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Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Snapshot 19

Possession of a Knife

Bringing together relevant statistics and trends relating to sentencing

by Annalena Wolcke

Last updated: Sep 2026

Overview

  • Sentencing Council guideline range: fine to a 2-years and 6-months prison sentence1
  • Maximum sentence: 4-years’ imprisonment
  • Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 stipulates a minimum sentence of 6 months’ imprisonment for a second conviction of possession
  • Convictions increased over the last 10 years, with less than 5,300 convictions in 2015 to over 8,100 convictions in 2025
  • Convictions in 2025: 8,118
  • This snapshot summarises key trends over the past 5 years

Sentences Imposed

Figure 1: Sentences for Knife Possession, 2021-2025

  • 34% of convictions resulted in a term of immediate imprisonment.2
  • A further 45% resulted in a Suspended Sentence Order.3

Figure 2: Sentences Imposed for Knife Possession, 2021-2025

  • Trends in the use of principal sanctions for knife possession have largely been stable over the last 5 years.

Immediate Prison Sentence Lengths

Figure 3: Prison Sentence Lengths, Knife Possession, 2025

  • The most frequent sentence range is between 3 to 6 months, accounting for 55% of all immediate custodial sentences.
  • Approximately 38% of prison sentences are over 6 months.

Sentencing Outcomes by Sex

Figure 4: Sentencing Outcomes by Sex, Knife Possession, 2025

  • Female (n=774); Male (n=7,195)
  • In 2025, the custody rate for possession of a knife was higher for men (36%) than for women (23%).

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: possession of article with blade or point. This includes articles other than knives. However, knives are by far the most common articles. ↩︎
  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: fines, discharges, and the category ‘otherwise dealt with’ ↩︎