FOI Ref: FOI/2022/4110
You asked
Please supply the following information:
1. Numerical breakdown of the UK prison population by ethnic group, shown as a percentage of each group's population per the latest Government census
2. Breakdown of the UKs criminal prosecutions by ethic group, shown as a percentage of each group's population per the latest Government census
We said
Thank you for your request.
Unfortunately, we do not hold the information you have requested.
National Records Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Therefore, we do not hold the requested data for the whole of the UK. Should you wish to obtain this data from NRS and NISRA, they can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is responsible for prison population statistics. You may find this link to their Prison Population Statistics. They can be contacted at data.access@justice.gov.uk
However, you may find the following information useful:
The census did count the number of people in communal establishments, of which prison is one. The attached 2011 Census table DC4211EWla - Communal establishment management and type by ethnic group by sex provides the number of people counted in prison on census day in England and Wales.
We do not hold information on the number of criminal prosecutions by ethic group, shown as a percentage of each group's population per the latest Government census. The MoJ would be best placed to answer this query.
We aim to release the first results for Census 2021 data on the population of England and Wales in Summer 2022, and to publish all other main Census 2021 data within two years of census.
For more information about the planned release schedule, please see the Office for National Statistics website here.