in most countries, with overcrowding in prisons and correctional facilities jeopardizing inmates' quality of life and posing significant health risks.
Ideally, prison systems promote humane treatment and rehabilitation. Prisoners should be offered cultural and educational opportunities, health services, and adequate sleeping and eating arrangements.
An overburdened prison system will struggle to meet little, if any, of these requirements. And an overpopulated penitentiary is a very dangerous place to be locked up in. So, where in the world are the most overcrowded penal systems?
Click through this gallery to discover the countries that exceed their established occupancy rate. Find out, too, the nations with the least crowded prison systems.