The number of children and young people within the Prison and Probation Service increased last year. In 2024, 475 detentions of children aged 15-17 were completed, which is an increase of 42 percent compared to the previous year.
During the year, sentences of young people under 21 years old within the Prison and Probation Service began, which is almost 100 more than in 2023.
The detention and sentence times are also increasing. For 15-17-year-olds, the average detention time was 84 days, which is 10 days more than in 2023. The average sentence time for commenced prison sentences for young people under 21 years old was 890 days – an increase of nearly 140 days.
In 2024, nearly 3,120 penalties for women within the Prison and Probation Service began. This is 17 percent more than in 2023.
Of commenced prison sentences, women accounted for nine percent, which is an increase of one percentage unit compared to 2023.
In 2024, an average of 7,530 people were in prison, compared to just over 6,320 in 2023.
At the same time, overcrowding is increasing. The occupancy rate of fixed places in remand prisons was on average 119 percent – six percentage units more than in 2023. In prisons, the occupancy rate by eleven percentage units, to 131 percent.
The sentence time is becoming longer. In 2024, it was on average 510 days, which is 23 days longer than in 2023.
