There are currently 87,294 people in prison — 5,667 more than the system was designed to hold.

The harm caused by the UK prison system far outweighs any justice it claims to deliver. Most people leave more broken than when they entered, placing greater strain on vital services and fuelling ongoing cycles of mental illness and crime.

Prisons watchdog | Youth offenders face violence, disorder and neglect: www.channel4.com/news/prisons...

A total of 88,238 people were in jail as of Monday. The prison population of England and Wales has jumped to the highest number in nearly a year and is nearing record levels, despite the early release of tens of thousands of prisoners, official figures show.

“Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." Hebrews 13:3

Latest statistics show a 30% increase of deaths in prison & the highest rate of self-harm since records began.

Despite this, no meaningful action is being taken to address the root cause of why deaths & self-harm are increasing in prison: an over-reliance on punishment to deal with social issues.

Senior judges who imposed indefinite jail terms, known as IPP sentences, have expressed regret over their role in the “injustice” that has left thousands of inmates trapped in prison for minor offences: www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/new...

Recorded rates of self-harm in prisons have more than trebled in the last decade, from 25,843 in 2014 to 79,027 in 2024.

In 2023-24, the latest year for which data is available, the parole board approved the release of 4,370 prisoners, recommended the transfer of 393 to open jails with minimal security, and ruled that 11,355 should remain in custody.

The overall IPP population is decreasing by less than 10% a year – despite some prisoners having served up to 22 times longer than their original sentence. This excludes a further 233 who are being held in secure hospitals after their mental health has deteriorated in prison.

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there was a 35% increase in deaths in prisons, with a total of 486 deaths reported — 100 of which were self-inflicted.

One in five people in custody are on recall. The rate of recall has nearly doubled in the last 15 years. Between April and June 2024, there were 3 licence recalls for every 4 prison releases. Over 73% of recalls do not relate to a new offence.

The number of people on life sentences with minimum terms above 20 years in prison has more than doubled since 2013.

Less than a quarter of recalls in the final quarter of 2024 involved a charge of reoffending, and nearly three quarters instead involved non-compliance with licence conditions, which can include a tag running out of battery, or missing probation meetings.

Life-sentenced prisoners in the UK make up more than 10% of the total sentenced prison population, which is higher than that for any other European country—and higher than that for the United States at 9.5%.

Recent estimates show that sentence severity in England and Wales has increased by 62% since 2005, while the seriousness of crimes processed through courts has increased by only 8%. This means that sentencing is today 54% more punitive than it was in 2005.

31 of England’s prisons are Victorian. Do they work? | Visual investigation: www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...

The use of Tasers and PAVA only fuels a fire of unchecked power, violence, and death. With sentences growing longer, injustices like Joint Enterprise and IPP unresolved, no mental/health support, and inefficient staffing, bad decisions by the MoJ persist, causing further mayhem.

Recent statistics reveal a concerning 37% increase in prison deaths, along with the highest rate of self-harm incidents recorded since records began in 2004. In the 12 months leading up to March 2025, 399 individuals died in prison, up from 291 in the previous year.