Justice Analytical Services - safer communities and justice statistics monthly report: May 2022 edition

Further detail on prison population

In April 2022 (up until the morning of Sunday 1st May 2022):

• the population decreased by 131 to 7,357
• 2,149 were on remand: 1,851 (25%) untried & 298 (4%) awaiting sentence
• 68% of arrivals were untried (523 of 773), and 17% awaiting sentence (130)

While the overall prison population is lower than pre-pandemic levels, the number of people held on remand remains at a historic high. The changing levels across groups that are required by law to be housed separately – like those on remand – pose increasing difficulties in the management of the prison population.

The remand population grew during March through November 2021, exceeding its previous recorded peak. On 23 November the remand population was 2,272 – 30%.

In line with previous years, overall numbers and remand populations fell during December 2021, hitting a low of 7,433 (2,061 remand) over Christmas before rebounding. Since February the prison population overall has fallen somewhat, but the remand population peaked again on the 1^st February 2022 at 2,292 (30%) – the highest daily number on record.