Only Vatican City and Liechtenstein completely lack permanent jails, instead relying on temporary holding cells and agreements with neighbouring countries.
Across countries, jails are often seen as a necessary part of the justice system. Jails are often seen as cold, unforgiving places, but behind the bars are human lives, people who have made mistakes, many of them shaped by difficult circumstances, poverty, or lack of guidance. While society views jails as a way to maintain order and safety, it’s important to remember that incarceration can carry deep emotional weight, not just for those inside but also for their families who wait on the outside. Every inmate is someone’s child, sibling, or parent, and showing empathy means recognizing that punishment alone rarely heals. True justice comes when systems balance accountability with compassion, offering chances for rehabilitation, education, and a path to start over.
Although no nation has completely done away with prisons, there are a few nations that operate without traditional incarceration facilities, or have reduced reliance on these traditional incarceration methods, especially in cases of non-violent offences. These approaches aim to hold people accountable while avoiding the lasting damage of imprisonment. In several European countries like Estonia, France, and Germany, community service is used to ensure offenders contribute positively to society.
Financial penalties, such as fines, are another common tool in places like Germany and Finland, offering a practical solution without confinement. Some countries, including France and Ukraine, rely on electronic monitoring or house arrest to limit a person’s movements while still allowing them to live outside prison walls. In Indonesia and elsewhere, restorative justice has gained ground, emphasising rehabilitation and healing by encouraging dialogue and reconciliation between offenders, victims, and communities.
With all that being said, there are only two countries without permanent jails. Vatican City, the world’s smallest sovereign state, does not maintain permanent prisons. Instead, it has only temporary holding cells for very short-term detentions. When someone is convicted of a crime, they are handed over to the Italian authorities under the terms of the Lateran Treaty. Italy then takes responsibility for their incarceration, with the Vatican covering the cost. Similarly, Liechtenstein, a tiny principality between Switzerland and Austria, does not have its own long-term prison facilities. It has holding cells for minor offences, but when serious crimes occur, offenders are sent to neighbouring countries to serve their sentences.