Czech prisons yet more overcrowded this year than last

There are currently 22,000 prisoners in the Czech Republic, the country’s Prison Service said on Sunday, adding that this number was up by around 1,800 on the previous year’s figures. This means that Czech prisons are at their fullest since 2000. According to Robert Blanda of the Prison Service, the majority of Czech jails are filled to 115 percent capacity, while some institutions are even complaining of being 130 percent full. According to Mr Blanda, despite the growing number of inmates in Czech jails, the same number of warders are being employed in Czech prisons, which is causing problems. The spokesperson added that in light of the current financial downturn, it was most unlikely that any new prison facilities would be built in the coming months.