Prisoners: prison population

Scotland has one of the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe (147 per 100,000 population in August 2024) (World Prison Brief).  

The average daily prison population in Scotland in 2022-23 was 7,426. (Scottish Prison Population Statistics). While the prison population was largely stable across the prior two years, there has been a sustained population increase from 2023 onwards. In response, a limited number (477 as of September 2024) of short-term prisoners were released under emergency measures (Safer Communities and Justice Statistics). As of 13th September 2024 the population in Scottish prisons comprised 8,227 individuals. (Scottish Prison Service Weekly Populations) 

A total of 67,643 people underwent court proceedings in 2021-22, with 59,295 (88%) convicted of at least one charge. Although numbers have been reducing steadily since 2014-15 and experienced a steep decrease during 2019-21 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (46,497 people underwent court proceedings in 2020-21, with 42,532 convicted of at least one charge), the conviction rate has remained relatively stable over the past 10 years. 

8,169 (14%) of convictions in 2021-22 resulted in a custodial sentence, 5,966 (73%) of which were for 12 months or less. (Criminal Proceedings in Scotland: 2021-2022). 

The reconviction rate, which is the percentage of offenders who reoffend within a year, was 26.9% in 2020-21. While this represents an increase over the 2019-20 period (where the reconviction rate was 24.3%) it should be noted that reconvictions were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and remain lower than 10 years ago (2011-12 reconviction rates were 29.6%) (Reconviction rates in Scotland statistics). 

The number of people in prison on remand remains at a historic high. In July 2024 the proportion of the prison population on remand was 28%, with 23% awaiting trial and 5% convicted and awaiting sentence. The median continuous time spent on remand (for those individuals on remand as of 1st August 2024) was 79 days. (Safer Communities and Justice Statistics). 

The majority of the prison population identify as white (94%), single (77%), heterosexual (90%), males (96%) (SPS Public Information Page (PIP) Quarter 3 2023/2024) 

Women continue to represent roughly 4% of the prison population. The average daily population of women in prison has continued to fall (from 403 in 2019-20 to 282 in 2022-23), driven by a reduction in the number of women being sentenced. This resulted in an increase in the proportion on remand (to 33%) despite the absolute number on remand remaining relatively stable. More recent weekly population figures as at 13th September 2024 indicated roughly 39% of women in prison were on remand. (Scottish Prison Population Statistics) (Scottish Prison Service Weekly Populations) 

The average age of people in prison in 2022-23 was 37.4 years. The proportion aged 55 years or older was 11%: this has more than doubled over the past 10 years. (Scottish Prison Population Statistics) 

Young people (under 21 years old) represented approximately 2% of the total prison population in 2022-23, and the average daily numbers in prison fell to 159 (from 187 in 2021-22). Weekly population figures as at 13th September 2024 indicate 170 people under 21 years of age were in prison (with no individuals under the age of 18). (Scottish Prison Population Statistics) (Scottish Prison Service Weekly Populations) 

10% of the prison population in the quarter Oct-Dec 2023 reported a disability to the Scottish Prison Service (SPS Public Information Page (PIP) Quarter 3 2023/2024) 

As of August 2024, Scotland's incarceration rate per 100,000 population is 147 which is similar to England and Wales (146) but substantially higher than most European Union countries, for example, France (115) and the Netherlands (64). It is lower than the Baltic states of Latvia (172), and Lithuania (156); and considerably lower than the US (541), and the Russian Federation (300). (World Prison Brief)