What we can't tell you · FOI required
What is the prison population by religion and offence group?
FOI required The data is held by a public authority but not published; a Freedom of Information request is the route to it.
Why
The standard offender management tables publish religion (1_Q_8, 1_A_23) and offence group (1_A_26 and quarterly equivalents) separately; no published table crosses religion with offence group or with ethnicity. The Ministry of Justice holds both fields for every prisoner in prison-NOMIS and answers ad hoc and Freedom of Information requests for cross-tabulations subject to small-number suppression.
What is known
- Prison population by religion (separate table)
- Prison population by offence group (separate table) prison_population_by_offence_group
What is not known
- Religion by offence group
- Religion by ethnicity
- Religion by establishment
Who holds the data
- Ministry of Justice
Would a Freedom of Information request help?
Possibly. Both fields are held for every prisoner and the Ministry of Justice publishes such cross-tabulations on request, with suppression of cells under a threshold.
Privacy and disclosure restrictions
Small cells are suppressed in ad hoc releases. Religion codes changed at end-June 2025.
Official sources checked
Last reviewed 2026-09-02. Availability changes; if a publication now answers this question, challenge the classification below.