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Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Discharges

Key Facts and Statistics

by Annalena Wolcke & Raphael Freund

Last updated: Jun 2026

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Fact 1

Discharges are usually given for the least serious offences. A discharge means that the person is released from court without further action.

29,121

ADULTS RECEIVED A DISCHARGE IN 2025,

OF WHICH 26,035 WERE CONDITIONAL,

AND 3,098 WERE ABSOLUTE1

Fact 2

A discharge can either be

  • conditional (meaning that certain requirements are attached, and the individual could be sentenced for the original offence if they re-offend), or
  • absolute (without conditions)

Conditional discharges are more common, making up

89%

of all discharges in 2025

Fact 3

Discharges made up

2.5%

of all primary
sentences imposed in
England & Wales in 2025.

Fact 4

Absolute and conditional discharges are most commonly associated with different kinds of offences.

Top 5 offences leading to
CONDITIONAL discharges		Individuals sentenced in 2025
1. Theft from a shop (shoplifting)5,586
2. Possession of a controlled drug – Class B (cannabis)2,418
3. Common assault and battery2,035
4. Criminal or malicious damage offence2,021
5. Possession of a Controlled Drug – Class A1,076
Top 5 offences leading to
ABSOLUTE discharges		Individuals sentenced in 2025
1. Vehicle insurance offences – summary798
2. Vehicle registration and excise license offences247
3. Possession of a controlled drug – Class B (cannabis)177
4. Speed limit offences172
5. Truancy158

Fact 5

of all women

and

of all men

sentenced in 2025 received a discharge.

Fact 6

Re-offending rates (2023)

For all sentences: 27%2

For discharges: 27%

For prison sentences: 39%

For court orders (suspended sentence and community): 34%

Note: The Ministry of Justice defines reoffending as any offence committed in a one-year follow-up period that leads to a court conviction, caution, reprimand, or warning.

Download this infographic as PDF

This infographic is one of a series on sentencing trends in England & Wales. Others can be found here. For further information, contact Annalena Wolcke at [email protected]

  1. Facts 1-5: Data calculated from Ministry of Justice (2026), Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2025, published 30h of April. Outcomes by offence data tool, Table 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2025. ↩︎
  2. Fact 6: Data calculated from Ministry of Justice (2025). Proven reoffending statistics: October to December 2023, published 30th of October. Proven reoffending tables (3 monthly), October 2023 to December 2023, Table C1a.
    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-october-to-december-2023. ↩︎