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Too little support for increased number of remand prisoners

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Prisoners awaiting trial or sentencing have poorer outcomes than those serving a sentence, according to a findings paper from HMI Prisons.

Despite making up around a fifth of the prison population, too few jails have developed a strategy to manage these men and women, increasing their vulnerability and leaving many unable to access vital support.

When prisoners are remanded from court they are held in reception prisons, which often have some of the poorest conditions in the estate. The paper reviewed inspection reports of 12 reception prisons, and found that in three-quarters, remand prisoners made up over half of the population, with some jails experiencing a rapid rise in this cohort.

Although remand prisoners can report having higher rates of mental health problems and depression, and an increased risk of suicide, they often did not get enough support when they first arrived in jail. They were less likely than sentenced prisoners to know how to contact independent groups who could help them, be able to shower every day, get clean clothes that fit them and to have their own cell, and they were often not engaged in purposeful activity. Prisoners awaiting trial did not always get the additional visits to which they were entitled, or enough help to keep in touch with their families. Remand prisoners received too little support to resolve issues in the community, including sorting out housing, benefits and finance before they were released, and this was particularly concerning for prisoners found not guilty at trial who, while in prison, could have lost their employment or home.

In many of the prisons cited in this report, we found too little being done to help the particularly vulnerable cohort of remand prisoners. Although we highlight some areas where the difficulties faced by these prisoners were beginning to be addressed, with the growth in this population now endemic, the prison service and individual jails must think more strategically about how they support these men and women.
Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor

Notes to editors

  1. The report – ‘Everything is after sentencing’: The experiences of remand prisoners – is published on 27 March 2026 at: HM Inspectorate of Prisons
  2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
  3. This findings paper draws on evidence and survey findings from 12 inspections of men’s and women’s reception prisons, published during the annual report period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
  4. There are two distinct cohorts of remand prisoners: those awaiting trial and those waiting to be sentenced. In December 2025, 16,520 adult prisoners were on remand, representing 19% of the total prison population.
  5. Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.