Population In-Flows

Arrivals to prison

[Supplementary Table C1]

An arrival[i] is where a continuous period of imprisonment begins for an individual, and is only counted as such if the arrival occurred on a separate day from any previous departure for that individual. Individuals can arrive to custody more than once each year and so a single individual may be counted more than once when analysing arrivals.

While the average daily prison population increased in 2024-25, the number of arrivals to custody was broadly stable compared with the previous reporting year. There were 11,499 arrivals to custody in 2024-25 (-1% from 11,648 in 2023-24). The number of arrivals remains considerably lower than pre-pandemic levels (see Figure 23), down 20% from 2019-20 when it was 14,341.

The number of individuals arriving one or more times also remained stable, down just 56 from 9,126 in 2023-24 to 9,070 in 2024-25.

Figure 23: Arrivals to custody remained stable from 2023-24 and remain below pre-pandemic levels in 2024-25

Number of arrivals, and unique individuals arriving, 2009-10 to 2024-25

Arrivals by legal status

[Supplementary Table O1]

Figure 24 shows the number of arrivals varies by legal status category over time. The distribution of arrivals across legal status categories has been shifting over time.

There were 6,636 untried arrivals in 2024-25, a reduction of 310 (5%) from the previous year. The proportion of arrivals to an untried status has fallen since the pandemic, from 67% in 2020-21 to 58% in 2024-25. Before the pandemic it was typically around 52%.

The number of sentenced arrivals also fell marginally, down 47 (2%) from 2,240 in 2023-24 to 2,193 in 2024-25.

There was an 8% increase in convicted awaiting sentence (CAS) arrivals to 2,552 (+182).

Together these change have led to the CAS share of arrivals increasing from 20% in 2023-24 to 22% in 2024-25.

Figure 24: A small increase in Convicted Awaiting Sentence (CAS) arrivals was balanced by reductions in other categories

Arrivals by legal status, 2009-10 to 2023-24

Arrivals by local authority

[Supplementary Tables C2]

The overall national rate of arrival to prison was broadly stable 1.9 per 1,000 head of population in 2024-25[ii].

Four local authorities had equal highest level rate of arrival in 2024-25: Dundee City, Glasgow City, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire at 3.0 per 1,000 population in 2024-25. East Ayrshire was in fifth place at 2.9 arrivals per 1,000 population.

Arrivals by deprivation

[Supplementary Tables C3]

Figure 25: Arrivals from the most deprived areas are three times what would be expected from an equal distribution; signs of growing representation from the middle of the deprivation distribution 

Proportion of arrivals by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (2016) decile group

The 10% most deprived areas of Scotland accounted for 31% of all arrivals to prison in 2024-25, as has been the case since 2021-22. This is a slightly lower rate than the 33-36% level over the decade to 2020-21.

This reduction reflects a change in the proportion of arrivals from less deprived areas. The most evident increase is arrivals from the 6th area deprivation decile in Figure 25, growing from 5% of arrivals in 2017-18 to 8% in 2024-25, but the same period showed increases in arrivals from many of the less deprived areas in Scotland. While these are still relatively under-represented (i.e. less than 10%), the past ten years indicate a change from the predictably low levels observed previously.

Arrivals by no fixed abode

[Supplementary Tables C4]

In the context of a long-term decline in the number of arrivals to custody, the volume of no fixed abode arrivals has increased over the decade 2015-16 to 2024-25 (from 496 to 1,315). In 2024-25, 11.4% of arrivals to prison were individuals of no fixed abode[iii] (Figure 26), continuing an upward trend in this proportion over the decade.

Figure 26: People arriving to prison who identify themselves of being of no fixed abode comprise a growing proportion of arrivals over the decade 2015-16 to 2024-25

Proportion of arrivals of individuals with no fixed abode

Arrivals by offence group

[Supplementary Tables O6]

The overall number of arrivals was stable in 2024-25 compared with the previous year. In that time the number of arrivals with an index offence in Group 2 (sexual crimes) or Group 8 (road traffic offences) increased by 9% and 12% respectively: from 960 in 2023-24 to 1051 in 2024-25 for Group 2 offences, and from 231 to 259 for Group 8. Arrivals with index offences in Group 1 (violence) increased by 1% (+49) to 4,864.

Arrivals with other index offence groups all fell: those in group 5 (crimes against society) fell 6% (173) to 2,855, and Group 3 (Crimes of dishonesty) by 8% (107) to 1,153.

While these changes occurred, the proportionate share of arrivals by index offence group remained similar to the previous year (Figure 27).

Figure 27: The share of arrivals to prison across the index offence groups remained broadly stable in 2024-25, with small increases in group 1 and 2 arrivals and small decreases in group 3 and 5 arrivals

Proportion of arrivals by Index Offence Groups, 2009-10 to 2024-25