Sentencing Women
Key Facts and Statistics
Annalena Wolcke
Last updated: Sep 2026
Fact 1
Compared to their proportion in the general population, women are less likely than men to become involved with the criminal justice system.
Figure 1: Proportion of Men and Women throughout the Criminal Justice System, 2023/241
Fact 2
In 2025, sentences for women accounted for
of all sentences in England & Wales.2
179,094 women
were sentenced in 2025, compared to
705,758 men.
Fact 3
Women are less likely to receive an immediate prison sentence than men, and more likely to receive a fine.
Figure 2: Sentence Outcomes, 20253
It is important to note that these data do not take into account many factors that influence sentencing decisions, such as a person’s criminal history, plea or the seriousness of the crime.
Fact 4
This represents 4% of the prison population.
Fact 5
Since 2000, women have represented a small proportion of the prison population, with an average of 5%.
Figure 3: Prison Population by Gender, 2000-20265
Fact 6
On average, women receive shorter prison sentences than men.
Figure 4: Custodial Sentence Lengths by Gender, 20256
Average Custodial Sentence Lengths, 2025:
Women: 10.5 months
Men: 20.5 months
It is important to note that these data do not take into account many factors that influence sentencing decisions, such as a person’s criminal history, plea or the seriousness of the crime.
Fact 7
Women account for only 8% of convictions for the most serious (indictable-only) offences.
Figure 5: Convictions for Indictable-Only Offences, 20257
Fact 8
Women make up a small share of those convicted of violent offences, drug offences, robbery, and sexual offences.8
Figure 6: Convictions for Violent Offences, 2025
Figure 7: Convictions for Drug Offences, 2025
Figure 8: Convictions for Robbery, 2025
Figure 9: Convictions for Sexual Offences, 2025
Fact 9
Compared to men, women are less likely to reoffend, but have a higher average number of reoffences.9
| Reoffending Rate (2023-24) | Average # of Reoffences (2023-24) | |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 25% | 5.53 |
| Men | 30% | 4.95 |
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.
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]
- Figure re-created from Ministry of Justice (2025), Statistics on Women and the Criminal Justice System 2023 (HTML), published January 30. Figure 1.01. ↩︎
- Data analysed from Ministry of Justice (2026), Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2025, published 30th of April. Outcomes by offence data tool, Table 2. ↩︎
- Data analysed from Ministry of Justice (2026), Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2025, published 30th of April. Outcomes by offence data tool, Table 2. ↩︎
- Data analysed from: Ministry of Justice (2026), Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2026. Prison Population: 30 June 2026. Table 1_Q_1. ↩︎
- Data analysed from:
1) Ministry of Justice (2026), Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2026. Annual Prison Population: 2026. Table 1_A_3.
2) Ministry of Justice (2016), Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2016. Annual Prison Population: 2016. Table A1.2. ↩︎ - Data analysed from Ministry of Justice (2026), Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2025, published 30th of April. Outcomes by offence data tool, Table 2. ↩︎
- Ibid. ↩︎
- Ibid. ↩︎
- Data analysed from: Ministry of Justice (2026), Proven reoffending statistics: July to September 2024. Proven reoffending tables (3 monthly), July 2024 to September 2024, published 30 July. Table A2. ↩︎