Dramatic rise in prison recalls threatens to undermine emergency prison overcrowding measures
A rapid increase in the number of people being recalled back to prison after release, poses a significant headache for ministers as they seek to avoid running out of prison places, a new briefing from the Prison Reform Trust suggests.
The Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile, which highlights the latest facts and figures about our prisons and the people in them, shows that the growing use of recall is particularly affecting people serving short prison sentences of less than 12 months.
In the year to September 2024, there were nearly 32,500 admissions to prison following a recall — a 27% increase from the previous year. Between July and September 2024 (the latest available period), there were 9,523 recall admissions to prison a 39% rise on the same quarter in 2023 and a record high.
The jump in recalls has particularly affected those serving short prison sentences of less than 12 months. In the year to September 2024, there were 15,211 recall admissions to prison for this group — a 51% rise on the year before. Prior to the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (ORA), recall was not available for this group, partly in recognition that it could undermine efforts to reduce reoffending, and that little could be achieved during such a short period in custody.
Between July and September 2024, there were over 4,700 recall admissions for those serving short prison sentences — a staggering 71% rise on the same quarter in 2023. Last year also saw the number of recalls for people serving short prison sentences surpass those serving sentences of 12 months or more for the first time.
The briefing shows that almost one in five (18%) of the sentenced prison population are now held in prison on recall — 12,920 people, a 7% rise on the year before and a record high. Latest projections from the Ministry of Justice suggest that this could rise a further 13% by 2026 — to 13,650 people, placing further pressure on an already overcrowded and overstretched prison estate.
The rise, and rise, and rise of the recall population
Almost one in five of the sentenced prison population is now held in custody on recall
Source: Ministry of Justice (2025). Offender management statistics quarterly: July to September 2024. And previous editions.
A recall can be triggered for more than one reason. However, in the majority of cases recalls are for non-compliance rather than suspected further offending. Of all recalls in the year to September 2024, just a quarter (25%) involved a charge of further offending, while more than three-quarters involved non-compliance (76%), more than a third involved failure to keep in touch (34%) and almost a quarter involved failure to reside — often exacerbated by the difficulties in securing stable accommodation on release.
The briefing reveals that less than half (45%) of people released from prison in 2023–24 had settled accommodation on release, and more than one in 10 (13%) were homeless or sleeping rough, undermining efforts to support people away from crime after prison.
In October the government acknowledged that the growth in the recall population in prison was unsustainable, and despite reforms last year to effectively prevent the use of ‘standard recalls’ for those serving short prison sentences, numbers have continued to rise.
Commenting, the chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, Pia Sinha said:
“Today’s briefing highlights the urgent need for further reforms to recall and our use of short prison sentences. The evidence is clear, short prison sentences are less effective than other community sentences at reducing crime, and the growing use of recall is trapping people in the criminal justice system, rather than supporting them out of it.
“Further measures are needed if the government is to avoid another prison overcrowding crisis. These should include the abolition of the use of short, fixed-term recalls of 28 days or less; the removal of post-sentence supervision for people serving short sentences; and a transition towards more effective community-based solutions through the introduction of a presumption against short prison sentences.”
