United Kingdom prison population

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.

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.

Size

Prison population of England and Wales

Main article: 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 Scotland 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).

Prison population in Northern Ireland

There are 3 prisons in Northern Ireland. The "average" prison population of Northern Ireland in 2009 was 1,465.

Violence

A growing number of British prisoners have served in the armed forces. According to one recent study reported in the Guardian, there are now 8,500 former servicemen in prison, making up almost 10% of the prison population.

See also

• List of countries by incarceration rate

External links

• Scottish Prison Service
• Northern Ireland Prison Service