United Arab Emirates

Total prison population:
9,826
Country
United Arab Emirates
Ministry responsible
Ministry of Interior
Contact address

United Arab Emirates

Head of prison administration
(Brigadier) Hamad Al Shamesi, Director-General of Punitive and Correctional Establishments

Prison population data

Prison population total (including pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners) 9,826
at 2014 (via United Nations Crime Trends Survey)
Prison population rate (per 100,000 of national population) 104
based on an estimated national population of 9.45 million at mid-2014 (from United Nations figures)
Pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners (percentage of prison population) 38.2%
(2014)
Female prisoners (percentage of prison population) 11.7%
(2014)
Juveniles / minors / young prisoners incl. definition (percentage of prison population) 2.0%
(2014 - under 18)
Foreign prisoners (percentage of prison population) 87.8%
(2014)
Number of establishments / institutions 21
(2006 - 14 for adults, 7 for juveniles.)
Official capacity of prison system 7,045
(2006)
Occupancy level (based on official capacity) 158.9%
(2006)

Prison population trend

Year Prison population total Prison population rate
c. 6,000 c. 213
c. 11,000 c. 351
8,827 262
11,193 229
9,824 107

Prison population total

Prison population rate

Female prison population: trend

The table below gives an indication of the trend in the female prison population. The final row shows the latest figures available.

It consists of the number of female prisoners in the prison population on a single date in the year (or the annual average) and the percentage of the total prison population that female prisoners constituted on that day.  

The final column shows the female prison population rate per 100,000 of the national population. 

                                       UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Year

Number of
female
prisoners

Percentage
of total
prison population

Female prison
population rate
(per 100,000 of
national population)

2003
2006
2012

486*
1,249
1,182

9.6%*
11.2%
11.9%

14.4*
25.6
12.6

2014

1,148

11.7%

12.1

*These figures relate only to convicted prisoners. Full figures are not available.

The number of female prisoners fluctuates and so the above figures give an indication of the trend but the picture is inevitably incomplete.

The female prison population rate is calculated on the basis of the national population total. All national population figures are inevitably estimates but the estimates used in the World Prison Brief are based on official national figures, United Nations figures or figures from other recognised international authorities.

(If the rate were calculated on the basis of the number of females in the national population it would of course be approximately double the figure in the final column.)

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