Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were on an escape list on 1 January in each year since 2015.
The following shows the number of prisoners on an escape list on 01 January of each year 2015-2024.
Year * | Number of Prisoners on Escape List Alert code (XEL, XELH **) |
2015 | 563 |
2016 | 296 |
2017 | 252 |
2018 | 291 |
2019 | 195 |
2020 | 167 |
2021 | 101 |
2022 | 113 |
2023 | 105 |
2024 | 160 |
*First of January only for each year
**Escape List, Escape List- Heightened
A prisoner escapes from prison if they unlawfully gain their liberty by breaching the secure perimeter of a closed prison. A prisoner escapes from an escort if they are able to pass beyond the control of escorting staff and leave the escort, the vehicle or the premises (such as a court or hospital).
The vast majority of escapes are recaptured by police either immediately or within a matter of hours and there are no cases of prison escapees remaining at large. Offenders who break the law will be punished – including extra time in jail when appropriate.
Prisoners who pose an escape risk are identified and their ongoing risk is managed by placing them on the Escape List (E-List). Prisoners placed on the E-List are subject to additional security measures, restricted activity and regular review.
Prison escapes are incredibly rare, and numbers have declined substantially in the last 10-15 years. Between 1997 and 2010, escapes from prisons were nearly 10 times higher than the subsequent 13 years.