Table 1
General characteristics of the prison population in Peru, 2022.
| CHARACTERISTICS | TOTAL = 89,877 | |
|---|---|---|
| N | % | |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 85,356 | 94.97 |
| Female | 4,521 | 5.03 |
| Age group | ||
| 18–34 | 40,500 | 45.06 |
| 35–59 | 43,985 | 48.94 |
| 60 and over | 5,392 | 6.0 |
| Educational level | ||
| Without formal education | 1,424 | 1.58 |
| Complete primary | 6,969 | 7.75 |
| Incomplete primary | 11,007 | 12.25 |
| Complete secondary | 33,550 | 37.33 |
| Incomplete secondary | 28,610 | 31.83 |
| Complete technical education | 2,877 | 3.20 |
| Incomplete technical education | 1,900 | 2.11 |
| Complete university education | 1,814 | 2.02 |
| Incomplete university education | 1,726 | 1.92 |
| Population by Regional offices | ||
| North – Chiclayo | 16,972 | 18.88 |
| Lima – Lima | 42,046 | 46.78 |
| South – Arequipa | 3,800 | 4.23 |
| Center – Huancayo | 6,707 | 7.46 |
| East – Huanuco | 6,459 | 7.19 |
| Southeast – Cusco | 5,744 | 6.39 |
| Northeast – San Martin | 5,577 | 6.21 |
| the Andean high plateau – Puno | 2,572 | 2.86 |
| Jurisdictional status | ||
| Prosecuted | 34,071 | 37.91 |
| Sentenced | 55,806 | 62.09 |
| Overpopulation | ||
| Overpopulation | % Overpopulation | |
| North – Chiclayo | 10,026 | 144 |
| Lima – Lima | 24,439 | 139 |
| South – Arequipa | 2,548 | 204 |
| Center – Huancayo | 4,460 | 198 |
| East – Huanuco | 2,826 | 99 |
| Southeast- Cusco | 3,219 | 97 |
| Northeast – San Martin | 225 | 4 |
| the Andean high plateau – Puno | 1,116 | 77 |
[i] Source: Correctional Centers and Regional Offices; Author: National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) – Unit of Statistics.
Table 2
Distribution of the number of correctional facilities and its evolution over time: 2011–2021.
| DEPARTMENT | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazonas | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ancash | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Apurímac | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Arequipa | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ayacucho | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cajamarca | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Callao | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cusco | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Huancavelica | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Huánuco | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ica | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Junín | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| La Libertad | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Lambayeque | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lima | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
| Loreto | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Madre de Dios | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Moquegua | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Pasco | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Piura | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Puno | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| San Martín | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Tacna | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Tumbes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ucayali | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 65 | 67 | 67 | 66 | 66 | 68 | 69 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 69 |
[i] Source: Correctional Centers and Regional Offices; Author: National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) – Unit of Statistics.
Table 3
Prison population by department and year.
| DEPARTAMENT | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazonas | 759 | 882 | 979 | 1,049 | 1,111 | 996 | 1,008 |
| Ancash | 3,107 | 3,717 | 4,162 | 4,567 | 4,700 | 4,201 | 4,111 |
| Apurímac | 559 | 631 | 775 | 912 | 1,039 | 864 | 923 |
| Arequipa | 2,338 | 2,429 | 2,601 | 2,738 | 2,875 | 2,432 | 2,434 |
| Ayacucho | 2,560 | 2,757 | 2,883 | 2,954 | 2,980 | 2,575 | 2,543 |
| Cajamarca | 1,793 | 1,935 | 1,970 | 1,999 | 1,986 | 1,797 | 2,237 |
| Callao | 3,303 | 3,315 | 3,056 | 3,096 | 3,228 | 3,093 | 3,248 |
| Cusco | 2,858 | 3,170 | 3,400 | 3,605 | 3,826 | 3,487 | 3,386 |
| Huancavelica | 181 | 220 | 230 | 247 | 280 | 209 | 239 |
| Huánuco | 2,500 | 2,939 | 3,116 | 3,231 | 3,370 | 3,015 | 3,098 |
| Ica | 5,494 | 6,607 | 7,078 | 7,300 | 7,794 | 7,242 | 7,189 |
| Junín | 3,019 | 3,175 | 3,466 | 3,903 | 4,004 | 3,528 | 3,655 |
| La Libertad | 4,716 | 5,050 | 5,323 | 5,581 | 5,838 | 5,432 | 5,730 |
| Lambayeque | 3 286 | 3 720 | 3 947 | 4 285 | 4 601 | 4 163 | 3 412 |
| Lima | 27,033 | 26,276 | 26,704 | 28,002 | 29,473 | 26,972 | 26,850 |
| Loreto | 1,356 | 1,372 | 1,364 | 1,470 | 1,609 | 1,530 | 1,461 |
| Madre de Dios | 747 | 820 | 894 | 909 | 1 001 | 950 | 1,015 |
| Moquegua | – | 157 | 227 | 252 | 271 | 219 | 242 |
| Pasco | 191 | 242 | 415 | 670 | 714 | 701 | 745 |
| Piura | 3,171 | 3,607 | 3,737 | 4,047 | 4,213 | 3,807 | 3,903 |
| Puno | 1,641 | 1,904 | 1,977 | 2,272 | 2,408 | 2,208 | 2,297 |
| San Martín | 2,547 | 2 699 | 2 807 | 2 970 | 3 158 | 2 935 | 2 930 |
| Tacna | 1,154 | 1,185 | 1,238 | 1,271 | 1,323 | 1,102 | 1,111 |
| Tumbes | 861 | 929 | 1 041 | 1 139 | 1 178 | 1 107 | 1 121 |
| Ucayali | 2,068 | 2,285 | 2,421 | 2,465 | 2,568 | 2,390 | 2,357 |
| Total | 77,242 | 82,023 | 85,811 | 90,934 | 95,548 | 86,955 | 87,245 |
[i] Source: Correctional Centers and Regional Offices; Author: National Penitentiary Institute (INPE)—Unit of Statistics.
Graph 1
Distribution of prison overcrowding in South American countries.
Source: https://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/occupancy-level?field_region_taxonomy_tid=24.
Table 4
Frequency distribution of common health problems in persons deprived of liberty, South America.
| COUNTRIES | TBC | HIV | HBP | DM | CVD | COPD/ILD | DEPRESSION | ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES | PSYCHOSIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina [40] | ND | 1,7 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Bolivia [49] | 2,1 | ND | 2,8 | 4,6 | ND | 3,11 | ND | 0,9 | ND |
| Brasil [30, 31, 39, 47, 50, 51, 53] | 2,2 | 1,2 | 24,4 | 3,2 | ND | ND | 6,9/17,6 | 1,3/27,9 | 1,1/1,4 |
| Chile [29, 36, 37] | 2,9 | 0,5 | ND | ND | ND | ND | 8,1 | 12,2 | 0,8 |
| Colombia [32, 33, 34, 35, 48, 52] | 0,9 | 11,0 | ND | ND | 11,0 | ND | 16,7 | 75,8 | 3,4 |
| Ecuador [42, 43] | 1,7–2,0 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | 50,2 | 41,4 | 25,9 |
| Paraguay [41] | 1,6 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Perú [17, 28, 38] | 2,5/4,3/3,5 | 0,4 | 6,9/2,0 | 2,8/1,7 | ND | 8,4 | 9,6 | 2,8 | ND |
| Uruguay [44] | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | 80,0 | ND |
| Venezuela [45, 46] | ND | 4,0 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | 56,8–57,4 | ND |
[i] TBC: Tuberculosis; HBP: High blood pressure; DM: Diabetes Mellitus; CVD: Cardiovascular disease; COPD/ILD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/Interstitial lung disease; ND: no data.