Offenders: Foreign Nationals

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody, but it is not possible to identify an offender’s nationality at this point from the centrally collated court data. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

However, the number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) serving a prison sentence is available. On 30 June 2022, there were 6,214 FNOs serving a prison sentence; on 30 June 2023 there were 6,453 FNOs serving a prison sentence and on 30 June 2024 there were 6,486 FNOs serving a prison sentence. This information is routinely published in the department's Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.

We refer all foreign national offenders in receipt of custodial sentences to the Home Office. Foreign national offenders who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. This will help to manage prison pressures, keep the public safe and reduce crime.

We are currently on track to remove more foreign national offenders this year than at any time in recent years and we are working across government to explore the ways we accelerate this work further.