Prisoners: prison population

 Scotland has one of the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe (149 per 100,000 population in August 2025) (World Prison Brief).   

The average daily prison population in Scotland in 2023-24 was 7,860. (Scottish Prison Population Statistics). While the prison population was largely stable from 2021-23, there has been a sustained population increase from 2023 onwards. 

In response, a limited number of short-term prisoners (those serving sentences of less than 4 years, who had completed 50% of their sentence) were released in summer 2024, with the release point being further revised (to 40%) as of February 2025 (Safer Communities and Justice Statistics). As of 12th September 2025, the population in Scottish prisons comprised 8,354 individuals. (Scottish Prison Service Weekly Populations)  

A total of 79,173 people underwent court proceedings in 2022-23, with 68,067 (86%) convicted of at least one charge. Although numbers have been reducing steadily since 2014-15, and experienced a steep decrease during 2019-21 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (46,497 people underwent court proceedings in 2020-21, with 42,532 convicted of at least one charge), the conviction rate has remained relatively stable over the past 10 years.  

8,923 (13%) of convictions in 2022-23 resulted in a custodial sentence, 6,498 (73%) of which were for 12 months or less. (Criminal Proceedings in Scotland: 2021-2023).  

The reconviction rate, which is the percentage of offenders who reoffend within a year, was 27.1% in 2021-22. While this represents an increase over the 2019-20 period (where the reconviction rate was 24.3%) it should be noted that reconvictions were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and remain lower than 10 years ago (2011-12 reconviction rates were 29.6%) (Reconviction rates in Scotland statistics).  

The number of people in prison on remand remains at a historic high. In July 2025 the proportion of the prison population on remand was 25%, with 20% awaiting trial and 5% convicted and awaiting sentence. The median continuous time spent on remand (for those individuals on remand as of 1st August 2025) was 80 days. (Safer Communities and Justice Statistics).  

The majority of the prison population identify as white (92%), single (77%), heterosexual (88%), males (96%) (SPS Public Information Page (PIP) Quarter 4 2024/2025)  

Women continue to represent roughly 4% of the prison population. The average daily population of women in prison fell from 403 in 2019-20 to 282 in 2022-23, driven by a reduction in the number of women being sentenced. This rose to 318 in 2023-24 (in line with a 19% increase in the number of women convicted between 2021-22 and 2022-23). The proportion on remand in 2023-24 (32%) remained similar to the prior year (33%). More recent weekly population figures as at 12th September 2025 indicated roughly 34% of women in prison were on remand. (Scottish Prison Population Statistics) (Scottish Prison Service Weekly Populations)  

The average age of people in prison in 2023-24 was 37.8 years. The proportion aged 55 years or older was 11%: this has approximately doubled over the past 10 years. (Scottish Prison Population Statistics)  

Young people (under 21 years old) represented approximately 2% of the total prison population in 2023-24, with the average daily number being 168. The average daily number of young people in prison has remained less than 200 since 2021-22, and represents a dramatic decrease from ten years ago (563). Weekly population figures as at 12th September 2025 indicate 169 people under 21 years of age were in prison (with no individuals under the age of 18). (Scottish Prison Population Statistics) (Scottish Prison Service Weekly Populations) 

11% of the prison population in the quarter Jan-Mar 2025 reported a disability to the Scottish Prison Service (SPS Public Information Page (PIP) Quarter 4 2024/2025), while the proportion who reported a disability or long-term (more than 12 months) health condition in the 2024 Prisoner Survey was 54% (Prisoner Survey 2024).

As of August 2025, Scotland's incarceration rate per 100,000 population was 149 which is similar to England and Wales (142) but substantially higher than most European Union countries, for example, France (123), Germany (71) and the Netherlands (64). It is lower than the Baltic states of Latvia (175), and Lithuania (156); and considerably lower than the US (541), and the Russian Federation (300). (World Prison Brief)