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Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Snapshot 16

Possession of a Class A Drug

Bringing together relevant statistics and trends relating to sentencing

by Annalena Wolcke

Last updated: Sep 2026

Overview

  • Sentencing Council guideline range: fine to a 51-weeks prison sentence
  • Maximum sentence: 7-years’ imprisonment
  • Convictions for this offence remained stable over the last 10 years, but recently increased
  • Convictions in 2025: 10,138
  • This snapshot summarises key trends over the past 5 years

Sentences Imposed

Figure 1: Sentences for Drug Possession (Class A), 2021-2025

  • Around 62% of convictions resulted in a fine.1
  • A further 12% resulted in a Community Order.2

Figure 2: Sentences Imposed for Drug Possession (Class A), 2021-2025

  • Trends in the use of principal sanctions for possession of a class A drug have largely been stable over the last 5 years.

Immediate Prison Sentence Lengths

Figure 3: Prison Sentence Lengths, Drug Possession (Class A), 2025

  • The most frequent sentence range is up to 1 month, accounting for almost 70% of all immediate custodial sentences.
  • Around 30% of prison sentences are over 1 month.

Sentencing Outcomes by Sex

Figure 4: Sentencing Outcomes by Sex, Drug Possession (Class A), 2025

  • Female (n=1,131); Male (n=8,894)
  • In 2025, the proportion of sentence outcomes for possession of a class A drug was relatively similar for men and women.
  • On average, men were more likely to receive a fine than women.

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. 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. ↩︎
  2. ‘Other sanctions’ include: absolute discharges and the category ‘otherwise dealt with’ ↩︎