Prisoners: key points

Note: where possible, figures below will be updated following publication of the 2024 SPS Prisoner Survey.

• Scotland continues to have one of the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe. In August 2024, it had 147 prisoners per 100,000 population. 

• The average daily prison population in Scotland in 2022-23 was 7,426. A sustained increase from 2023 onwards led to a limited release of 477 short-term prisoners (as of September 2024), with the total prison population on 13th September 2024 being 8,227.  

• The number of people in prison on remand remains at a historic high. In July 2024 those on remand represented 28% of the prison population. 

• The majority of the prison population identify as white (94%), single (77%), heterosexual (90%), males (96%). The average age of those in prison in 2022-23 was 37.4 years. 

• There is an increasing population of older people with complex social and health care needs. The proportion aged 55 years or over has more than doubled over the past 10 years. 

• Women continue to represent around 4% of the prison population. A reduction in the number of women being sentenced is driving an increase in the proportion on remand (33% in 2022-23). 

• The numbers of young people (under 21 years) in prison continue to fall year-on-year, and represented roughly 2% of the total prison population in 2022-23. 

• 71% prisoners tested positive for illegal drugs on admission to prison in 2018/19, with 26% testing positive on liberation. 

• In 2019 40% prisoners reported being drunk at the time of their offence, similar to the value reported in 2017 (39%)