United Kingdom Imprisonment Quick Stats
The United Kingdom consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. People of African descent (Black people) are classified as African, Caribbean, and Black British, ethnic groups on the 2011 U.K. Census.1 Black people account for 3%, or 1,904,604, of the U.K. population,1 consisting of 1,846, 614 in England,2 36,178 in Scotland,3 18,276 in Wales,4 and 3,616 in Northern Ireland.
• Prisons are overused for non-violent offenses7
• Black people serve the greatest portion of their original sentence in custody8
• Black people are stopped and searched at the highest rates among ethnic-racial groups6
• Stops and searches are highest in London which has the highest Black population6
*Note: The above statistics are for England and Wales.
1. Office for National Statistics (2011). Ethnic Group by Measures Geography, Geography (U.K.). KS201UK – Ethnic group. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/KS201UK/view/2092957697?cols=measures
2. Office for National Statistics (2011). Ethnic Group by Measures Geography, Geography (England). KS201UK – Ethnic group. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/KS201UK/view/2092957699?cols=measures
3. Office for National Statistics (2011). Ethnic Group by Measures Geography, Geography (Scotland). KS201UK – Ethnic group. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/KS201UK/view/2092957701?cols=measures
4. Office for National Statistics (2011). Ethnic Group by Measures Geography, Geography (Whales). KS201UK – Ethnic group. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/KS201UK/view/2092957700?cols=measures
5. Office for National Statistics (2011). Ethnic Group by Measures Geography, Geography (Northern Ireland). KS201UK – Ethnic group. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/KS201UK/view/2092957700?cols=measures.
6. Home Office Police Powers and Procedures (February 2021) England and Wales year ending 31 March 2020 – Second Edition. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_dat a/file/935355/police-powers-procedures-mar20-hosb3120.pdf.
7. Prison Reform Trust (Winter 2021). Bromley Briefings Factfile. http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Bromley%20Briefings/Winter%202 021%20Factfile%20final.pdf#page=6.
8. Ministry of Justice (November 2019). National Statistics. Statistics on race and the criminal justice system – 2018. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_dat a/file/849200/statistics-on-race-and-the-cjs-2018.pdf
