Immediate custodial sentences: record highs and lows
The extremes of immediate custodial sentences as published by Ministry of Justice, across the 11 periods held here (Year ending March 2016 to Year ending March 2026). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.
The latest figure, 89,164 in Year ending March 2026, is the highest since Year ending March 2018, when it was 89,220 — every period between was lower. The rule: a period counts as beaten only when its figure is strictly below the latest, and the claim is only made when it reaches back at least five years.
Highest published
90,500Year ending March 2016
Lowest published
58,855Year ending March 2021
The full series
The chart as a table
| Period | Immediate custodial sentences |
|---|---|
| Year ending March 2016 | 90,500 offenders |
| Year ending March 2017 | 90,181 offenders |
| Year ending March 2018 | 89,220 offenders |
| Year ending March 2019 | 81,768 offenders |
| Year ending March 2020 | 75,124 offenders |
| Year ending March 2021 | 58,855 offenders |
| Year ending March 2022 | 65,104 offenders |
| Year ending March 2023 | 66,163 offenders |
| Year ending March 2024 | 73,970 offenders |
| Year ending March 2025 | 82,749 offenders |
| Year ending March 2026 | 89,164 offenders |
What a record here is, and is not
A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.