The increase in the prison population in 1998 included 6 percent more female prisoners. Between 1993 and 1998, the prison population increased by 47 percent. Greater use of custody and longer sentences were the main reasons for this increase. About 21 percent of male prisoners were held for violence against the person offenses. Among female prisoners, more than one-third were held for drug offenses. The average time remanded in custody for untried prisoners, 47 days for males, was shorter in 1998 than in any of the previous 10 years. A total of 3,934 prisoners were serving life sentences on June 30, 1998, the highest figure ever. The number of prisoners expressed as a rate per 100,000 population was the second highest in Western Europe in 1998. Approximately 58 percent of prisoners discharged from prison in 1995 were reconvicted of a standard list offense within 2 years of release. 1 table and 5 figures