Scottish prison population shows a sharp rise

The average daily prison population rose sharply in 2018-19 and 2019-20 despite fewer people being imprisoned, according to official statistics published by the Chief Statistician today.

Following several years of steady decline, the average daily population in Scotland’s prisons rose from 7,464 in 2017-18 to 8,195 in 2019-20.

A total of 17,294 individuals experienced imprisonment for all or part of 2019-20 – a fall of around 15% since 2010-11 when the figure was 20,407.

While the number of people imprisoned has fallen, individuals are spending longer periods in custody – the latter determined by decisions made by the court as to the use and length of custodial sentences and decisions made by the Parole Board when an individual is considered for parole or release on life licence in the case of those serving indeterminate sentences.

Responding to the figures, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “While sentencing decisions are a matter for the independent judiciary and decisions about release on licence are for the Parole Board for Scotland, these figures indicate that those who commit serious crimes and pose a risk of harm to the public are spending longer in prison than previously.  Scotland’s prison officers and others working with them play a tremendous role in challenging behaviours in custody and in many cases changing lives for the better, thereby helping to keep our communities safe in the long run.

“However, there is still a large proportion of men and women in custody given very short prison terms for less serious offences.  While such decisions are made based on the facts and circumstances before the Sheriff or Judge, we know that people released from a short prison sentence of 12 months or less are reconvicted nearly twice as often than those sentenced to serve community payback orders (CPOs), the most commonly used community sentence.  That is why the Scottish Government will continue to encourage the use of more effective community interventions, which also allow an appropriate level of supervision, without the disruptive and often counterproductive impacts of imprisonment, such as losing a job to support your family, losing your home or the close and positive contact with loved ones.

“While these figures reflect progress in reducing youth crime over the last decade, they also underline the continued over-representation of people from Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities. That is why the solutions for further success lie not just within Scotland’s justice system but across society. Our clear focus on issues which can influence offending behaviour – including through early intervention, prevention and community-based disposals – remains the right one.”

The average length of time spent in custody has increased since 2010-11, with the proportion of individuals leaving prison having spent a year or more in custody rising from 7% to 10%, and the proportion leaving after spending up to three months in custody falling from 70% to 58%.

The rise in the prison population is due to growth in the population of adult men only. The average number of women in prison has remained broadly stable since 2013-14 (around 400) and the average number of young offenders (those under 21 years) continues a downward trend, falling from 865 in 2010-11 to 326 in 2019-20. 

You can read the full statistical publication at Scottish Prison Population Statistics, 2019-20

There is a news release with further figures here