Civometry

Ministry of Justice · Criminal justice statistics quarterly: overview tables

Average custodial sentence length (indictable offences)

Year ending March 2026 Final

22months

Average custodial sentence length (indictable offences) was 22 months in the year ending March 2026, up 0.9% (0) from 22 in the year ending March 2025.

▲ 0.9% · +0 against Year ending March 2025 (year on year)

  1. Ministry of Justice estimate
  2. Year ending March 2026
  3. published 30 July 2026
  4. Table Q5.2c
  5. row “Offence type=Indictable; Offence group=Indictable offences total”
  6. column “2026”
  7. cell value 22.3

Year ending March 2016 to Year ending March 2026

Average custodial sentence length (indictable offences): Year ending March 2016 to Year ending March 2026ConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabourLabour01020201620182020202220242026Year ending March 2016: 19 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2017: 20 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2018: 21 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2019: 21 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2020: 21 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2021: 19 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2022: 24 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2023: 23 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2024: 23 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2025: 22 months · published 30 July 2026Year ending March 2026: 22 months · published 30 July 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Breakdowns

What this measures

The average (mean) length in months of immediate custodial sentences imposed for indictable offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the twelve months ending March.

What this doesn’t measure

Life and other indeterminate sentences, sentences recorded as 60 years or more, or sentences for summary offences; nor time actually served.

Important caveat

Average custodial sentence length is the total combined custodial sentence length in months divided by the number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody, as calculated by the Ministry of Justice. It excludes life sentences, other indeterminate sentences, sentences recorded as 60 years or more (assumed to be administrative errors) and sentences where the length was not recorded, and it measures the sentence imposed, not time served. Changes reflect the mix of offences as well as sentencing practice.

Revision history

No period of this series has been revised since it was first ingested here. Revisions are recorded automatically when a later release publishes a different figure for the same period.

Source

Publisher
Ministry of Justice
Publication
Criminal justice statistics quarterly: overview tables
Release
Year ending March 2026, published 30 July 2026
Source file
overview-tables-March-2026.ods
File SHA-256
60c19d2d5ff2446d61a6196c6b6c8e3aa4dd211e6c455b13c5c68445892b591a
Retrieved
2 September 2026
Sheet
Q5_2c
Table
Table Q5.2c
Row
Offence type=Indictable; Offence group=Indictable offences total
Column
2026
Cell value
22.3
Geography
England and Wales
Unit
months
API
/api/metrics/average_custodial_sentence_length_months · /series · /vintages

Government periods

Change during each government, from the level inherited to the last complete period before it left office. Describes the period; does not attribute cause.

Labour 2024–23Year ending March 202422Year ending March 2026↓ 4.3%
Conservative 2019–202421Year ending March 201923Year ending March 2024↑ 9.4%
Conservative 2017–201920Year ending March 201721Year ending March 2019↑ 8.7%

Full comparison with chart

Release
Year ending March 2026 · publication page
Last updated
30 July 2026
Next release expected
August 2026 (estimated from the usual cadence)