Law Weblog

Prison population highest ever recorded

The prison population in England and Wales has risen to 80,306 – the highest prisoner population ever recorded – and over the last ten years numbers have risen by over 25,000.
Despite increases in the number of places available, the rising prisoner population has left the prison estate at its maximum capacity; in other words the UK prisons are full.

England and Wales have the highest rate of imprisonment in Western Europe with about 141 per 100,000 of the population in custody, compared with Germany 98 and France 93. Home Office projections indicate the prison population could rise to 87,840 by 2010.