Population In-Flows

Arrivals to prison

[Supplementary Table C1]

An arrival[i] is where a continuous period of imprisonment begins for an individual, and is only counted as such if the arrival occurred on a separate day from any previous departure for that individual. Individuals can arrive to custody more than once each year and so a single individual may be counted more than once when analysing arrivals.

In line with the patterns reported for the average daily population and the number of individuals spending time in custody, there was an increase in arrivals to prison between 2022-23 and 2023-24. There were 11,646 arrivals to custody in 2023-24, an increase of around 11% from 2022-23. This is the largest recorded increase in arrivals over this time series. Nevertheless, the number of arrivals remains considerably lower than pre-pandemic levels (see Figure 21).

Figure 21: Arrivals to custody have increased from in 2023-24 but remain below pre-pandemic levels

Number of arrivals, and unique individuals arriving, 2009-10 to 2023-24

Arrivals by legal status

[Supplementary Table O1]

Figure 22 shows the number of arrivals varies by legal status category over time. While there have been increases across the last reporting year, untried and sentenced arrivals have followed an overall long-term downward trend. Arrivals across all legal status categories remain below pre-pandemic levels. The distribution of arrivals across the categories has been broadly similar for the past two reporting years but in 2023-24 this pattern has shifted. Untried arrivals accounted for 60% of all arrivals to prison in 2023-24. This was a lower share than the rest of the post-pandemic period (64% in 2021-22 and 2022-23, 67% in 2020-21), but higher than the pre- pandemic period).Volume increases in sentenced and convicted awaiting sentence (CAS) arrivals has led to their share of the total arrivals increasing to 19% and 20% respectively in 2023-24.

Figure 22: Arrivals increased across all legal status categories in 2023-24, but particular rises observed in Convicted Awaiting Sentence (CAS) and Sentenced arrivals

Arrivals by legal status, 2009-10 to 2023-24

Arrivals by local authority

[Supplementary Tables C2]

The overall national rate of arrival to prison increased by a small amount from 1.8 per 1,000 head of population in 2022-23 to 2.0 in 2023-24[ii].

Dundee City retained the highest rate of arrival at 3.7 per 1,000 population in 2023-24. Local authorities with similarly high rates include Clackmannshire at 3.6 per 1,000 and East Ayrshire at 3.5, and Glasgow City and North Ayrshire at 3.3 per 1,000.

Arrivals by deprivation

[Supplementary Tables C3]

There was little change to the previously reported pattern of arrivals to prison being most likely from the 10% most deprived areas of Scotland[iii]. The 10% most deprived areas of Scotland accounted for 31% of all arrivals to prison in 2023-24. This is a slightly lower rate than the 33-36% level over the decade to 2020-21.

Arrivals by no fixed abode

[Supplementary Tables C4]

In the context of a long-term decline in the number of arrivals to custody, the volume of no fixed abode arrivals has also increased over the decade 2014-15 to 2023-24 (from 577 to 1,105). It follows that in 2023-24, 9.5% of arrivals to prison were individuals registered as of no fixed abode[iv] (Figure 23), continuing an upward trend in this proportion over the same period.

Figure 23: People arriving to prison who identify themselves as being of no fixed abode comprise a growing proportion of arrivals over the decade to 2023-24

Proportion of arrivals of individuals with no fixed abode continues to increase

Arrivals by offence group

[Supplementary Tables O6]

The overall number of arrivals increased by 11% in 2023-24 compared with the previous year. This was not equal across the index offence groupings. The number of arrivals with an index offence in Group 1 (Non-sexual crimes of violence) or Group 5 (Crimes against society) increased by 7% and 15% respectively: from 4,452 in 2022-23 to 4,779 in 2023-24 for Group 1 offences, and from 2,670 to 3,059 for Group 5. Arrivals with index offences in Group 3 (Dishonesty) increased by 18% (+192) to 1,281, and Group 2 (Sexual) offences by 11% (+90) to 933 arrivals in 2023-24.

While there were differences in volume increase across the index offence groups, their proportionate share of arrivals remained similar in 2023-24 (Figure 24). In 2023-24, Group 3 (Crimes of dishonesty) accounted for 11% of arrivals (+1 percentage point, or pp.), and Group 5 (Crimes against society) for 26% (+1pp.). Group 1 (Non-sexual crimes of violence) offences remained the most common index offence on arrival, accounting for 41% of those arriving to custody in 2023-24 (-1pp).

Figure 24: The share of arrivals to prison across the index offence groups remained stable in 2023-24

Proportion of arrivals by Index Offence Groups, 2009-10 to 2023-24