Foreign nationals are underrepresented in prisons in England and Wales compared to British citizens of the same age, according to an analysis by Oxford University's Migration Observatory. In June, 12.4% of prisoners were non-UK nationals, roughly matching the 12% of foreign nationals in the overall population. However, because non-citizens are more likely to be young adults—a demographic with higher crime rates—researchers expected them to make up 15% of the prison population if jailed at the same rate as British citizens aged 16-24.
The study found that non-citizens accounted for a higher proportion of convictions for sexual and theft offences over the past decade, but cautioned that a lack of data on offenders' age and sex made it difficult to draw clear conclusions. For sexual offences, foreign nationals were overrepresented among those cautioned or convicted (15%) but underrepresented in prison (10%).
The report comes amid ongoing protests by groups like the Pink Ladies, who have demonstrated outside asylum-seeker accommodation and Downing Street. Former Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall addressed the group, while counter-protesters including MP Diane Abbott accused them of using women's safety to disguise racism. The Migration Observatory's Ben Brindle noted that differences in criminality rates may be explained by age, sex, and socioeconomic status, but precise reasons remain unclear.
