6 Jail situations
Round 1 / 4 of individuals in jail are housed in prisons with Victorian-era lodging. Compact areas initially constructed on the outskirts of cities, they’ve now change into enclosed by city growth, making additional enhancements tough and exacerbating the issues of overcrowding. Inexperienced area is restricted, and each damp/coldness and overheating issues are brought on by thick partitions and poor air flow. Slender landings and steep staircases trigger accessibility issues for an ageing prisonpopulation.
Inspectors raised considerations about residing situations in 24 of the 38 grownup prisons inspected in 2024–25. Overcrowding persevered, with cramped cells and inadequate screening round bogs. Vermin infestations weren’t unusual.
7 Price
The price of a jail place in 2023–24 was 3% greater in actual phrases than 2010–11. The typical annual total value of a jail place in England and Wales is now £56,987.
8 International nationals in jail
International nationals (non-UK passport holders) presently make up one in eight folks in jail in England and Wales (12%). On 30 September 2025 there have been 10,737 overseas nationals in jail. International nationwide prisoners come from 175 international locations—however over half are from 11 international locations (Albania, Poland, Eire, Romania, India, Jamaica, Lithuania, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, and Portugal).
9 Girls serving lengthy jail sentences
There are 358 ladies serving an indeterminate sentence in jail— nearly all on life sentences (98%). They account for one in ten ladies in custody (10%). The variety of ladies serving an indeterminate sentence who’ve but to be launched has greater than doubled since 2002.
Girls convicted of extra critical crimes are spending longer in jail. Between 2015 and 2025, the variety of ladies serving lengthy sentences of 4 to lower than 10 years has declined by a 3rd (33%), however the quantity serving sentences of 10 years or extra has elevated by nearly the identical proportion (32%).
10 Youngsters in custody
The variety of youngsters sentenced to in custody fell steeply from 4,657 in 2009–10 to 660 youngsters in 2023–24, though this quantity was a rise of 21% on the yr earlier than (546 youngsters).
Sentence lengths are getting longer. The typical custodial sentence size for kids elevated from 11.3 months in 2010 to 17.5 months in 2024.On the finish of November 2025 there have been 379 youngsters in custody in England and Wales; 15 youngsters have been aged 14 or youthful.
Greater than two in three youngsters in custody in 2024 have been there for offences of violence in opposition to the particular person (68%).
Greater than two in 5 youngsters in custody (43%) are on remand.
Due to Andy Aitchison for sort permission to make use of the header picture on this submit. You possibly can see Andy’s work right here
