Prison system in the UK

Statistics report about the prison system in the United Kingdom

Prison system in the UK

This report presents statistics about prisons in England and Wales. This includes demographic information, and also data on violence within prisons, as well as the key numbers and rates (including historical data for trend analysis).

Table of contents

Overview

10
  • Premium Statistic Number of prisoners in the UK 1900-2023
  • Basic Statistic Incarceration rate in the UK 2008-2022
  • Basic Statistic Largest prisons in the UK 2023
  • Basic Statistic Number of spare prison places in England and Wales 2022-2024
  • Basic Statistic Government spending on prisons in the UK 2009-2023
  • Premium Statistic Expenditure per prison place in England and Wales 2015-2022
  • Basic Statistic Number of prison officers in England and Wales 2010-2023
  • Basic Statistic Number of prisoner escapes in England and Wales 1995-2023
  • Basic Statistic Opinion on prison living conditions in Great Britain 2019-2024
  • Basic Statistic Incarceration rate in European countries in 2022

Demographics

8
  • Basic Statistic Number of prisoners in England and Wales 1900-2023, by gender
  • Premium Statistic Number of prisoners in Scotland 2004-2022, by gender
  • Premium Statistic Number of prisoners in England and Wales 2002-2023, by age group
  • Premium Statistic Number of prisoners in Scotland 2009-2022, by age group
  • Basic Statistic Number of prisoners in Northern Ireland 2022, by age
  • Premium Statistic Number of prisoners in England and Wales 2015-2023, by ethnicity
  • Premium Statistic Number of prisoners in England and Wales 2015-2023, by religion
  • Premium Statistic Number of foreign prisoners in England and Wales 2023, by foreign nationality

Prison Safety

4
  • Premium Statistic Number of deaths in prison custody in England and Wales 1978-2022
  • Basic Statistic Number of suicides among prisoners in England and Wales 2000-2023
  • Premium Statistic Number of assaults at prisons in England and Wales 2003-2023
  • Basic Statistic Number of self-harm incidents at prisons in England and Wales 2004-2023

Sentence Length

4
  • Premium Statistic Number of prisoners in England and Wales 2022 by length of sentence
  • Basic Statistic Average length of prison sentences for all offences in England and Wales 2000-2022
  • Basic Statistic Average length of prison sentences for offences in England and Wales 2022/23
  • Basic Statistic Opinion on prison sentences not being harsh enough in Britain in 2019

Statista report shop

Explore all Statista reports

We provide information on industries, companies, consumers, trends, countries, and politics, covering the latest and most important issues in a condensed format.

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Meredith Alda
Meredith Alda
Sales Manager– Contact (United States)

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Group Director - LATAM– Contact (Latin America)

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)