Overview

Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)

144

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The authorities publish official statistics on prison population

weekly

The prison service has a computerised record keeping system

yes

Total number of prisoners

87,177

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31/05/2024

Variation in the number of prisoners

increase

The prison population increased by 6.57% between January 2023 (81,806)1 and May 2024 (87,177).


  1. Conseil de l’Europe, Rapport SPACE I 2023, tableau 3. 

  • On 3 January 2024, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) published a report on increases in the prison population titled “Prison population growth: drivers, implications and policy considerations”. The report details the factors behind the increase in the number of prisoners and puts forth measures that the government could implement in the short term to address this issue.

    i
    05/01/2024
    / Russell Webster

Number of people serving non-custodial sentences

170,655

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31/01/2023
/ Council of Europe, SPACE II Report 2023, table 9.

Variation in the number of people serving non-custodial sentences

no significant variation

The number of persons serving non-custodial sentences was 170,744 in January 2022.1


  1. Council of Europe, SPACE II Report 2022, table 9. 

Variation in the incarceration rate

increase

The incarceration rate increased by 5.73% between January 2023 (136.2)1 and January 2024 (144).


  1. Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 3. 

Number of admissions

115,784

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2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 23.

Number of releases

46,804

i
2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 26.

Average length of imprisonment (in months)

8.4

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2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 31.

Variation in the average length of imprisonment

decrease

The average length of imprisonment decreased by 2.33% between 2021 (9)1 and 2022 (8.4).


  1. Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2022, table 19. 

Prison density

109.9 %

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According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, almost two-thirds of prisons are overcrowded. Eight facilities exceed 150% of their capacity. In July 2023, 23% of prisoners shared a single cell. This average conceals a significant variation: in some male prisons, more than 75% of inmates live in an overcrowded cell.1 On 16 October 2023, the Ministry of Justice announced measures to ease the pressure on prison capacity. One measure, for example, would allow prisoners to be released up to 18 days before their scheduled release date. This measure only applies to prisoners serving fixed determinate sentences and will not be used for prisoners convicted of an offence of serious violence or a sexual offence. The Government also decided to delay certain non-essential maintenance projects to bring cells back into use more quickly.


  1. Jeanette HALL, Nancy LOUCKS, Nicola PADFIELD, “Le système pénitentiaire anglais et gallois”, Centre de Recherche sur la Justice Pénale et Pénitentiaire (CRJ2P/IFTJ), 2024, p. 16 (in French). 

Variation in the prison density

increase

The occupancy rate increased by 13.53% between January 2023 (96.8)1 and April 2024 (109.9).


  1. Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 16. 

The number of prisoners according to the length of their sentence was, on the 31 December 2017, as follows 1:

  • less than one month: 218 (0.3%)
  • between one and three months: 1,076 (1.4%)
  • between three and six months: 2,568 (3.4%)
  • between six months and a year: 2,590 (3.5%)
  • between one and three years: 14,166 (18.9%)
  • between three and five years: 9,200 (12.3%)
  • between five and ten years: 14,774 (19.8%)
  • between 10 and 20  years: 7,927 (10.6%)
  • 20  years or more: 713 (1%)
  • life sentence: 7,247 (9.7%)
  • other: 13,567 (18.1%)

Overcrowding is an issue for specific types of prison facilities

yes

Overpopulation is concentrated in local and Category C prisons. Certain women’s prisons are also experiencing overpopulation. A report published on 18 October 2022 by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons revealed that 60% of prisoners at the Pentonville prison are held in overpopulated cells. Although the facility has a capacity of 871, it currently holds 1,111 prisoners. This overpopulation has created numerous problems: lack of privacy while using the toilets in the cells, cockroach infestations, insufficient furniture other than beds, staff’s unwillingness to solve these problems, and a perceived lack of safety among prisoners. The situation continues to deteriorate with an increase in the number of prisoners in 2023.

The prison population has risen over the last 30 years. Notably, it has passed from 64,602 prisoners in 2000 to 82,773 in 2018, peaking at 86,634 in 2012. Nicola Padfield gives two reasons for this rise: sentences are more severe; and the possibility of sentencing adjustments are reduced.1


  1. Nicola Padfield & Nancy Loucks, “Le système pénitentiaire anglais et gallois” (The English and Welsh prison system), in J. Céré and C. E. Japiassú (éds.), Les systèmes pénitentiaires dans le monde (Prison systems in the world), 2018, p. 27-44. 

Name of authority in charge of the prison service

Ministry of Justice

Budget of the prison service

4,882,819,560

EUR

i
2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 33.

Percentage of the ministerial budget allocated to the prison service

57 %

i
2018
/ HM Prison & Probation Service, Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18, p. 10

The prison service outsources the management of the facilities to private companies, either partially or fully

yes

The administration fully delegates the management of 15 English prisons to private suppliers. There are three operators involved:

  • G4S, four facilities 
  • Serco, five facilities
  • Sodexo, six facilities.

Parc Prison (Bridgend) is the only prison in Wales under private management.

Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) was placed under the authority of the Ministry of Justice. It is in charge of the management and correct functioning of prison and probation services in both private and public prisons. On 1st April 2017, it replaced the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
The enforcement of sentences is the responsibility of the prison service and its partners. The Youth Custody Service, which is linked to the prison service, is in charge of the enforcement of sentences for minors.1

The detention regimes that are carried out are organised into categories. These categories take into account a person’s gender, age and perceived danger. It is the administration that defines each of these categories.

For men:

  • Category A: Very high security measures. This regime applies to prisoners whose escape would present a grave danger to the population, police, or the state. This risk is evaluated using three levels: normal, high, and exceptional. Category A is subdivided into three groups: potential, temporary, and confirmed.
  • Category B: High security measures aiming to make escape very difficult.
  • Category C: Moderate security measures for prisoners who are unlikely to be placed in an open environment without attempting to escape.
  • Category D: Minimal security measures for prisoners unlikely to attempt to escape when placed in an open environment.

For women, minors and young adults:

  • Category A: Very high security measures. This regime applies to prisoners whose escape would present a grave danger to the population, police, or the state. Women are very rarely put in this category.
  • Restricted Status: High security measures. This regime applies to every woman, minor or young adult, accused or convicted, whose escape would present a significant risk to the population.
  • Closed Conditions: Moderate security measures. This regime applies to prisoners placed in a secure environment that does not require strict security measures.
  • Open conditions: Minimal security measures for prisoners placed in an open environment.1

  1. Gabrielle Garton Grimwood, ”Categorisation of prisoners in the UK”, House of Commons Library - Briefing paper, 29  December  2015. 

The men, women and children imprisoned in England and Wales are incarcerated in different units.

There are four main prison categories for men:

  • Trainer prisons: these house category B and C prisoners (the majority of prisoners). These prisons provide facilitated access to professional training and activities. There are 43 category C trainer prisons and 8 that are category B. The category C trainer prisons are at times resettlement prisons. These pool prisoners condemned to sentences of between one and four years. Prisoners are accompanied, during the final three months, by a member of staff in charge of preparations for leaving prison (resettlement providers).
  • Local prisons: these house remand prisoners, people sentenced to short jail terms, and those waiting to be transferred to a different facility. There are 29 local prisons.
  • Open institutions: these house category D prisoners (low risk). Some prisoners are at the end of their sentence. They have carried out the majority of their sentences in the highest security prisons. There are ten of these open institutions.
  • The eight high security prisons are split into two categories:
    • Core locals hold the same categories of prisoners as those in local prisons, under a stricter security regime.
    • Dispersals hold category A prisoners (high risk). Their aim is to spread the prisoners considered most dangerous throughout the entire territory.

There are 12 facilities for women in England and Wales. Two of them, Askham Grange and East Sutton Park, are open institutions.

Minors and young adults are gathered in three types of prisons:

  • Young Offender Institutions, YOI
  • Secure Training Centres, STC
  • Secure Children’s Homes, SCH.1

The new Five Wells Prison opened its doors. It had approximately 1700 places for Category C inmates (see Overview, Organisation section). The facility was designed with ultra-secure windows without bars and with so-called “smart” technology. Inmates would have access to tablets to support their learning. The cells were called “rooms” and the inmates, “residents”. The facility was in partnership with local employers to promote the professional integration of people leaving prison. Two special wings were dedicated to people living with substance dependence. The British Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, said that the main aim of Five Wells was “to reduce re-offending and make our streets safer”.

Please refer to the Minors section for more information.


  1. House of Commons Library,”Briefing paper : The prison estate”, December 2018. 

Total number of prison facilities

120

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Total official capacity of the prison facilities

79,615

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  • In response to the issue of overpopulation, the government constructed 380 prison spaces in 2023. It plans to spend £12 million for the construction of 10,000 additional spaces by the end of 2025.

    i
    2024
    / The Independent

Variation in the capacity of the prison facilities

decrease

The total official capacity decreased by 5.83% between January 2023 (84,548)1 and April 2024 (79,615).


  1. Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 16. 

The size of facilities varies significantly. The smallest, East Sutton Park, has 101 spaces. It consolidates an open unit for women and a unit for young offenders. The largest, Parc at Bridgend (Wales), has 1,699 spaces. It is managed by the private group G4S. It consolidates a category B unit for men and a young offenders unit.1


  1. Ministry of Justice, “Prison population figures 2018”, 2019. 

Prison facilities are accessible by public transport

-

  • About a third of the prison estate was built in the Victorian era (the second half of the 19th Century).These facilities are situated in city centres. They are mainly local prisons.

  • Almost a third of the prison estate is composed of buildings constructed in the mid-20th Century (the years 1940 to 1970). They are often old military bases or internment camps that were used during (or after) the Second World War. They are situated outside the cities.

  • The prisons built at the end of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st Century, approximately the remaining third, are generally situated outside the cities.1


  1. House of Commons Library, “Briefing paper : The prison estate”, December 2018. 

Number of prison guards (FTE)

25,245

i
31/12/2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 19.

Workforce statistics from HMPPS cover staff who are employed by HMPPS. They are all civil servants. The official data provided by HMPPS does not include other workers within HMPPS who are employed by third parties (e.g. private sector, CRCs). This number also excludes voluntary workers, HMPPS staff on loan, on secondment out, and those on a career break.1

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons underlines that one of the biggest challenges facing the prison service is recruiting staff to counteract the significant number of departures and absences. The resignation rate increased from 2017 to 2023. In September 2023, the Prison Minister reported that 31% of posts were vacant at Woodhill Prison (Milton Keynes), 29% at Swaleside Prison (Kent) and 24% at Long Lartin (Worcestershire). Fourteen prisons receive officers on detached duty. In August 2022, only 23 of 122 prisons were able to maintain all services and activities. One third of prison officers are new recruits in 2023. The resulting staff shortage heavily impacts prison operations, as prisoners spend more time in their cells and exercise options are cut.

Independent Monitoring Boards for the prisons of Belmarsh, Birmingham and Preston report, numerous problems resulting from staff shortages: loss of property (HMP Belmarsh and HMP Birmingham), long waiting times for dental appointments (HMP Belmarsh), limited access to showers (HMP Belmarsh), fewer visits (HMP Preston) and incomplete renovations to infrastructure that must be completed in the presence of surveillance staff (HMP Preston).

The Operational Stability and Resourcing Panel (OSRP) is a group of experts made up of senior officials that meet once a week to analyse the impact of staff shortages in the prisons of England and Wales. According to authorities, the panel’s role is “to provide support to those prisons with the most acute resourcing pressures”. The Ministry of Justice stated that between November 2020 and November 2022, the panel was called on for help 647 times. The prisons of Woodhill and Wayland seem to be struggling the most: since mid-2021, they each received help on 20 occasions. The prisons of Long Lartin and Swaleside significantly restricted their regimes starting in August 2022 due to staff shortages.

  • One hundred and twenty-seven staff members resigned from HMP Lowdham Grange between February and December 2023. The Chief Inspector of Prisons regretted the service’s lack of progress despite previous warnings about the state of the facility.

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    20/02/2024
    / BBC

Variation in the number of prison guard positions

no significant variation

The number of prison guards was 25,129 in january 2022.1
According to the Ministry of Justice, one in seven prison officers left their jobs in 2021. Recruiting and retaining staff has been particularly challenging in certain areas of southern England, where the labour market is buoyant, and in rural areas where the pool of potential recruits is limited. Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association, has warned that this problem is due in part to low wages.


  1. Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 20232, table 19. 

Guard to prisoner ratio

1 : 3.2

i
31/12/2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 21.

The prison staff is represented by (a) union(s)

yes

The leading union in the United Kingdom is the Professional Trades Union for Prison, Correctional & Secure Psychiatric Workers (POA). It represents uniformed prison staff (as defined by the PSO publication 8805), and psychiatric staff.

Prison wardens follow a 12-week training programme. Ten of these weeks are devoted to initial training (Prison Officer Entry Level Training, POELT),

This training includes:

  • the care of prisoners (first aid, food, hygiene, health and safety, regulations, etc.)
  • search and security procedures
  • de-escalation techniques (conflict management)

The first and last weeks of training are undertaken in prison. Training continues after the position has been taken, during the year that follows. Individuals assigned to high security prisons sometimes undergo specific two-week training.
The use of augmented reality (AR) is introduced, in 2023, into the training of newly recruited guards. The goal is to make training more immersive, so the new guards are better prepared.
The CPT considers the training of prison officers to be inadequate. It reported, during its visit to HMP Wormwood Scrubs in April 2020, that 28 staff members had been recruited six months earlier, but that 41 subsequently resigned.1
The national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association warned, in 2023, of a lack of training and experience among new recruits, linked to staff shortages and a high turnover rate.


  1. European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), Report to the United Kingdom Government on the visit carried out from 13 to 23 May 2019, April 2020, p. 47. 

The salary of prison officers is between £22,000 and £30,000 a year for 39-hour weeks. It takes into account cost of living where the work takes place. National Living Wage is about £15,880.

The staff have:

  • Twenty-five days of annual leave (which rises to 30 after 10 years of service)
  • paid leave for public holidays and one additional day off
  • Public Service Pension Plan (up to 20% of their salary)
  • service vouchers for childcare
  • Cycle to Work programme (staff are given a bicycle and equipment to get to their place of work)
  • travel loans…1
  • The Prisons Minister reported that pay for prison officers had increased by £10,000 between 2019 and 2023. The prison service noted that resignations had decreased and attributed this change to higher pay and improved staff support.

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    10/01/2024
    / Inside Time