How many people are prosecuted and sentenced?
1,360,615 people were prosecuted in the year to March 2026, and 1,196,702 were sentenced. 89,164 got an immediate prison sentence, and the average prison sentence handed down was 22.3 months.
People taken to court, year to March 2026. up 55% on 2020-21.
Immediate prison sentences, year to March 2026. up 51% on 2020-21.
Months, year to March 2026. It was 19.4 2020-21.
Prosecutions and sentences over time
What’s this?
The number of people (defendants) the police and prosecutors took to a magistrates' court or the Crown Court in England and Wales.
What it cannot tell you: It counts cases brought, not crimes committed or people found guilty. Most are minor offences heard in magistrates' courts.
What’s this?
The number of offenders given a sentence at a criminal court in England and Wales.
What it cannot tell you: It counts people sentenced for their main offence. Fines are the most common sentence, so the total is dominated by minor offences.
What’s this?
The number of people given a prison sentence that starts at once.
What it cannot tell you: It counts people sentenced for their main offence, not the number of offences, and not how long the sentences are.
What’s this?
The average length of the prison sentences given, in months. It is the sentence passed, not the time served: most people serve about half in prison.
What it cannot tell you: It is an average of very different sentences, from weeks to life, and a few very long ones pull it up. A life sentence is counted at a fixed length.
What’s this?
Of the people sentenced for the more serious (indictable) offences, the share who got an immediate prison sentence.
What it cannot tell you: Indictable offences are the more serious offences. The mix of offences changes from year to year, which moves the rate.
What’s this?
The number of people fined as their sentence.
What it cannot tell you: It counts people sentenced for their main offence, not the number of offences, and not how long the sentences are.
What’s this?
The number of people given a community order, such as unpaid work or a requirement to get treatment.
What it cannot tell you: It counts people sentenced for their main offence, not the number of offences, and not how long the sentences are.
What’s this?
The number of people given a prison sentence that is not served unless they reoffend or break its conditions.
What it cannot tell you: It counts people sentenced for their main offence, not the number of offences, and not how long the sentences are.
Year by year
Years to March, England and Wales.
| Period | People prosecuted | People sentenced | Sent to prison (immediate custody) | Suspended sentences | Community sentences | Fines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,360,615 | 1,196,702 | 89,164 | 54,018 | 77,632 | 920,913 |
| 2024-25 | 1,344,552 | 1,196,594 | 82,749 | 50,597 | 75,954 | 938,005 |
| 2023-24 | 1,271,059 | 1,133,756 | 73,970 | 44,968 | 72,136 | 899,882 |
| 2022-23 | 1,188,455 | 1,063,316 | 66,163 | 41,297 | 69,030 | 848,573 |
| 2021-22 | 1,115,215 | 1,003,193 | 65,104 | 43,455 | 71,479 | 783,997 |
| 2020-21 | 877,831 | 769,099 | 58,855 | 37,379 | 60,713 | 577,413 |
| 2019-20 | 1,318,738 | 1,165,587 | 75,124 | 39,716 | 83,413 | 915,361 |
| 2018-19 | 1,345,708 | 1,199,375 | 81,768 | 41,755 | 92,638 | 927,390 |
| 2017-18 | 1,353,888 | 1,204,692 | 89,220 | 54,124 | 93,254 | 904,765 |
| 2016-17 | 1,442,793 | 1,242,354 | 90,181 | 57,160 | 99,693 | 918,572 |
Questions people ask
What are the main sentences courts give?
Fines are by far the most common (920,913 in the year to March 2026), then community sentences (77,632), then immediate prison sentences (89,164) and suspended sentences (54,018).
Does a prison sentence mean that long in prison?
No. Most people serving a fixed-term sentence are released part-way through and spend the rest on licence in the community, so time in prison is shorter than the sentence handed down.
Why did prosecutions fall in 2020-21?
Courts were closed or ran at reduced capacity during Covid-19 lockdowns, so far fewer cases were heard.
What does “people prosecuted” measure?
The number of people (defendants) the police and prosecutors took to a magistrates' court or the Crown Court in England and Wales. It was 1,360,615 (defendants proceeded against in the year) in 2025-26, up 55% on 2020-21. The highest we have is 1,493,801 (2015-16) and the lowest 877,831 (2020-21).
What does “people sentenced” measure?
The number of offenders given a sentence at a criminal court in England and Wales. It was 1,196,702 (offenders sentenced in the year) in 2025-26, up 56% on 2020-21. The highest we have is 1,251,056 (2015-16) and the lowest 769,099 (2020-21).
What does “sent to prison (immediate custody)” measure?
The number of people given a prison sentence that starts at once. It was 89,164 (offenders sentenced in the year) in 2025-26, up 51% on 2020-21. The highest we have is 90,500 (2015-16) and the lowest 58,855 (2020-21).
What does “average prison sentence” measure?
The average length of the prison sentences given, in months. It is the sentence passed, not the time served: most people serve about half in prison. It was 22.3 (months) in 2025-26, up 15% on 2020-21. The highest we have is 24.1 (2021-22) and the lowest 19.2 (2015-16).
Sources: Ministry of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly. Updated every night. Each chart has a CSV and a Share button.
See also: The prison population · Crime overall