The Criminal-Executive System of Ukraine in 2018. Statistical Overview

As of 1 January 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, there were 55,078 persons in 148 institutions of the criminal-executive system of Ukraine controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, that is, excluding institutions in Crimea and the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A year ago, their number was 57,100 persons, which is 2,022 more.
The dynamics of the number of persons in the institutions of the criminal-executive system over the last two years are as follows:
01.01.2017: 60,399 persons,
01.01.2018: 57,100 persons,
01.01.2019: 55,078 persons.
The indicator of the number of prisoners per 100,000 population for Ukraine is 131. It is calculated based on the population of Ukraine, which, according to the estimate of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, was 42.177 million citizens as of 01.12.2018.
In the 12 active pre-trial detention centres and 17 penal institutions with pre-trial detention functions (formerly pre-trial detention centres – auth.), 19,510 persons were held as of 01.01.2019. It is worth noting that the cited number mainly covers persons taken into custody and a small number of convicts who are serving sentences in these institutions. The number of persons taken into custody a year ago was 17,587, and two years ago – 16,368. Obviously, there is a tendency towards a gradual increase in the burden on pre-trial detention centres.
When it becomes possible to obtain the number of persons taken into custody separately, this trend can be determined more precisely.
The number of convicted persons in 113 criminal-executive institutions for adults and 6 educational colonies for teenagers decreased in 2018 by 4,071 persons and amounted to 35,442 persons. In the previous year, this decrease amounted to 4,518 persons, meaning the rates are approximately the same this year.
In the six educational colonies for minors, 126 persons are serving sentences (a year ago – 146 persons). In the 11 colonies for holding women, there are 1,459 women (a year ago there were 1,896 women).
While citing the number of convicts in various categories of institutions, the Ministry of Justice indicates the number of institutions in each of these groups. At the same time, it is stated that in 17 penal institutions, convicts are not held in connection with the optimisation of their activities. Therefore, in each of the cited groups, the real number of institutions in which convicts are actually held is less than the officially cited number, but the Ministry of Justice specialists currently lack the expertise to calculate exactly how much less. This is precisely why the department cites the total number of institutions that once existed for certain groups of prisoners.
The number of life-sentenced persons in institutions controlled by the authorities was 1,541 as of 1 January 2019 (a year ago – 1,572 persons).
During 2018, the number of life-sentenced prisoners decreased by 31 persons. Given that 20-30 persons are sentenced to life imprisonment annually, the fact of a very significant decrease in their total number requires more scrutiny. It is worth adding that as of 1 September 2014, there were 1,909 life-sentenced prisoners in Ukraine.
The criminological composition of those sentenced to imprisonment as of 1 January has not yet been calculated by the Ministry of Justice; however, there is data as of 1 July 2018:
5,514 persons sentenced to terms over 10 years;
6,967 persons – for intentional homicide;
2,939 persons – for intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm;
7,719 persons – for robbery, larceny, and extortion;
12,140 persons – for theft;
693 persons – for rape;
14 persons – crimes against the foundations of national security.
More information regarding persons in the institutions of the criminal-executive system will possibly be available around mid-February.