Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2017
Source: data.gov.uk (2018-05-25)

Offender Management Statistics. Key statistics relating to offenders who are in prison or under Probation Service supervision.

It covers flows into these services (receptions into prison or probation starts) and flows out (discharges from prison or probation terminations) as well as the caseload of both services at specific points in time.

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27 July 2017 
Offender Management statistics quarterly, England and 
Wales 
Quarter: January to March 2017, Prison population: 30 June 2017 
1. Main points 
The prison population has been relatively stable for the past five years. This differs to the increasing 
prison population trend that was observed between the 1950's and early 2000's (see Figure 1). Our 
most recent extracts indicate that there were: 
85,863 prisoners in England 
and Wales as at 30 June 2017 
 
There was a slight (1%) increase in the total prison 
population, compared to the same point in the previous year.  
35,517 admissions of which 
21,357 were first receptions 
into prison in the latest quarter  
 
Admissions have increased by 3% on the previous quarter, 
and decreased by 5% on the same quarter last year. First 
receptions have increased by 3% on the previous quarter and 
decreased by 3% on the same quarter last year. 
47,707 adjudication outcomes 
in the last quarter 
 
This is an increase of 16% on the same quarter of the 
previous year. A total of 5,163 additional days were added to 
prisoner’s sentences. 
268,062 offenders on probation 
as at 31 March 2017    
 
The number of offenders on probation at the end of March 
2017 was 7% higher than the same point in the previous year. 
5,347 offenders recalled to 
prison in the latest quarter  
 
This is a 1% increase on the previous quarter and a 3% 
increase compared to the same quarter in the previous year. 
17,703 releases of which 17,440 
were from determinate 
sentences in the last quarter 
 
The number of releases has remained relatively stable with a 
slight decrease of 1% compared with the same point in the 
previous year. 
This publication gives offender management statistics for the latest date available and provides 
comparison with fixed points of time in the previous year. For full and detailed commentary which 
looks into longer term trends, please refer to the annual publication, published in July, and 'The Story 
of the Prison Population: 1993 - 2016'. For technical detail please refer to the accompanying guide, 
'Guide to offender management statistics’. 
We are changing how our quarterly bulletins look, and would welcome any feedback to 
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2. Prison Population 
The prison population stood at 85,863 on 30 June 2017. 
The sentenced prison population stood at 74,803 (87%); the remand prison population stood at 9,638 
(11%) and the non-criminal prison population stood at 1,422 (2%). 
Figure 1: Prison population, 30 June 1997 to 2017 (Source: Table 1.1) 
 
Remand 
The remand population is 4% (350) higher than the same point 12 months earlier. The number of 
males remanded in custody increased by 3% (to 9,067) whilst the number of females increased by 9% 
(to 571). 
More than half (52%) of those remanded in custody were being held for either: 
Violence Against the Person (VATP; 22% of those on remand), Theft Offences (15%) or Drug 
Offences (15%). 
Sentenced 
In line with the long term trend, the sentenced population has increased by 1% in the year leading up 
to 30 June 2017. Figure 1 shows that the total prison population has increased in line with the growth 
of the sentenced prison population. Broadly speaking, there have been decreases in the number of 
prisoners serving determinate sentences of less than 4 years, except for those serving sentences of 6 
months or less which increased by 5%, and increases in those serving determinate sentences of 4 
years or longer. The number of prisoners serving sentences of14 years or more has increased by 9% 
(to 3,683) in the 12 months prior to the 30th June, 2017. 
 

 
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Sex offenders 
The rise in the long determinate sentenced population is in line with the increasing number of 
sentenced sex offenders; as at 30 June 2017 there were 13,324 prisoners serving sentences for 
sexual offences, which represented 16% of the total prison population. The number of prisoners 
serving immediate custodial sentences for sexual offences is now at its highest level since at least 
2002. This is consistent with the latest ONS 'Crime in England and Wales' bulletin which reports on 
the number of sexual offences recorded by the police in the year ending June 2016. 
'Violence Against the Person (VATP)' and 'Possession of Weapons' offences 
One in every four sentenced prisoners is in prison for a VATP offence. This proportion has remained 
stable for the past 12 months. The number of those sentenced to a 'Possession of Weapons' offence 
increased by 12% (to 2,390) compared to the same time last year. This substantial increase can be 
attributed to a range of factors, including more targeted police operations against knife crime. However 
this offence group only accounts for 3% of the prison population. 
Extended Determinate Sentences (EDS) 
EDSs were made available for courts to impose from 13 April 2015 and on 30 June 2017, 3,824 
prisoners were serving such sentences; a 6% increase compared to the previous quarter and a 30% 
increase compared to the same time last year. 
Indeterminate sentences 
As at 30 June 2017, there were 10,600 (10,247 male; 353 female) indeterminate sentenced prisoners 
(those serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences and life sentences) in the prison 
population. This represents an annual decrease of 7%. 
There were 3,353 IPP prisoners as at 30 June 2017 which represents a decrease of 16% in the last 12 
months. This figure has fallen by 45% since the June 2012 peak of 6,080, however the number of IPP 
prisoners who have been recalled to custody continues to increase; in the past year the recalled IPP 
population has grown by 22% (to 760).  
The proportion of the IPP population who are post-tariff continues to increase; 85% of IPP prisoners 
were post-tariff as of 30 June 2017 compared to 82% at the same time the previous year. 
The number of life sentenced prisoners (7,247) has decreased by 2% compared to 30 June 2016. 
There were 59 whole-life prisoners at the end of June 2017, with 4 additional life prisoners being 
treated in secure hospitals. 
Recall to custody 
The prison population who have been recalled to custody (6,390 prisoners) decreased slightly by 3% 
over the year leading up to 30 June 2017. On this date, there were 1,148 prisoners recorded as being 
in custody following a recall under the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (ORA); representing 18% of 
the total recall population. 
Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) 
There were 9,756 (1,633 remand, 6,792 sentenced and 1,331 non-criminal) foreign nationals held in 
custody and HMPPS-operated Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) as at 30 June 2017; representing 
11% of the total prison population. The number of FNOs in the prison (and HMPPS IRC) population 
has slightly decreased by 1% compared to 30 June 2016. The most common nationalities after British 
Nationals in prisons are Polish (911), Irish (772), Albanian (649), Romanian (607) and Jamaican (528). 

 
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3. Prison receptions and admissions 
In total there were 35,517 admissions to custody in the latest quarter. 
13,381 remand admissions, 16,870 sentenced admissions, 5,213 recall admissions and 53 non-
criminal admissions. 
21,357 offenders were received into custody as first receptions in the latest quarter. 
10,736 remand first receptions, 10,571 sentenced first receptions and 50 civil non-criminal first 
receptions. 
The number of first receptions increased by 3% on the previous quarter, however there has been a 
3% decrease in the number of first receptions compared with the same quarter in 2016. 
There was a 6% decrease in the number of untried admissions (to 8,247), a 13% decrease in the 
number of convicted unsentenced admissions (to 5,134) and a 3% decrease in the number of 
sentenced admissions (to 16,870) compared with the same quarter in 2016. 
Adult (aged 21+) remand admissions have decreased by 10% and young adult (18-20 year olds) 
remand admissions have decreased by 3%. Adult sentenced admissions have decreased by 3% and 
young adult sentenced admissions have decreased by 11%, compared with the same quarter last 
year. 
Half of all sentenced admissions during the quarter were for sentences of six months or less (7,737, 
46% of sentenced admissions). This sentence length band has seen a 5% decrease in the number of 
admissions when compared with the same quarter last year. In contrast there have been increases in 
the number of admissions of offenders with determinate sentence lengths of greater than 6 months to 
less than twelve months (14%) and four years or more (4%), when compared with the same quarter 
last year. 
By comparing this quarter with the corresponding quarter in 2016 it can be seen that sentenced 
admissions for Theft offences and Violence against the person decreased by 4% and 6% respectively, 
however, the number of sentenced admissions for Sexual Offences and for Possession of Weapons 
have both increased by 10% compared to the same quarter in the previous year. 
Former members of the Armed Forces 
Former members of the Armed Forces accounted for 495 of the matched first receptions for January 
to March, 2017. This accounts for approximately 3% of offenders who responded to the question 
asked, which has been at the same level of response for the four previous quarters. 
4. Adjudications 
There were 47,707 adjudication outcomes in the latest quarter. 
64% of these adjudications were proven. 

 
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More than one in three (35%) of proven adjudications were for offences of disobedience or disrespect; 
the number of proven disobedience offences increased by 5% on the same quarter of the previous 
year. In contrast, the total number of proven adjudications increased by 12% over the same time 
period, predominantly due to a 44% increase in proven adjudications for unauthorized transactions. 
Violence was the third recorded type of offence (13% of all proven adjudications) with assault against 
staff accounting for 2% 
There were 5,163 additional days added as punishments for offences committed by prisoners in the 
quarter ending March, 2017. The average number of punishments per offence was 1.71. This is 
broadly consistent with figures seen in the previous quarter. 
5. Releases 
17,703 offenders were released from custody in the latest quarter. 
17,440 releases from determinate sentences and 263 from indeterminate sentences. 
Prison releases from custodial sentences 
Whilst the total number of releases during the quarter ending March 2017 represents a 1% decrease 
compared to the same quarter in 2016, there was a 14% increase in the number of releases of 
offenders serving determinate sentences of greater than 6 months to less than 12 months in length. 
There were 263 releases from indeterminate sentences between January and March 2017, a 13% 
increase from the same period in 2016. The majority (153) were offenders released from IPP 
sentences. 
Releases on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) 
2,312 offenders were released on HDC during the latest quarter. 
The number of HDC releases increased by 8% compared to the same quarter in 2016 to 2,312. 
Releases on Temporary Licence (ROTL) 
There were 83,740 incidences of ROTL during the quarter ending March 2017, this is a 10% increase 
on the same quarter last year. 
Compared to the quarter ending March 2016, the number of ROTL incidences was unchanged at 0% 
for females and increased by 11% for males. During the latest quarter there were 6,931 incidences of 
ROTL for females, this is the highest quarterly figure for more than two years. The number of 
individuals given at least one incidence of ROTL between January and March 2017 was 4,019, which 
represents an increase of 13% since the same quarter of the previous year. 
There were 50 recorded Temporary Release Failures (TRFs) between January and March 2017. This 
is a decrease of 13 compared with the previous quarter and an increase of 18 compared with the 
same period the previous year. TRFs as a proportion of temporary release incidences remain at a low 
level, with approximately only 1 in every 1,700 incidences of temporary release resulting in a failure 
between January and March 2017. 
Prisoner transfers 

 
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There were a total of 23,731 recorded incidences of prisoner transfer during the latest quarter. The 
majority of these (69%) were routine inter-prison transfers; 197 (1%) incidences of transfer were a 
result of overcrowding drafts. 
19,322 prisoners had at least one incidence of transfer in quarter ending March. 
6. Probation 
The total number of offenders on probation was 268,062 at the end of March, 2017. 
This was a 7% increase in the total probation caseload (court orders and pre- and post- release 
supervision) compared with 31 March 2016. 
Figure 2: Number of offenders under Probation Service supervision, 31 December 2007-2016 
and March 2017 (Source: Table 4.7) 
 
The court order caseload increased by 8% between the quarters ending March 2016 and 2017, with 
the Community Order (CO) caseload increasing by 4% and the Suspended Sentence Order (SSO) 
caseload increasing by 14%. The number of offenders starting COs fell by 5% over this period, while 
the number of offenders starting SSOs with requirements decreased by 1%. 
There was a 6% increase in the caseload of offenders supervised before or after release from prison 
between the end of March 2016 and 2017, with offenders supervised on post release increasing by 
10% alone. This is due to the introduction of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (ORA) on 1 
February 2015 (see Guide) as the increase is largely among those sentenced to less than 12 months. 
Growth in this caseload has stabilised in recent quarters, but when compared to March 2016 there is a 
relatively large increase as the caseload was still rising in early 2016. 
With regard to the number of requirements started under court orders, there have been particular 
increases in the combination of the rehabilitation requirement with both the unpaid work and curfew 

 
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requirements for offenders starting SSOs. There has also been a significant increase in the use of the 
electronic monitoring requirement across both court orders. 
Of the court orders terminated in the quarter ending March 2017, 72% of COs were terminated 
successfully (i.e., ran their full course or were terminated early for good progress); for the supervision 
periods of SSOs, 70% were terminated successfully over this period. 
The number of court reports prepared by the Probation Service decreased by 10% between the 
quarter ending in March 2017 and the same quarter in the previous year, to reach 35,935,reflecting 
the long-term downward trend in the number of cases being dealt with by the courts. Around 72% of 
immediate custodial sentences proposed in the Pre-Sentence Reports resulted in that sentence being 
given in the latest 12 month period. 
7. Licence Recalls 
The number of licence recalls between January and March 2017 was 5,347. 
This was a increase of 3% compare with the same period in 2016. 
In the period between January and March 2017, 5,347 offenders were recalled for breaching the 
conditions of their licence, representing a increase of 3% compared with the same period in 2016 and 
an increase of 1% compared with the previous quarter. 
Offenders that have been sentenced of more than a day in prison will receive at least 12 months 
supervision on release as a result of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014. This came into effect for 
those sentenced from 1st February 2015. Offenders that have been recalled for breaching conditions 
of their licence following a sentence of under 12 months are called ORA recalls. 
Between January and March 2017, there were 2,085 recalls of offenders released from a sentence of 
under 12 months, a 18% increase compared with the same period in 2016 but only a 3% increase 
compared with the previous quarter. 
Since the introduction of ORA, the number of non-ORA recalls has been falling. There were 3,262 
non-ORA recalls between January and March 2017, a 5% decrease compared with the same period in 
2016, and similar (less than 0% difference) when compared to the previous quarter. 
The most common reason for offenders being recalled between January and March 2017 was for non-
compliance, with 47% of recalls having non-compliance recorded as one of the reasons for recall. 
Further charges were recorded as a reason in 45% of licence recalls. 
Between January and March 2016 there were 101 prisoners serving an IPP sentence and 59 
offenders serving a life sentence who were re-released having previously been returned to custody for 
a breach of licence conditions. 
Offenders not returned to custody 
Of all those released on licence and recalled to custody due to breaching the conditions of their 
licence between April 1999 and March 2017, there were 1,520 who had not been returned to custody 
by the end of June 2017. This means the proportion of prisoners not returned to custody over this 
period is 0.6%, which is constant compared to previous years.  
A further 18 offenders had not been returned to custody as of 30 June 2017 after recall between 1984 
and April 1999, meaning the total number of offenders not returned to custody at the end of June 2017 

 
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was 1,538. These figures include some offenders believed to be dead or living abroad but who have 
not been confirmed as dead or deported. 
Of the 1,538 not returned to custody by 30 June 2017, 230 had originally been serving a prison 
sentence for violence against the person offences and a further 50 for sexual offences. 
Further information 
This publication presents quarterly data trends. For annual figures, and longer-term trends, please 
refer to our annual bulletin published in July each year. 
Accompanying files 
As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release: 
• 
A 'Guide to Offender Management Statistics', which provides comprehensive information about 
data sources and quality, as well as key legislative changes. 
• 
A document outlining the 'Users of Offender Management Statistics' 
• 
A set of data tables, covering each section of this bulletin, including a prison population data tool. 
National Statistics status 
National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, 
quality and public value. All official statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for 
Official Statistics. They are awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the 
Authority's regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards 
of Code compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate. 
It is the Ministry of Justice's responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected for 
National Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the 
appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the Authority promptly. National Statistics 
status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated 
when standards are restored. 
Contact 
Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office: 
 Tel: xx-xxxx-xxxx 
 Email: xxx@xxx.xx 
Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to the Justice Statistics Analytical Services 
division of the Ministry of Justice: 
 Nick Mavron, Head of Prison, Probation, Reoffending and PbR Statistics 
 Ministry of Justice, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ 
 Email: xxx@xxx.xx 
Next update: 26 October 2017 
URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly 
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