Summary

In 2025, Switzerland registered 111,962 convictions in the criminal register. Conditional fines remained the most common sanction (78,693 cases), while short unconditional prison sentences fell to a historic low of 2,937 cases. On 31 January 2026, 7,119 persons were in custody – the highest number since data collection began in 1988. Property offences accounted for 48% of all criminal code convictions, traffic offences for over half of all verdicts.

Persons

Topics

  • Criminal prosecution statistics Switzerland
  • Prison occupancy and detention capacity
  • Forms of sanctions and recidivism rates
  • Swiss Stat Explorer data platform

Clarus Lead

The record number of inmates signals capacity pressure in the correctional system: With an occupancy rate of 97%, Swiss correctional facilities are operating at their limit. Simultaneously, the decline in short-term prison sentences documents a system shift – fines replace imprisonment as the standard sanction, improving reintegration opportunities but exacerbating space shortages. The new Swiss Stat Explorer platform enables granular analysis of recidivism patterns across demographic and offence-specific dimensions for the first time.

Detailed Summary

The 111,962 convictions in 2025 were unevenly distributed: Traffic offences dominated with 57,150 cases (51% of all verdicts), while criminal code offences (38,406 cases) concentrated on property crimes (48%, 18,422), assault (12%, 4,716), and sexual offences (3%, 1,116).

Sentencing practice has fundamentally shifted since the introduction of fines in 2007: Conditional fines were imposed 78,693 times in 2025 and revoked in only 7% of cases – an indicator of high compliance. Short unconditional prison sentences, by contrast, fell to 2,937 cases, the lowest figure since 2007. Deportations (2,272 cases) concerned 94% mandatory expulsions; 37% of affected persons were EU citizens, over half receiving deportation periods exceeding five years.

The incarceration rate reveals a paradox: While the absolute number of 7,119 persons (31 January 2026) marks the historic high since 1988, the rate measured against the resident population is lower than ten years ago – an effect of population growth. The distribution shows: 63% were in penal/custodial enforcement, 31% in investigative/preventive detention, 6% for other reasons. With 7,373 detention places in 90 facilities and declining capacity (slight decrease), the occupancy rate reaches 97% – critical for operational viability.

The FSO has modernised data infrastructure: The Swiss Stat Explorer now offers flexible analyses for 2007–2025 with filtering by canton, offence type, and sociodemographic characteristics. Newly documented are recidivism rates three years after release, differentiated by prior convictions, age, gender, nationality, and type of reoffence (identical vs. different offence).

Key Findings

  • Conditional fines dominate sentencing practice with 78,693 cases; only 7% revocation rate demonstrates high efficiency
  • Incarceration rate reaches 7,119 persons (31.01.2026) – historic maximum, but population-adjusted below level of 10 years ago
  • Occupancy rate of 97% in correctional facilities signals critical capacity utilisation amid declining detention places
  • Swiss Stat Explorer enables granular recidivism analysis by demographic and offence-specific variables for the first time

Critical Questions

  1. Data Quality: How is consistency ensured between cantonal criminal registers and central FSO recording, particularly for recidivism counts across cantonal boundaries?

  2. Causality: Does the decline in short-term prison sentences reflect a genuine shift in judicial preference or administrative adjustments to detention capacity shortages?

  3. Feasibility: How will the 97% occupancy rate be operationally managed with further increases in inmate numbers – through new construction, overcrowding, or stricter sentencing?

  4. Conflicts of Interest: What incentives exist for cantons to impose fines rather than imprisonment – budgetary or criminal policy considerations?

  5. Counter-Hypotheses: Could the rising absolute incarceration rate amid declining population-adjusted rates be attributed to demographic shifts (immigration, ageing) or altered offence patterns?

  6. Recidivism Validity: How are reoffences recorded in cantons where the original conviction occurred – or only in the canton of the new offence?

Sources

Primary Source: Criminal Prosecution Statistics 2025 and Deprivation of Liberty Statistics – Federal Statistical Office

Verification Status: ✓ 11.05.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-check: 11.05.2026