Criminal Justice

Criminal justice refers to the systems and institutions, police, courts, and prisons, tasked with enforcing laws, delivering justice, and protecting public safety. However, around the world, criminal justice systems are plagued by mass incarceration, racial and socioeconomic disparities, police violence, and inhumane prison conditions. These challenges reflect systemic issues that impact millions of lives and demand urgent reform.

As of 2023, more than 11.5 million people are imprisoned worldwide. The United States holds 1.84 million, approximately 16 percent of the world’s prisoners, despite having about 4 percent of the global population. El Salvador faces severe overcrowding in its prisons, particularly after mass detentions during its anti-gang crackdown, with its prisons holding 30,000 more prisoners than they have capacity for, collectively. In more than half of all countries, prisons are severely overcrowded, with countries like the Republic of Congo facing overcrowding rates of over 600 percent, leading to hunger, disease, violence, and even death.

Globally, ethnic and racial minorities face disproportionate policing and incarceration. In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent just 3 percent of the population, but 36 percent of prisoners. In the US, Black Americans are six times more likely to be imprisoned than white Americans. Socioeconomic status plays a role as well—poor defendants are often unable to afford bail or legal representation, leading to prolonged pre-trial detention. In fact, nearly one in three people (29.5 percent) in prison globally is awaiting trial, not yet convicted of a crime.

Police violence and impunity remain urgent issues. In the US, police kill about 1,000 people per year, more than in any other developed country. In countries like Brazil, Egypt, and the Philippines, police have been implicated in extrajudicial killings and other deadly abuses during crime crackdowns. Widespread reports of torture and abuse in custody continue across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Inhumane prison conditions are widespread. Overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and inadequate food and medical care are common. However, some countries are leading with rehabilitation-focused models. Norway’s prison system, for instance, offers education, therapy, and humane conditions, resulting in a recidivism rate of 25 percent after five years, among the lowest in the world. In contrast, the UK has a reoffending rate of around 50 percent after only a single year.

In recent years, growing public pressure and reform movements have pushed for change. Some countries are reducing mandatory minimum sentences, expanding legal aid, and replacing prison time with restorative justice for non-violent offenses. At the global level, there’s a trend toward abolishing the death penalty, with states still using the practice at a new low. Still, for the second year in a row, executions rose in 2024 due to increases in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia.