More people sent back to prison than released as recall rate passes 100% for the first time on record

• New Ministry of Justice figures published today show more people were recalled to prison than were released during the first three months of 2026.
• ‘Recall rate’ has risen from 20% in 2012 to over 100% today.
• Just 22% of recalls in the last quarter involved a charge of further offending.
• The number of recalls linked to a further charge has changed little in the last decade, rising from 2,384 in Q1 2016 to 2,892 in Q1 2026.

For the first time on record, more people have been recalled to prison than released in a given quarter, according to new Ministry of Justice figures published today.

Between January and March 2026, 12,977 people were released from prison and 13,193 people were recalled. This means that for every 100 people released, 101 people were recalled.

The figures highlight a key driver of prison overcrowding at a critical moment for the prison system. The Government has paused the implementation of the Sentencing Act, which would see many prisoners being released earlier during their sentence from September. Those changes were intended to help tackle the prison capacity crisis, and there have been predictions that prisons will run out of space again by November if they do not go ahead.

At the same time, recall rates have risen to the point where more people are being recalled than released. These figures suggest that current efforts to create prison capacity risk being undermined if every person released is replaced by somebody being recalled.

Crucially, the increase in recalls is not being driven by people facing charges for further offences. The latest data show that only 22% of recalls involved a further charge of offending. Most were for breaches of licence conditions, including failures to keep in touch with probation services, failures to reside at an approved address and other forms of non-compliance.

A decade ago, recalls linked to a further charge accounted for less than half (~45%). Since then, the number of people recalled because they are facing a further charge has remained broadly stable, while recalls for licence breaches have risen sharply.

As a charity working in more than half of prisons across England and Wales, as well as in courts and probation services, Pact sees first-hand the barriers many people face after release. Challenges such as homelessness, family breakdown, poverty, addiction and poor mental health can make it difficult for people to comply with licence conditions and successfully rebuild their lives in the community.

Andy Keen-Downs CBE, CEO of Pact, said:

"The prison population crisis will not be solved if as many people are being sent back to prison as are leaving it.

"Recall is an important tool for protecting the public, and where someone presents a genuine risk of harm there must always be a swift response. However, hundreds of people are recalled every month not because they have committed new offences, but because they have fallen foul of licence conditions. This makes little sense at a time when the Government is doing everything it can to reduce pressure on the prison system.

“The concerns of victims and the wider public must be taken into account. However, in the current circumstances reversing the implementation of the Sentencing Act could see prison places run out by Christmas.

"Addressing this issue of unnecessary recalls would be a good place to start for incoming ministers looking to reduce pressure on prisons. That means adopting a more proportionate approach to licence breaches, as well as investing in the practical support that prison leavers need to lead stable, crime-free lives after release. That work should begin on the very first day of a prison sentence and continue into the community.

“Better support with housing, family relationships and resettlement could help reduce avoidable recalls, relieve pressure on overcrowded prisons and give more people the chance to have a fresh start. Whilst recent investment in Probation has been welcome, too many hard-working staff still carry heavy workloads and manage increasingly complex cases.”

ENDS

For more information and interviews please contact media@prisonadvice.org.uk

Notes to editors

All data is from MoJ Offender Management statistics.

Figures published today (30 July) show that from January to March 2026, 12,977 people were released from prison and 13,193 people were recalled. For every 100 people leaving prison during the quarter 101.6 were recalled.

This ‘recall rate’ has increased steadily over the last 15 years. The oldest data publicly available shows that between April and June 2012, 21,616 people were released and 4,052 were recalled – a ‘recall rate’ of 19%. A further comparator from a decade ago, shows that between January and March 2016, 17,923 people were released and 5,185 were recalled – a ‘recall rate’ of 29%.

The Offender Management Statistics published today also show that from January to March 2026, 22% of people were recalled to prison were facing further charges. Of the 13,193 people recalled 2,891 were facing a further charge. Full data at tab 5_Q_10: licence-recall-Jan-to-Mar-2026.ods

This is compared to the same quarter from 2016 when 2,384 of people recalled were facing further charges, comprising 46% of all recalls. Full data at tab 5.10: licence-recalls-r1-2016.xlsx