The Penal System of Ukraine in 2024. A Statistical Overview

As of 1 January 2025, 37,119 people were held in places of detention within the penal system of Ukraine. In 2024, the number of people in places of detention decreased by 6,905.

In the places of detention within the penal system of Ukraine controlled by the Ukrainian authorities—that is, excluding institutions in Crimea and the occupied parts of other regions—according to data provided to “Donetsk Memorial” by the Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, as of 1 January 2025, 37,119 people were held (Department letter No. 18/10-pi/5.4.3/14-25/14/2/24.1-25 dated 30 January 2025; here and hereafter in parentheses—as of 1 January 2024—44,024 people). Over the year, the number of people in places of detention decreased by 6,905 (a year ago, it increased by 1,298), or by -15.68% (+3.04%).

As of 1 January 2025, there were 86 functioning correctional facilities in the State Penal Service of Ukraine, as well as 5 camps for prisoners of war.

The dynamics of the number of people in penal system institutions over the last eight years are shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

It is currently impossible to calculate the number of prisoners per 100,000 population for Ukraine for several reasons. While the number of prisoners is known, the country’s population—especially after the start of Russia’s aggression—cannot be determined. It is unclear whether the millions of people who are currently forced to live outside the country should be included in the country’s actual population. Furthermore, the number of residents in occupied territories is known only very approximately. Therefore, this year, as in previous years, it is most appropriate to refrain from calculating this indicator. In 2021, it was 117.

As of 1 January 2025, 12,948 people (13,400 people) were held in custody in pre-trial detention centres and correctional facilities with remand functions, including 804 women (830 women). The number of minors in pre-trial detention centres was 98 (50). Thus, over the year, the number of all persons held in custody decreased by 452 (a year earlier, it had increased by 496), or by -3.37% (+3.84%).

In 2024, 9,861 people were not sent to correctional facilities from pre-trial detention centres and were released from them (last year—8,217 people). Among the main reasons for the release of persons from pre-trial detention centres during 2024 were: change of preventive measure—3,042 people (5,715 people); expiry of the sentence (including parole)—1,036 people (1,675 people); the court's application of non-custodial sentences—338 people (781 people); and termination of cases by courts and acquittal—8 people (25 people).

Statistical data regarding the reasons for the release of persons from pre-trial detention centres in recent years are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

It is obvious that the aforementioned reasons do not exhaust the grounds for release from pre-trial detention centres. While in previous years they accounted for 94% – 99.7%, in 2024 they accounted for less than 45%. This means that another very significant basis for release has appeared. Perhaps this is what is referred to in the State Penal Service's response to the question regarding releases from pre-trial detention centres:

“The collection and summarisation of data on the number of persons released from pre-trial detention centres in connection with the termination of cases by investigation and inquiry bodies is not provided for by the analytical information of the State Penal Service of Ukraine.”

The number of convicted persons in 2024 decreased from 30,624 to 24,171, i.e., by 6,453 (last year it increased by 802), or by -21.07% (+2.69%).

In educational colonies for minors, 50 people (54 people) are serving sentences, of whom 22 are under the age of 18 (28 people).

The number of convicted women serving sentences in penal institutions is 1,417 (1,656).

The number of life-sentenced prisoners as of 1 January 2025 was 1,579 (1,591), including 30 women (26 women).

During the year, the number of life-sentenced prisoners decreased by 12 (last year it increased by 13).

During 2024, 16,653 people (9,971 people) were released from State Penal Service institutions. However, there remain difficulties with data on the number of people newly arriving at the system's institutions. The calculation of the balance of the total number of prisoners in State Penal Service institutions is quite strange.

In 2024, the total number of people in the system's institutions decreased by 6,905, 16,653 people were released, and 368 people died; therefore, the number of people who entered the system's institutions during the year should have been approximately 10,100. Instead, the department reports that 36,953 people arrived at the system's institutions. The situation with the data for 2023 is the same.

Such a large number of newly arrived persons can be explained if those who are transferred from institution to institution are counted as a newly arrived person each time and counted several times. Our request to the department to report to us only the number of people who enter the penal service institutions, so to speak, “from the outside”, unfortunately, has so far been ignored. This is also strange because previously—about ten years ago—such misunderstandings did not arise, as the department’s specialists could adequately count the number of people who entered the system's institutions each year. Therefore, it is currently not possible to provide official data, rather than our own calculation, of the number of people who actually enter the penal service institutions during the year.

There is also such a strange phenomenon in the calculation of all persons released on all grounds from State Penal Service institutions in 2024. Conventionally, they can be divided into three groups: released on parole, released upon completion of the sentence term, and released from pre-trial detention centres.

The State Penal Service reports that a total of 16,653 people were released from the system's institutions. 9,236 people were released on parole, 9,861 from pre-trial detention centres, among whom 1,036 were released upon completion of the sentence term, including parole. If the latter are fully included in the number of those released on parole, then these two groups of released persons already number 9,861 + 9,236 - 1,036 = 18,061. And there are also many people released upon completion of their sentence term. And the total number of these three groups far exceeds the officially reported number of persons released from the system's institutions, which is 16,653. This is another statistical miracle from the State Penal Service.

In 2024, 9,236 people were released on parole (a year ago—3,274 people, seven years ago—9,244 people) out of a total of 11,474 people who formally qualified for parole (a year ago—9,534 people). This amounts to 80.5% of the number of people who formally qualified for parole. It is worth paying attention to the specific dynamics of this indicator. A year ago, it was 34.34%; six years ago—37.8%; eight years ago—41.15%; ten years ago—53.5%. The trend is obvious. It is unknown why this indicator suddenly reached 80.5%.

A person can be released earlier than the term set by the court not only by receiving parole, but also in the case of a pardon. Relevant statistics attest to the chance of being pardoned. According to information provided by the Department for Citizen Appeals of the Office of the President of Ukraine, during 2024, pardon petitions for 227 convicted persons were received by the Pardon Department of the Citizenship, Pardons, and State Awards Department of the Office of the President of Ukraine (a year ago—regarding 482, two years ago—regarding 1,422 convicted persons). The Commission on Pardons under the President of Ukraine held two meetings during the year (a year earlier—four, two years earlier—three), at which pardon petitions for 105 people were considered (a year earlier—354 people, two years earlier—848 people). In 2024, no pardon acts were issued, as was the case in the previous year (in 2022, four decrees on the pardon of 363 people were issued) (letter No. 22/1-08/1092 dated 21 January 2025).

There were no press conferences, briefings, or even the issuance of press releases regarding pardons during 2024 (as in 2023, 2022, and 2021), nor were any publications on these issues in the media initiated during these years. For comparison: in 2015-2018, briefings were held every six months.

The number of able-bodied persons in correctional facilities as of 1 January 2025 was 20,776 (a year ago—19,010), or 85.95% of the number of all convicted persons (a year ago—62.08%), of whom 8,620 were provided with work (a year ago—6,414, two years ago—4,925). This accounts for 41.49% of the number of able-bodied persons (as of 1 January 2024—33.74%) and 35.66% of the total number of convicted persons (a year ago—20.94%).

In 2024, the average monthly salary of working convicts was 3,503.02 UAH. Per month in 2022, it was 2,306.50 UAH; three years ago—2,067 UAH. For 2023, the department reported the following: “As of 1 May 2023, the amount of wages for employed convicts under employment contracts and civil law contracts is set at a level not lower than the legislatively defined minimum wage (monthly amount—6,700 UAH and hourly amount—40.46 UAH).”

Obviously, this is not the actual average salary, so the department did not report it last year.

A certain indicator of the complexity of problems in the medical sphere and the provision of medical services is the level of morbidity, mortality, and the number of suicides in the department’s institutions.

According to data from the Healthcare Centre of the State Penal Service of Ukraine (letter No. 117-TsA-25 dated 21 January 2025), during 2024, 368 people (373 people) died in correctional facilities of the State Penal Service of Ukraine in territories controlled by the Government of Ukraine, of whom 129 people (167 people) died in pre-trial detention centres and correctional facilities. The number of suicides during the stay of persons in all places of detention in 2024 was 37 (66), of which 15 occurred in pre-trial detention centres and correctional facilities (37 people). The State Penal Service reported almost the same data—36 cases of suicide of convicts and persons in custody, of which 14 cases were in pre-trial detention centres/correctional facilities. The data for 2023, reported by these structures, differed significantly from each other.

The mortality rate of prisoners in 2024 increased slightly—from 8.47 cases per one thousand prisoners to 9.91. Suicides decreased from 1.50 to 1.00 cases per one thousand prisoners. However, this was the suicide rate in 2019-2021.

The number of prisoners suffering from tuberculosis at the end of 2024 in State Penal Service institutions of Ukraine in territories controlled by the Ukrainian government amounted to 415 (537), including 129 people (152) in pre-trial detention centres and correctional facilities. Calculated per 1,000 prisoners, the number of such patients in 2024 decreased slightly—from 12.20 to 11.18 and is significantly lower than the “pre-war” indicator of 2021 of 16.60.

The number of people living with HIV and registered in healthcare institutions of the Healthcare Centre of the State Penal Service of Ukraine in territories controlled by the Ukrainian government as of 1 January 2025 was 3,150 (3,611), of whom 1,096 were in pre-trial detention centres and correctional facilities (1,006). In pre-trial detention centres, in addition to persons in custody, there are also convicts, in particular, household staff, and the Healthcare Centre of the State Penal Service does not report how many of the people in pre-trial detention centres and correctional facilities are specifically persons in custody, as the reporting forms maintained by the Healthcare Centre do not provide for a distinction in correctional facilities between convicts and persons in custody. The indicator of patients per 1,000 prisoners increased slightly from 82.02 to 84.86 and is the highest for all years.

The dynamics of these indicators over the last few years are shown in Table 3.

Morbidity and mortality in Department institutions in 2003, 2012, and 2018–2024

Table 3

As of 1 January 2025, 1,213 persons with disabilities were held in correctional facilities of the State Penal Service of Ukraine (a year earlier—1,069 persons). The Healthcare Centre does not report how many of them are in pre-trial detention centres and correctional facilities. Instead, it notes that there are 37 persons with group I disabilities, 315 persons with group II disabilities, and 861 persons with group III disabilities.

According to the Probation Centre, as of 1 January 2024, there were 63,336 persons registered with authorised probation bodies, who were sentenced to non-custodial sentences and released from serving sentences on probation (a year earlier—67,345 persons), of whom 309 were minors (a year earlier—457 persons) (letter No. 11/5-ZPI/1/Yan-25 dated 14 January 2025).

During 2024, no correctional facilities were mothballed or closed in the State Penal Service of Ukraine.

There are also prisoners in some other departments.

As of 1 January 2025, the territorial bodies of the National Police count 95 temporary detention facilities (a year ago—117, two years ago—125) with a total occupancy limit of 2,200 places (2,470 places). As of 1 January 2025, 94 people were in them (112 people). A total of 32,300 people were held in temporary detention facilities throughout 2024 (34,128 people).

During 2024, one person held in a temporary detention facility died as a result of chronic ischaemic heart disease (a year ago—two people).

Regarding the number of National Police unit employees who died during 2024, the following was reported:

“Bodies and units that are part of the police system, in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine, participate in the defence of Ukraine (including by directly conducting combat operations), in the performance of territorial defence tasks, and in the provision and implementation of measures of the legal regime of martial law. Considering the specificity of the powers and tasks performed by police officers during the period of martial law, and in order to prevent the spread of disinformation about the quantitative indicators of the losses of the security and defence forces of Ukraine, which include the National Police of Ukraine, and to prevent the deterioration of the moral and psychological state of police officers participating in repelling and deterring the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, the disclosure of information regarding National Police employees who died during 2024 contradicts military expediency and serves the interests of the aggressor state.

Considering the above, the dissemination of the requested information may cause significant harm to the interests of national security, territorial integrity, or public order, the rights of other people, and have irreparable consequences. The harm from the disclosure of such information outweighs the public interest in obtaining it.” (letter No. 7675-2025 dated 16 January 2025).

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) operates one temporary detention facility in Kyiv for holding persons suspected of preparing or conducting intelligence-subversive, terrorist activities, and committing other crimes, the investigation of which falls within the competence of SBU bodies. The capacity of the facility is 48 people. As of 1 January 2025, 13 people were held there, and a total of 207 people were held throughout 2024. There were no cases of death of detainees in 2024 (SBU letter No. 16/B-1-P/36/81 dated 16 January 2025).

No request regarding the number of persons in disciplinary battalions and guardhouses was sent to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine this year, based on the position of the department expressed a year ago. It states that during martial law, “exclusively in the interests of national security, the requested information cannot be provided at this time.” Instead, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing the press centre of the judiciary, that “in 2022, 1,569 military personnel were held administratively liable (arrest with detention in a guardhouse) under Article 172-20 of the Code of Administrative Offences, and in 2023—4,266. The report for 2024 has not yet been generated” ( https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2025/01/29/7495760/ ).

Children who have committed criminal offences under the age of 14 are sent to social rehabilitation schools and vocational schools. These institutions are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. As the Ministry reported, as of the beginning of 2025, two institutions are functioning in Ukraine: one is the A. S. Makarenko Makiivka Vocational School of Social Rehabilitation for boys, which is located in the settlement of Inhuletske, Kirovohrad region, and the Komyshuvakha Social Rehabilitation School, located in the settlement of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region.

In 2022, the building of the Komyshuvakha Social Rehabilitation School was damaged as a result of hostilities. In order to create safe and comfortable conditions for learning and living for minors, temporarily, for the period of hostilities on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia region, the referral of students to the Komyshuvakha Social Rehabilitation School is carried out by orders of the Ministry of Education and Science to the address of the A. S. Makarenko Makiivka Vocational School of Social Rehabilitation. As of 1 January 2025, there are no students at the Komyshuvakha Social Rehabilitation School.

As of 1 January 2025, 11 boys were studying at the A. S. Makarenko Makiivka Vocational School of Social Rehabilitation (a year ago—nine students—eight boys and one girl). By the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 14 August 2024 No. 1133 “On changing the name of the A. S. Makarenko Makiivka Vocational School of Social Rehabilitation”, the name of the A. S. Makarenko Makiivka Vocational School of Social Rehabilitation was changed to the Central Ukrainian Vocational School of Social Rehabilitation. Today, the educational institution is taking measures to execute this order (letter No. 5/60-25 dated 21 January 2025).

The level of compliance with legality during the detention of prisoners is evidenced by the number of violations by facility staff. The true number of such cases is impossible to estimate, but the statistical data received from the Office of the Prosecutor General provides some idea of the scale of the phenomenon.

The Office of the Prosecutor General provided statistical information on the number of illegally detained persons released at the prosecutor's initiative, documents of prosecutorial response considered, persons brought to disciplinary, administrative, or material responsibility, acts cancelled or brought into compliance, as well as information entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations for the year 2024 (in parentheses—for 2023), which are shown in Table 4.

Table 4

* including not only penitentiary institutions, but also psychiatric hospitals, military units, and some others.

“During 2024, 123 employees of the State Penal Service of Ukraine were identified, taking into account persons who committed a criminal offence in previous reporting periods (in accordance with reporting form No. 2 ‘Unified report on persons who committed criminal offences’).

At the same time, the reporting of the prosecution authorities of Ukraine does not provide for the accounting of statistical information regarding the number of violations detected by prosecution authorities committed by the staff of correctional facilities; information regarding employees of correctional facilities brought to responsibility by type (disciplinary, administrative, material) of form No. P is not separated.

In connection with the above, it is not possible to provide the requested information in this part.” (letter No. 27/3-86-vikh-25 dated 20 January 2025).

A significant element in the detection of torture and ill-treatment is the collection of information about such cases, and primarily it is provided by persons suffering from such treatment. They do this, in particular, by sending complaints. Therefore, important indicators are the number of received complaints, and necessarily the number of complaints recognised as well-founded, and the number of satisfied complaints.

Regarding the complaints of prisoners, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine reports:

“According to the data of the ‘ASKOD’ electronic document management system of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, 276 complaints from convicts were registered in 2024. At the same time, we inform you that the search for documents in the specified period was carried out according to the search parameters ‘social status’ ‘person deprived of liberty; person whose liberty is restricted’, therefore the obtained value may not be final.

Additionally, we note that it is not possible to provide more detailed information about the number of satisfied complaints or those recognised as well-founded due to the lack of appropriate document search parameters in the ‘ASKOD’ electronic document management system of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. The accounting of incoming correspondence of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is not kept in the breakdown of the requested information.” (Ministry of Justice letter No. 14085/PI-YuR-267/7 dated 30 January 2025).

With these remarks, the department admits that the complaint accounting system does not provide for working with them, recording the number of satisfied complaints, or those recognised as well-founded. But without such counting, it is impossible to analyse the circumstances that cause complaints, and it is impossible to fight the causes that generate them, including ill-treatment. So all the department does with complaints is simply count them. And that is all.

One of the few institutions in the country that has the authority to promote the observance of human rights is the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (hereinafter—the Commissioner). Since 1 July 2022, this has been Dmytro Valeriiovych Lubinets. The role of the Commissioner is particularly significant for prisoners because the law obliges the administration of correctional facilities to unimpededly send prisoners' complaints to the Ombudsman. Moreover, in accordance with Article 19-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights”, the functions of a National Preventive Mechanism (hereinafter—NPM) are assigned to the Commissioner in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

According to the data provided by the Commissioner's Secretariat, within the framework of the implementation of the NPM during 2024, NPM groups made 543 (538) visits to places of detention. About 1/5 of them are usually carried out to penitentiary institutions (117 out of 538 in 2023 and 61 out of 345 in 2022), i.e., over 100. The exact number is given in the Commissioner's Annual Report, which has not yet been published for 2024.

Based on the results of the visits to places of detention, reports were drawn up, and submissions with recommendations and proposals for the elimination of identified violations of human and civil rights and freedoms were made. Throughout 2024, on the basis of Article 15 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights”, the Commissioner made 70 submissions to public authorities, local self-government bodies, civic associations, enterprises, institutions, organisations regardless of the form of ownership, and their officials and officers regarding the elimination of identified human rights violations in places of detention. The recommendations and proposals provided as a result of monitoring visits are usually contained in visit reports and submissions, and their number is not counted by the Secretariat. The Secretariat does not report what part of them relates specifically to penitentiary institutions, usually referring to the fact that such a breakdown of recommendations regarding institutions of individual departments is not provided for by statistical reporting.

Regarding the number of representatives of civic organisations involved in monitoring visits, who must receive appropriate authorisations from the Commissioner to participate in the visits, the Secretariat reported that during 2024, the Commissioner issued 183 such written authorisations (177 authorisations in the previous year 2023). The Secretariat did not report what part of them were issued specifically to representatives of civic organisations. One healthcare professional was also involved in the visits. (letter No. 704/2/49.13/25/ZI/25/39.4 dated 17 January 2025).

In 2024, the Commissioner received 4,717 (3,957) appeals reporting violations of the right to information. During 2024, representatives of the Commissioner and authorised persons of the Commissioner's Secretariat drew up 31 (44) protocols (0.66% of the number of appeals, 1.11% in 2023) on administrative offences under Article 212-3 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences in connection with a violation of the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information” (hereinafter—the Law), of which courts made decisions in 10 (7) protocols to impose an administrative penalty in the form of a fine on the guilty officials. Also, during 2024, 2 submissions (6) were made by the Commissioner regarding violations of the laws of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information” and “On Citizens' Appeals”.

Regarding the question about conclusions and recommendations aimed at improving the state of ensuring human and civil rights and freedoms in the sphere of access to public information, the Secretariat reported that the “Annual Report of the Commissioner contains conclusions regarding the unfounded classification of information as restricted access information, non-provision of information and restriction of access to information, and delays in satisfying requests.”

The report for 2023 contains recommendations concerning the improvement of ensuring the right to information, in particular,

To the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine: to resume the work of the working group on systematic improvement of legislation on access to public information and develop a draft law on making amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information” and other laws of Ukraine for the harmonisation of the legislation of Ukraine with the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, to consider and provide a conclusion on the consideration for adoption as a basis of the draft law of Ukraine “On the National Commission for Personal Data Protection and Access to Public Information”;

To the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine: to develop, together with the National Agency for Civil Service, a single unified applied training course for civil servants and officials of local self-government bodies regarding the specifics of information audit, formation, and publication of open data sets in accordance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information” and the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 21 October 2015 No. 835 “On Approval of the Regulation on Data Sets Subject to Publication in the Form of Open Data”;

To the National Agency for Civil Service:

to develop, together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, a single unified applied training course for civil servants and officials of local self-government bodies regarding the specifics of conducting information audit, formation, and publication of open data sets in accordance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information” and the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 21 October 2015 No. 835 “On Approval of the Regulation on Data Sets Subject to Publication in the Form of Open Data”.

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The authors of this statistical overview are grateful to the departments that provided information upon the requests of “Donetsk Memorial” regarding persons deprived of liberty who are in the department's institutions, or with whom the department has a connection. We are grateful to the Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Healthcare Centre of the State Penal Service of Ukraine, the Probation Centre, the National Police of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, and the Office of the President of Ukraine.

The information provided by them was used in the preparation of this overview. The data and information presented in the overview may be clarified and supplemented if relevant additional information is received.

The Penal System of Ukraine in 2024. A Statistical Overview (pdf-file)