Around the world, an estimated 1 in 3 prisoners, or 3.3 million people, are held in pretrial detention, according to a new report from the non-profit Open Society Foundations.
The report is the first examination of global pretrial conditions, and includes statistical analysis, first-person accounts and case studies of successful reforms.
In central and South America, pre-trial detainees make up more than 40 percent of the incarcerated population; in central and West Africa, more than 50 percent; in south Asia, more than 65 percent.
The majority of those held in pretrial detention are poor young men, according to the report, who cannot afford the most common requirements for leaving jail: bail, an attorney or bribery.
The report calls on the international community to assure that detainees receive quick access to legal advice, provide alternatives to pretrial detention and pretrial release supervision.
The report notes that these changes would help many countries deal with incarceration systems that are overcrowded and costly.
Read the full report HERE.