NCJ Number
194578
Date Published
2001
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This prison population brief is a statistical analysis of the prison population in England and Wales from August 2000 to August 2001.
Abstract
This statistical analysis shows the prison population in England and Wales increasing steadily, at a rate of 2 percent, from August 2000 to August 2001. There was a 2 percent increase in prison population for males for this time period, whereas the prison population of females increased 12 percent over the year. The prison population of young prisoners (aged 15 to 20) as well as juvenile prisoners (aged 15 to 17) decreased over the year by 2 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Similarly, there was a 2 percent increase in the number of sentenced prisoners serving time in England and Wales. Of these sentenced prisoners, 8 percent were serving time of less than 6 months, 8 percent were serving time from 6 months to less than 1 year, 37 percent were serving sentences ranging from 1 year to less than 4 years, and 38 percent were serving time of 4 years and up (excluding those sentenced to life in prison). As of August 2001, there were 1,640 prisoners serving a home detention sentence and 4,850 serving life sentences. Of those serving life sentences, 160 were young prisoners, 14,690 were males, and 160 were females. The ethnic prison population in August 2001 was 79 percent white, 14 percent black, 3 percent South Asian, and 4 percent Chinese and other. This prison population was 3,370 (5 percent) above the Certified Normal Accommodation (CAN); in fact, as of August 2001, the prison population in England and Wales was at a record level high. Charts, tables