Overview

• The national penitentiary system comprises 325 centers and 230,168 available spaces yet operates at 102.9% occupancy.
• State facilities average 107% capacity and spike to 238.8% occupancy in the State of Mexico and Nayarit.
• More than one-third of detainees (36.3%) were held without a sentence at the end of 2024.
• Women face disproportionate pretrial detention, with 46.3% of female inmates unsentenced compared to 35.7% of men.
• Admission data reveal narcotics offenses dominate female entries to federal prisons while theft is the most frequent charge in state centers.