Turkey prisons exceed capacity by 40% as inmate count tops 427,000

Turkey's prison system is operating at roughly 140 % of its official capacity. On 1 July 2026 the inmate count reached 427,525, surpassing the 304,956 places designed for the facilities. The population rose from 412,991 on 1 March 2026, adding more than 14,500 prisoners in four months, a surge linked to arrests after protests over Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s detention and continued crackdowns on Gülen and Kurdish‑linked groups.

Living conditions have deteriorated: the average floor area per prisoner fell from 29.2 m² in 2023 to about 24 m² by the end of 2025. Court backlogs have lengthened, with criminal trials averaging 248 days and civil cases 243 days, while each prosecutor manages roughly 1,500 files. Turkey now records the highest imprisonment rate in Europe – about 458 inmates per 100,000 people.

The government’s response focuses on expanding capacity. Prison director Enis Yavuz Yıldırım told a parliamentary subcommittee that 50 new prisons will be built by the end of 2028 and that older, unsuitable facilities will be closed.