New Ministry of Justice data shows that for every four people released from prison, three are recalled for breaching their licence conditions.

Between January and March 2025, there were 13,296 prisoner releases and 10,101 recalls in England and Wales – a 36% increase in the number of recalls compared to the previous twelve months.

Data shows that 75% of recall cases involved non-compliance, 34% involved failure to keep in touch with probation, and 22% involved failure to reside at an approved address. Only 23% of recall decisions involved a charge of further offending. 

The number of people recalled to prison in England and Wales has doubled in the past decade to 13,000 – nearly 15% of the current prison population. This has been cited as one of the main causes of the capacity crisis – with only 1,000 prison places available in the men’s estate at the start of August 2025.

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