The amount was shared by the Ministry of Justice to Advocatus and reveals that each prisoner costs almost €20,000 per year to the taxpayer.

“The value is calculated based on a set of expenses ranging from personnel costs, medical and medication assistance, food, cleaning, water, electricity, and gas, among others. In other words, all expenses with the operation of prison establishments, excluding costs related to the construction, conservation and maintenance of the building”, explained an official source from the Ministry of Justice in a report by ECO.

They warn that this average cost, of 56.33 euros, has underlying differences between “types of establishments”. “For example, the operating costs and, consequently, the daily cost of an inmate admitted to a special security prison and/or a prison hospital are higher than the costs of an inmate admitted to a regular prison,” they explain.

According to data from the General Directorate of Reinsertion and Prison Services, in 2022, 12,198 inmates were imprisoned in Portuguese prisons. All in all, with the daily cost of 56.33 euros, and taking into account the prison population, the more than 12,000 prisoners cost the State around €250 million (250,796,369 euros) annually.