United Kingdom prison population
Encyclopedia
The United Kingdom
has three distinct legal systems with a separate prison system in each—one for both England and Wales
, one for Scotland
, and one for Northern Ireland
. England and Wales has one of the highest rates of incarceration
in Western Europe
, with Scotland
close behind: In 2006 an average of 148 people in every 100,000 were in prison
, just ahead of Scotland with 139 per 100,000.
with most being run by the Scottish Prison Service
.
The annual daily average prison population of Scotland in September 2011 was 7,853.
The projected prison population in Scotland for 2009-10 is 8,100 (main variant projection).
.
The "average" prison population of Northern Ireland in 2009 was 1,465.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
has three distinct legal systems with a separate prison system in each—one for both England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, one for Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and one for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. England and Wales has one of the highest rates of incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
in Western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
close behind: In 2006 an average of 148 people in every 100,000 were in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, just ahead of Scotland with 139 per 100,000.
Prison population
Using the figures below from 2009 and 2011, the UK prison population stands at around 97,000. As of October 4, 2011 the population of women in prison in the UK is 4,635.Prison population of England and Wales
The prison population of England & Wales on 7th October 2011 was 87,673.Prison population in Scotland
There are 15 prisons in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with most being run by the Scottish Prison Service
Scottish Prison Service
The Scottish Prison Service is an executive agency of the Scottish Government tasked with managing prisons in Scotland...
.
The annual daily average prison population of Scotland in September 2011 was 7,853.
The projected prison population in Scotland for 2009-10 is 8,100 (main variant projection).
Prison population in Northern Ireland
There are 3 prisons in Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
The "average" prison population of Northern Ireland in 2009 was 1,465.