WIESBADEN – As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), nearly 75,200 prisoners served a sentence in German penal institutions or were only temporarily absent (for example due to leave from retention) on 30 November 2007. Hence, the rate of detention per 100,000 registered inhabitants was 91 in Germany. In 2000, the rate of detention for Germany was still 98. Since then, that rate has been on the decrease, as is also the case with absolute figures. The decrease is primarily due to the trend observed for detainees awaiting trial. Between 2000 and 2007, the number of detainees awaiting trial decreased by 31% (from 18,300 to 12,600), mainly because of different measures taken to avoid detention.
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