New Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data shows that 13,193 people were returned to prison for breaching their licence conditions between January and March 2026. This compares to 12,977 people who were released from prison during the same period.
This marks the first time on record that the “recall rate” has exceeded 100% in England and Wales, meaning 101 people were recalled for every 100 released. The number of returns for licence breaches increased by 31% from the previous year.
In the year to March 2026, 51,419 prisoners were recalled to jail after breaching licence terms, a 28% rise from the previous 12 months. This is the highest number since current records began in 2015.
Breaches of licence conditions, which have risen sharply over the past decade, include failing to maintain contact with probation services or not residing at an approved address. Only 22% of all recalls involved a further charge of offending.
The MoJ suggested the increase may be partly due to early release schemes, which have seen more prisoners released on licence earlier in their sentences.