Prisoners’ voting rights
This House of Commons Briefing Paper analyses the debate over the voting rights of prisoners since May 2015, it also includes a concise summary of the main developments before May 2015.

This briefing paper explores prison population data for the UK from the Ministry of Justice, Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Department of Justice.
UK Prison Population Statistics (545 KB , PDF)
This briefing paper explores data on the UK prison population, including the population size and change over time, the demographic profile of prisoners, safety in prisons, and the cost per prisoner.
Prisons are devolved, so UK prison statistics are published separately for England and Wales (the Ministry of Justice), Scotland (the Scottish Government), and Northern Ireland (the Department of Justice). This briefing also compares the UK with other countries.
Weekly prison population data are available for England, Wales and Scotland and quarterly data are available for Northern Ireland. As of June 2022, the UK had a total prison population of approximately 89,520 people, comprising
The prison population fell in all jurisdictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The starkest decline was between February and June 2020, when the prison population of the UK as a whole reduced by 5,500 people or by 6%. It has steadily grown since then without yet returning to its pre-pandemic level.
In addition to snapshots on particular days, all jurisdictions publish an average annual prison population. This was 78,536 people in England and Wales, 7,504 in Scotland, and 1,494 in Northern Ireland in 2021/22 (a total of 87,534).
Up until 2015, the prison population had been generally increasing in size, with the sharpest increases happening in the mid-1990s and the 2000s. After that it flattened off, even falling in Scotland and Northern Ireland prior to the pandemic.
The graph below shows prison population change relative to 1900 (and relative to 2000 for Northern Ireland).
The prison population of England & Wales quadrupled in size between 1900 and 2018, with around half of this increase taking place since 1990. The Scottish prison population almost doubled in size since 1900 and rose 60% since 1990.
The data series for Northern Ireland begins in 2000. Between 2000 and 2020/21 the prison population of Northern Ireland increased by 40%, although the prison population is currently well below its peak of around 1,800 in 2014.
To put the prison population in context, it is possible to calculate the number of prisoners per 100,000 people in the general population aged 15 and over. At the most recent estimate, there were:
In each jurisdiction, prison population projections are made on a regular basis. At the most recent estimate, the prison population in England and Wales is projected to grow to 98,700 by 2026, to 7,800 in Scotland by 2022, and to 2,251 in Northern Ireland by 2022.
The availability of more detailed data on the prison population varies by jurisdiction. Where available, this briefing contains statistics on:
An Excel spreadsheet is also provided which contains the underlying data to the charts in the briefing.
UK Prison Population Statistics (545 KB , PDF)
This House of Commons Briefing Paper analyses the debate over the voting rights of prisoners since May 2015, it also includes a concise summary of the main developments before May 2015.
The Government abolished the much criticised sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) in 2012. However, the change was not made retrospective. On 30 September 2022 there were 2,890 IPP prisoners in custody. Pressure for change has continued.
Parole is the mechanism by which prisoners serving indeterminate and certain determinate sentences can be released subject to conditions. In England and Wales this system is overseen by the Parole Board.