Parliament: 2024 Report on the prison system presented

Minister Habijan submitted to the Croatian Parliament the 2024 Report on the State and Operation of Penitentiaries, Prisons and Reformatories 
 
 

At today's sitting of the Parliament, presenting the 2024 Report on the prison system, the Minister pointed out that in 2024 there were 16,826 persons deprived of liberty and persons serving reformatory measures, in seven penitentiaries, 14 prisons and two reformatories.

The majority of them were pre-trial detainees and convicts, both adults and minors.

‘The capacity of the prison system is 4,052 places, of which 3,932 for persons deprived of liberty and 120 for persons serving reformatory measures’, the Minister said.

As of 31 December 2024, there were 4,965 persons deprived of liberty in the correctional facilities. The majority of them were men (93%).

The Minister also noted that the number of foreign nationals within the prison system was steadily increasing. In total, there had been 3,508 of them in 2024.

In terms of job systematization, out of 3,558 systematized jobs, 2,603 were occupied in 2024 (73%).

Investing in infrastructure to increase and improve accommodation capacity

‘The main focus should be on the issue of accommodation capacity. There are approximately 900 people more in the penitentiary system than the accommodation capacity. It is for this very reason that we have also started working on short-, medium- and long-term infrastructure investment plans’, said Minister Habijan.

‘The continuous increase in the number of persons deprived of liberty is primarily due to the criminal offence of illegal entry, stay and movement within Croatia or another EU Member State, i.e. within the Schengen Area. Looking at 2022, a total of 489 persons were suspected of this crime; in 2023, there were 1,183 such persons, and 1,631 in 2024’, the Minister explained, noting that the last major infrastructure investment in the prison system had taken place in 1987, when the Zagreb Prison and the Split Prison were built.

‘At the moment, we are working on modular prisons in Varaždin and Lipovica-Popovača, for additional 300 places, 150 each. Modular because their construction is relatively short and fast, and costs EUR 4.6 million inclusive of VAT’, the Minister said.

Medium-term infrastructure measures are primarily related to the capacity and increase of accommodation capacities in the Požega Penitentiary and the Požega Reformatory.

‘Another important issue is the increase in the capacity of the Prison Hospital in Zagreb, as well as the issue of accommodation of mentally incompetent persons, who must be accomodated either in a prison hospital or in specific institutions, in relation to which we are cooperating with the Ministry of Health.’

‘As far as long-term infrastructure projects are concerned, we have progressed furthest on the issue of a new prison or penitentiary in Perušić, for which a tripartite agreement has been concluded between the county, the municipality and the Ministry. The second penitentiary will be located in Sisak-Moslavina County, on the territory of Žažina, and the third in Osijek-Baranja County, in Osijek’, Minister Habijan reported.

Infrastructure investments so far

The Minister also highlighted a continuous increase in investments in the penitentiary system, starting from 2020, when 962,000 euros were invested.

‘If we look at 2024, €9 million were invested, and in 2025 it was €12.5 million’, the Minister pointed out, adding that it was also important to highlight the investment in special vehicles and equipment of security personnel in prisons and penitentiaries.

‘In 2024, 29 special vehicles were procured, and additional 30 vehicles were procured last year. The 2026 procurement plan envisages another €3 million. Investments in material and technical resources and equipment for judicial police officers have also increased. In 2024, a total of EUR 2,100,000 excluding VAT, was allocated for this purpose.’ 

Emphasis on HR improvement

‘We will focus more on trainees in the Judicial Police. In 2024, we had a total of three public competitions, for a total of 244 posts. There is also the Josip Jović Police Secondary School, enrolled and finished by 19 new police officers specifically for the needs of our Directorate for the Prison System and Probation, who have started working in the system. At the moment, we have almost 1,700 members of the judicial police, which is the highest number since Croatia’s indepencence’, the Minister continued.

Economic activities of correctional facilities

At the end of 2025, the revenue of correctional facilities was almost 6 million euros, which includes the production and sale of goods and the provision of services.

In this regard, investments have been made in new farms, the reconstruction of existing facilities, the design and construction of greenhouses, a new slaughterhouse, for example in Požega, which has recently started its operation, a mini slaughterhouse in Gospić, as well as a laying hen farm in Turopolje.

Resocialisation and rehabilitation of inmates

Great attention is paid to the resocialization and rehabilitation of inmates, since the very purpose of the execution of sentences within the system is, on the one hand, to increase the security of the social community, but on the other hand, to resocialize persons deprived of liberty.

‘The aim is that, in addition to assessing the criminogenic risks and treatment needs, once they leave this system, they continue as normal a life as possible’, the Minister explained.

‘For this reason, we have also foreseen in the action plan for the implementation of the National Plan for the Development of the Justice System, the fulfilment of preconditions for the primary education of inmates’.

Furthermore, in 2024, almost 9,500 video visits to inmates were made.

"I would also like to thank and commend the good cooperation with associations and civil society organisations. In 2024, 15 selected projects were implemented."

Prison system strategy 

‘A prison system strategy as a document does not exist at this time’, the Minister said.

‘I think it is time to present to the public such a strategy, with very clear short-, medium- and long-term plans as well as investments in the prison system’, concluded the Minister.

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