An estimated 14,969 people were behind bars late last year, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Penitentiary System, Juan Miguel Petit, stated.

This figure accounts for an increase of 3.9 percent compared to 2022, according to the annual report on the situation of the prison system. Since the new Criminal Procedure Code came into force, the percentage of pre-trial detainees has decreased and now stands at 7.8 percent of the total prison population.

With 435 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, Uruguay ranks tenth in the world and first in South America.

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