Individuals Experiencing Imprisonment

[Supplementary Tables B2 and M1]

The number of individuals[i] who spent any time in prison increased by 6% in 2023-24 (+817 from 14,531 in 2022-23 to 15,348 - see Figure 17).

Prior to the pandemic there was a long term downward trend in the numbers of individuals experiencing imprisonment. During 2020-21 there was a sharp decrease in the number of individuals, and in the following two reporting years there were small increases. In 2023-24 the rise in the number of individuals was greater. Nevertheless, the number of individuals experiencing imprisonment remains 11% below pre-pandemic levels (17,312 in 2019-20).

Note that the measure of individuals differs from the average daily population measures discussed in previous chapters. Here, each individual is given equal weight regardless of how long they spent in prison.

Figure 17: The number of individuals experiencing custody has risen in 2023-24, but remains lower than the pre-pandemic levels

Unique individuals spending any time in prison, 2009-10 to 2023-24

Figure 17 shows that there was a broad overall stability in the number of individuals experiencing imprisonment between 2021-22 and 2022-23, a pattern that holds when looking at the legal status breakdown of individuals experiencing custody[ii]. The increase in 2023-24 is the result of more individuals spending time sentenced (+679 from 2022-23 to 10,712; +7%) or convicted awaiting sentence (+419 from 2022-23 to 3,548; +11%). The number experiencing time in custody as untried has remained broadly stable across the period 2021-22 to 2023-24.

Note that an individual can have more than one legal status type each year and is counted for each status held. This means that the total number of individuals across the legal status types will be more than the total number of individuals held in custody in each year.

The rest of this section examines the characteristics of individuals experiencing imprisonment.

Gender

[Supplementary Tables B2 and M1]

In 2023-24, women made up 6.5% of individuals experiencing imprisonment.

The number of both men and women experiencing imprisonment increased in 2023-24. In 2023-24, 14,345 men (+678 from 2022-23, +5%) and 1,001 women (+141 from 2022-23, +16%) experienced imprisonment.

While this is an increase on the previous reporting year, the number of individuals of either gender spending time in prison remains lower than pre-pandemic: down 1,698 (-11%) for men and 264 (-21%) for women.

Breaking down the number of individuals by legal status reveals different patterns for men and women. The breakdown by legal status for men broadly follows the overall pattern displayed in Figure 17, with increases across sentenced and convicted awaiting sentence statuses only.

For women, the numbers experiencing imprisonment increased across all legal statuses: convicted awaiting sentence grew by 37% to to 345, sentenced by 19% to 524 and untried by 12% to 527.

Age

[Supplementary Tables B2 and M1]

Over the longer term (from 2009-10), there has been a reduction in the number of young people and younger adults (those under 30 years) experiencing imprisonment, but broad stability or increases in the number of those in the older adult age bands (30 years or over). The highest proportionate increases have occurred amongst adults aged 50 years or over.

In line with this longer term trend, the increase in the number of individuals experiencing imprisonment in 2023-24 is driven almost entirely by increases in the number of older adults (those aged 30 years or over – see Figure 18). While there were slight increases in individuals aged 18-22 in 2023-24 (+4 total), a pattern contrary to the long term downward trend, there were observable reductions in the numbers of younger adults spending time as untried.

Figure 18: Increases in the number of individuals overall, particularly among those spending time sentenced, are concentrated in age bands 30+ years

Change in number of individuals experiencing imprisonment by legal status and age, 2022-23 to 2023-24

The previously reported trend[iii] of an aging group of people experiencing imprisonment continued in 2023-24. The average age of individuals spending any time in prison in 2013-14 was 33.4 years; by 2023-24 this had risen to 37.8. The proportion of individuals experiencing imprisonment that were aged 50 years or older has more than doubled in the past fifteen years, rising from 6.6% in 2009-10 to 15.1% in 2023-24.

Ethnicity

[Supplementary Tables B3]

The majority of individuals experiencing imprisonment in 2023-24 identified as “White” (93%)[iv].

Reflecting the overall pattern of individuals experiencing imprisonment, there were small increases in the number of individuals experiencing imprisonment across ethnic groups between 2022-23 and 2023-24: “White” (+672 to 14,286); “Asian”(+30 to 356); “Other ethnic group” (+81 to 312); “African, Caribbean or Black” (+28 to 303); “Mixed or Multiple” (+8 to 89). Overall there was little change to the proportion of individuals each ethnic group represented between 2022-23 and 2023-24.

The release of census data from March 2022 provides us with a common population base to compare imprisonment rates over the past three years[v]. Within 2023-24, we see that the imprisonment rate in the “White” ethnicity group is 3.35 per 1000 population. For the “Asian” group it is 2.18 and for the “Mixed Or Multiple” group it is 2.47 per 1000. Increases over time in these rates are broadly aligned.

We see higher rates than the “White” majority in the groups “African Caribbean or Black” and “Other ethnic group”. For individuals in the “African Caribbean or Black” group, the rate increased steadily from 5.71 in 2021-22 to 6.01 in 2022-23 and 6.63 per 1000 in 2023-24. The increase for individuals in the “Other ethnic group” grew more sharply, from 5.22 in 2021-22 through 6.13 in 2022-23 to 8.27 per 1000 in 2023-24.

Ethnic groupings have been aggregated in this report, which is likely to mask variations within each group. Further disaggregation and analysis of the age distribution of these groups is required to understand the dynamic underlying these changes.

Nationality

[Supplementary Tables B8]

The nationality of individuals experiencing imprisonment has been added for the statistical release of 2023-24 following feedback from our stakeholders[vi].

British nationals comprise  more than 90% of individuals experiencing imprisonment in 2023-24. However the proportion of individuals who are not British nationals has increased from 5% in 2017-18 to 9% in 2023-24.

Figure 19: The proportion of individuals spending any time in custody who were British nationals has fallen since 2017-18

Proportion of individuals of British nationality, 2009-10 through 2023-24

Over the period 2010-11 to 2023-24, individuals from the European Economic Area comprise the largest non-British national group experiencing imprisonment (607 in 2023-24). There has been substantial growth in individuals from non-EEA European countries, as well as increases in the number of people from Asian and Middle Eastern nations spending time in Scottish prisons. This follows a period of significant decline in Asian nationals in experiencing imprisonment in Scotland from 2009-10 through 2017-18.

Figure 20: Individuals from the European Economic Area make up the largest non-British national group spending any time in custody since 2010-11.

Number of individuals of non-British nationality by region, 2009-10 through 2023-24

Other individual level characteristics

Statistics on other available protected characteristics (disability, sexual orientation, and marital status) and armed forces history are provided in the Supplementary Tables B4-7 accompanying this publication.