Skip to content

Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Snapshot 8

Drunk and Disorderly in Public

Bringing together relevant statistics and trends relating to sentencing

by Annalena Wolcke

Last updated: Aug 2026

Overview

  • Sentencing Council guideline range: conditional discharge to a Band C fine1
  • Maximum sentence: Level 3 fine
  • Convictions fell since 2015 and have been relatively stable since 2020, with an average annual conviction rate of around 4,600
  • Convictions in 2025: 4,531
  • This snapshot summarises key trends over the past 5 years

Sentences Imposed

Figure 1: Sentences for being Drunk and Disorderly, 2021-2025

  • 65% of convictions resulted in a fine.2
  • A further 25% resulted in a conditional discharge.3

Figure 2: Sentences Imposed for being Drunk and Disorderly, 2021-2025

  • Over the last 5 years, the use of fines decreased by 8%.
  • ‘Other’ sentencing outcomes – not further defined in the available data – increased by 150%.

Sentencing Outcomes by Sex

Figure 3: Sentencing Outcomes by Sex, Being Drunk and Disorderly, 2025

  • Female (n=755); Male (n=3,702)
  • In 2025, men had a slightly higher rate of receiving fines (63%) than women (57%).

These rates do not account for various factors that influence sentencing decisions, such as the offender’s criminal history and the seriousness of the specific offence. Additional research would be needed to determine whether gender affected the sentence imposed.

This Snapshot 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. Official offence name: Drunkenness, with aggravation – disorderly in public ↩︎
  2. Data source for all figures: Data calculated from Ministry of Justice (2026), Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2025, published 30th of April. Outcomes by offence data tool, Table 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2025 ↩︎
  3. ‘Other sanctions’ include: suspended sentence order, absolute discharge, community sentence, compensation, and the category ‘otherwise dealt with’ ↩︎