Objective prison crowding measures identified in the literature
| Measure | Example of study using measure |
| 1. Prisoner population divided by the design capacity of the prison | McCorkle et al, 199544 |
| 2. Prisoner population divided by the rated capacity of the prison | Tartaro, 200245 |
| 3. Percentage of prison cells or dormitories reported as overcrowded by the institution | Anson, 198446 |
| 4. Prisoner population divided by the total no of available beds | Bonta and Kiem, 197847 |
| 5. No of prisoners per prison | Ruback and Carr, 198434 |
| 6. No of prisoners per living space/cell unit (including communal areas) | Atlas, 198248 |
| 7. No of prisoners per cell | Urrego et al, 201549 |
| 8. No of square metres of the total prison floor area per person | Ekland-Olson et al, 198350 |
| 9. No of square metres of the total living space/cell unit of the prisoner (including communal areas) per person | Megargee, 197751 |
| 10. No of square metres of the cell per person | McCain et al, 197652 |