England and Wales Recall More Prisoners Than They Release for First Time on Record

In early 2026, England and Wales recalled 13,193 prisoners for licence breaches while releasing 12,977 — 101 recalls per 100 releases, the first time above 100%. A decade ago it was 30. The Ministry of Justice partly blames early release schemes that swelled the supervised population. Annual recalls hit a record 51,419, mostly administrative, not new crimes.