In this section: Public services

Justice: courts, prisons, probation and legal aid

Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.

£18.4bn was spent on courts and prisons in the UK in 2025-26, £265 per resident. That is +7.0% on a year earlier after inflation (+10.7% in cash). In 2025-26 prices it has gone from £16.7bn in 2006-07 to £18.4bn. A prisoner in England and Wales cost £56,618 a year in 2024-25. The Crown Court had 80,829 cases open at the end of 2026 Q2.

Figure as of 16 July 2026. Source: HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury.

Key figures

£18.4bnSpent in 2025-26, cash +10.7% on a year earlier As of 16 July 2026
+7.0%Real-terms change, 2025-26 on a year earlier £18.4bn in 2025-26 prices As of 16 July 2026
£265Per resident, 2025-26 As of 16 July 2026
£56,618Cost per prisoner, England and Wales, 2024-25 As of 26 March 2026
80,829Crown Court cases open, end of 2026 Q2 As of 24 September 2026

Sources: HM Treasury, Ministry of Justice.

What is the short version?

Three justice systems: England and Wales (one jurisdiction), Scotland and Northern Ireland, each counted on its own.
Every prison in England and Wales has a page: its cost per prisoner and per place since 2015-16, how full it is each month, and its staff.
Courts, probation and legal aid are shown with the Crown Court backlog, the probation caseload and legal aid by scheme since 2005-06.

Over the longest run published: cash, real terms and per head

United Kingdom: spending in cash and in 2025-26 prices, £ billion

Real terms use HM Treasury’s GDP deflator, 2025-26 prices. Breaks in the series: 2007-08: The Ministry of Justice was created in May 2007 from the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Home Office’s prisons and probation. 2011-12: HM Courts and Tribunals Service formed in April 2011 from HM Courts Service and the Tribunals Service. The departmental series starts in 2011-12. 2013-14: The Legal Aid Agency replaced the Legal Services Commission in April 2013 (and legal aid was cut back by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012); Central Funds moved to it. 2014-15: Probation was split between the National Probation Service and 21 community rehabilitation companies (2014-15). 2017-18: HM Prison and Probation Service replaced the National Offender Management Service in April 2017. 2021-22: Probation was brought back into one public Probation Service in June 2021.

The numbers behind this chart

United Kingdom: spending in cash and in 2025-26 prices, £ billion (£ billion)
Year	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Cash
2006-07 Details for 2006-07	£16.7bn	£10.2bn
Cash £10.2bn
2007-08 Details for 2007-08	£17.6bn	£10.9bn
Cash £10.9bn
2008-09 Details for 2008-09	£17.8bn	£11.5bn
Cash £11.5bn
2009-10 Details for 2009-10	£17.4bn	£11.4bn
Cash £11.4bn
2010-11 Details for 2010-11	£16.8bn	£11.2bn
Cash £11.2bn
2011-12 Details for 2011-12	£15.7bn	£10.7bn
Cash £10.7bn
2012-13 Details for 2012-13	£14.9bn	£10.3bn
Cash £10.3bn
2013-14 Details for 2013-14	£13.6bn	£9.6bn
Cash £9.6bn
2014-15 Details for 2014-15	£13.0bn	£9.3bn
Cash £9.3bn
2015-16 Details for 2015-16	£13.6bn	£9.8bn
Cash £9.8bn
2016-17 Details for 2016-17	£13.7bn	£10.1bn
Cash £10.1bn
2017-18 Details for 2017-18	£13.9bn	£10.4bn
Cash £10.4bn
2018-19 Details for 2018-19	£14.2bn	£10.8bn
Cash £10.8bn
2019-20 Details for 2019-20	£14.4bn	£11.2bn
Cash £11.2bn
2020-21 Details for 2020-21	£14.8bn	£12.2bn
Cash £12.2bn
2021-22 Details for 2021-22	£16.0bn	£13.2bn
Cash £13.2bn
2022-23 Details for 2022-23	£16.1bn	£14.2bn
Cash £14.2bn
2023-24 Details for 2023-24	£16.8bn	£15.6bn
Cash £15.6bn
2024-25 Details for 2024-25	£17.2bn	£16.7bn
Cash £16.7bn
2025-26 Details for 2025-26	£18.4bn	£18.4bn
Cash £18.4bn

Figure as of 16 July 2026. Source: HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury.

United Kingdom: spending per resident, 2025-26 prices

Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population estimates.

The numbers behind this chart

United Kingdom: spending per resident, 2025-26 prices (£ per resident)
Year	Per resident, 2025-26 prices	Per resident, cash
2006-07 Details for 2006-07	£275	£168
Per resident, cash £168
2007-08 Details for 2007-08	£287	£178
Per resident, cash £178
2008-09 Details for 2008-09	£289	£186
Per resident, cash £186
2009-10 Details for 2009-10	£280	£183
Per resident, cash £183
2010-11 Details for 2010-11	£268	£178
Per resident, cash £178
2011-12 Details for 2011-12	£248	£169
Per resident, cash £169
2012-13 Details for 2012-13	£234	£162
Per resident, cash £162
2013-14 Details for 2013-14	£212	£150
Per resident, cash £150
2014-15 Details for 2014-15	£201	£144
Per resident, cash £144
2015-16 Details for 2015-16	£209	£150
Per resident, cash £150
2016-17 Details for 2016-17	£209	£153
Per resident, cash £153
2017-18 Details for 2017-18	£211	£157
Per resident, cash £157
2018-19 Details for 2018-19	£215	£163
Per resident, cash £163
2019-20 Details for 2019-20	£216	£169
Per resident, cash £169
2020-21 Details for 2020-21	£222	£183
Per resident, cash £183
2021-22 Details for 2021-22	£239	£197
Per resident, cash £197
2022-23 Details for 2022-23	£237	£209
Per resident, cash £209
2023-24 Details for 2023-24	£244	£227
Per resident, cash £227
2024-25 Details for 2024-25	£249	£240
Per resident, cash £240
2025-26 Details for 2025-26	£265	£265
Per resident, cash £265

Figure as of 16 July 2026. Source: HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury.

Spending per resident by nation, 2024-25

Each nation is divided by its own population, so the figures compare like for like. England-only and UK-wide spending are never added together here.

The numbers behind this chart

Spending per resident by nation, 2024-25 (£ per resident, cash)
Item	£ per resident, 2024-25, cash
England and Wales	£241
Scotland	£235
Northern Ireland	£245

Figure as of 16 July 2026. Source: HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury, HM Treasury.

Source: HM Treasury, PESA 2026: chapters 4 and 5 tables, published 16 July 2026; HM Treasury, PESA 2021: chapter 4 and 5 tables; HM Treasury, PESA 2016: chapter 4 and 5 tables; HM Treasury, PESA 2011: chapter 4 and 5 tables.

Prisons: what each one costs, and how full it is

In 2024-25 a prison place in England and Wales cost £56,618 per prisoner on HMPPS’s measure, which adds each prison’s share of regional and national costs to what it spends itself. In August 2026 prisons held 86,843 people, 101.3% of their uncrowded places. Every prison has its own page.

Cost per prisoner, England and Wales, cash

Line chart of cost per prisoner, england and wales, cash from 2015-16 to 2024-25: Overall cost per prisoner 32,510 to 56,618; Spent at the prison only 22,407 to 37,845.

Cash, not adjusted for inflation. HMPPS’s own tables give the real-terms change on the year before only.

The numbers behind this chart

Cost per prisoner, England and Wales, cash (£ per prisoner, cash)
Year	Overall cost per prisoner	Spent at the prison only
2015-16 Details for 2015-16	£32,510	£22,407
Spent at the prison only £22,407
2016-17 Details for 2016-17	£35,371	£22,933
Spent at the prison only £22,933
2017-18 Details for 2017-18	£37,543	£24,151
Spent at the prison only £24,151
2018-19 Details for 2018-19	£41,136	£26,133
Spent at the prison only £26,133
2019-20 Details for 2019-20	£42,670	£28,974
Spent at the prison only £28,974
2020-21 Details for 2020-21	£48,409	£32,716
Spent at the prison only £32,716
2021-22 Details for 2021-22	£47,434	£31,476
Spent at the prison only £31,476
2022-23 Details for 2022-23	£51,108	£33,628
Spent at the prison only £33,628
2023-24 Details for 2023-24	£53,801	£35,053
Spent at the prison only £35,053
2024-25 Details for 2024-25	£56,618	£37,845
Spent at the prison only £37,845

Figure as of 26 March 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Prison population against capacity, England and Wales

Line chart of prison population against capacity, england and wales from January 2025 to August 2026: Population 86,463 to 86,843; Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 88,662 to 88,937.

Monthly bulletin. Usable capacity is lower than the sum shown: HMPPS keeps an operating margin of places it cannot use because of the mix of prisoners.

The numbers behind this chart

Prison population against capacity, England and Wales (People or places)
Year	Population	Operational capacity (sum of prisons)
January 2025 Details for January 2025	86,463	88,662
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 88,662
February 2025 Details for February 2025	87,199	88,635
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 88,635
March 2025 Details for March 2025	87,919	88,925
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 88,925
April 2025 Details for April 2025	88,084	89,228
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,228
May 2025 Details for May 2025	88,103	89,551
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,551
June 2025 Details for June 2025	87,334	89,573
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,573
July 2025 Details for July 2025	87,966	89,373
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,373
August 2025 Details for August 2025	88,273	89,627
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,627
September 2025 Details for September 2025	87,336	89,437
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,437
October 2025 Details for October 2025	87,413	89,311
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,311
November 2025 Details for November 2025	87,332	89,334
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,334
December 2025 Details for December 2025	86,596	89,464
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,464
January 2026 Details for January 2026	87,212	89,671
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,671
February 2026 Details for February 2026	87,367	89,792
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,792
March 2026 Details for March 2026	87,292	89,795
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,795
April 2026 Details for April 2026	85,704	89,765
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,765
May 2026 Details for May 2026	85,992	89,662
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,662
June 2026 Details for June 2026	85,761	89,120
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 89,120
July 2026 Details for July 2026	86,267	88,895
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 88,895
August 2026 Details for August 2026	86,843	88,937
Operational capacity (sum of prisons) 88,937

Figure as of 7 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Average prison population by year, England and Wales

The numbers behind this chart

Average prison population by year, England and Wales (Prisoners)
Year	Average population
2015	85,640
2016	85,348
2017	85,632
2018	83,296
2019	82,935
2020	80,366
2021	78,536
2022	80,798
2023	85,968
2024	87,256
2025	87,279

Figure as of 30 July 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Every prison in England and Wales, searchable, each with its own page: cost per prisoner and per place, population, crowding and staff.

Costs are for 2024-25; population and capacity for August 2026; staff for June 2026. Contracted (private) prisons are costed on a different basis (PFI prisons include interest on capital) and their staff are not on the HMPPS payroll. Council area is where the prison is, from its GOV.UK page; some privately run prisons have none.

Cost per prisoner place in each jurisdiction, as each prison service measures it
Prison service	Year	Cost	What it counts
England and Wales (HMPPS) Details for England and Wales (HMPPS)	2024-25	£59,026	Overall resource cost per baseline place, including national costs
Year 2024-25 What it counts Overall resource cost per baseline place, including national costs
Scotland (Scottish Prison Service) Details for Scotland (Scottish Prison Service)	2024-25	£52,260	Excludes capital charges, exceptional payments and escort contract
Year 2024-25 What it counts Excludes capital charges, exceptional payments and escort contract
Northern Ireland (NI Prison Service) Details for Northern Ireland (NI Prison Service)	2024-25	£57,180	Excludes exceptional payments, escorting and court custody
Year 2024-25 What it counts Excludes exceptional payments, escorting and court custody

Each service defines its cost per place differently, so the three are shown side by side, not ranked or added.

Source: Ministry of Justice, Costs per prison place and cost per prisoner by individual prison, 2015-16 to 2024-25 (HMPPS annual report and accounts, management information addendum), published 26 March 2026; Ministry of Justice, Prison population: monthly bulletin (2025-01 to 2026-08), published 7 September 2026; Ministry of Justice, Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2026: annual prison population, published 30 July 2026; Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Prison Service, Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25; Northern Ireland Prison Service, Northern Ireland Prison Service, Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25.

Courts: the Crown Court backlog

At the end of 2026 Q2 the Crown Court had 80,829 criminal cases open, against 38,341 at the end of 2019. HMCTS runs the courts and tribunals of England and Wales; its spending is in the drill-down below.

Crown Court: cases open at quarter end, received and disposed of

Line chart of crown court: cases open at quarter end, received and disposed of from 2016 Q1 to 2026 Q2: Open at quarter end 48,308 to 80,829; Received in the quarter 28,685 to 28,234; Disposed of in the quarter 32,100 to 27,837.

The numbers behind this chart

Crown Court: cases open at quarter end, received and disposed of (Cases)
Year	Open at quarter end	Received in the quarter	Disposed of in the quarter
2016 Q1 Details for 2016 Q1	48,308	28,685	32,100
Received in the quarter 28,685 Disposed of in the quarter 32,100
2016 Q2 Details for 2016 Q2	44,916	27,767	31,037
Received in the quarter 27,767 Disposed of in the quarter 31,037
2016 Q3 Details for 2016 Q3	43,520	28,345	29,597
Received in the quarter 28,345 Disposed of in the quarter 29,597
2016 Q4 Details for 2016 Q4	43,170	27,223	27,401
Received in the quarter 27,223 Disposed of in the quarter 27,401
2017 Q1 Details for 2017 Q1	41,775	28,671	29,985
Received in the quarter 28,671 Disposed of in the quarter 29,985
2017 Q2 Details for 2017 Q2	41,185	27,767	28,153
Received in the quarter 27,767 Disposed of in the quarter 28,153
2017 Q3 Details for 2017 Q3	40,292	27,110	27,937
Received in the quarter 27,110 Disposed of in the quarter 27,937
2017 Q4 Details for 2017 Q4	39,082	25,849	26,964
Received in the quarter 25,849 Disposed of in the quarter 26,964
2018 Q1 Details for 2018 Q1	36,951	24,864	26,967
Received in the quarter 24,864 Disposed of in the quarter 26,967
2018 Q2 Details for 2018 Q2	35,753	24,360	25,449
Received in the quarter 24,360 Disposed of in the quarter 25,449
2018 Q3 Details for 2018 Q3	34,765	24,910	25,742
Received in the quarter 24,910 Disposed of in the quarter 25,742
2018 Q4 Details for 2018 Q4	33,188	23,996	25,460
Received in the quarter 23,996 Disposed of in the quarter 25,460
2019 Q1 Details for 2019 Q1	33,264	25,301	25,309
Received in the quarter 25,301 Disposed of in the quarter 25,309
2019 Q2 Details for 2019 Q2	34,388	25,364	24,178
Received in the quarter 25,364 Disposed of in the quarter 24,178
2019 Q3 Details for 2019 Q3	35,622	26,115	24,754
Received in the quarter 26,115 Disposed of in the quarter 24,754
2019 Q4 Details for 2019 Q4	38,341	25,707	23,132
Received in the quarter 25,707 Disposed of in the quarter 23,132
2020 Q1 Details for 2020 Q1	41,202	25,554	22,813
Received in the quarter 25,554 Disposed of in the quarter 22,813
2020 Q2 Details for 2020 Q2	43,403	14,016	12,045
Received in the quarter 14,016 Disposed of in the quarter 12,045
2020 Q3 Details for 2020 Q3	51,589	28,255	19,922
Received in the quarter 28,255 Disposed of in the quarter 19,922
2020 Q4 Details for 2020 Q4	57,378	27,724	21,792
Received in the quarter 27,724 Disposed of in the quarter 21,792
2021 Q1 Details for 2021 Q1	60,176	25,916	23,075
Received in the quarter 25,916 Disposed of in the quarter 23,075
2021 Q2 Details for 2021 Q2	61,218	24,736	23,575
Received in the quarter 24,736 Disposed of in the quarter 23,575
2021 Q3 Details for 2021 Q3	60,314	22,953	23,589
Received in the quarter 22,953 Disposed of in the quarter 23,589
2021 Q4 Details for 2021 Q4	59,008	21,989	23,160
Received in the quarter 21,989 Disposed of in the quarter 23,160
2022 Q1 Details for 2022 Q1	58,541	24,065	24,451
Received in the quarter 24,065 Disposed of in the quarter 24,451
2022 Q2 Details for 2022 Q2	59,867	23,637	22,209
Received in the quarter 23,637 Disposed of in the quarter 22,209
2022 Q3 Details for 2022 Q3	63,471	23,551	19,699
Received in the quarter 23,551 Disposed of in the quarter 19,699
2022 Q4 Details for 2022 Q4	63,142	23,545	23,765
Received in the quarter 23,545 Disposed of in the quarter 23,765
2023 Q1 Details for 2023 Q1	62,471	24,819	25,425
Received in the quarter 24,819 Disposed of in the quarter 25,425
2023 Q2 Details for 2023 Q2	65,068	26,903	24,005
Received in the quarter 26,903 Disposed of in the quarter 24,005
2023 Q3 Details for 2023 Q3	66,790	28,361	26,414
Received in the quarter 28,361 Disposed of in the quarter 26,414
2023 Q4 Details for 2023 Q4	67,599	27,334	26,305
Received in the quarter 27,334 Disposed of in the quarter 26,305
2024 Q1 Details for 2024 Q1	69,303	29,998	28,236
Received in the quarter 29,998 Disposed of in the quarter 28,236
2024 Q2 Details for 2024 Q2	71,184	30,367	28,195
Received in the quarter 30,367 Disposed of in the quarter 28,195
2024 Q3 Details for 2024 Q3	73,142	31,752	29,553
Received in the quarter 31,752 Disposed of in the quarter 29,553
2024 Q4 Details for 2024 Q4	74,472	29,542	28,253
Received in the quarter 29,542 Disposed of in the quarter 28,253
2025 Q1 Details for 2025 Q1	76,798	30,193	27,986
Received in the quarter 30,193 Disposed of in the quarter 27,986
2025 Q2 Details for 2025 Q2	78,226	30,505	28,851
Received in the quarter 30,505 Disposed of in the quarter 28,851
2025 Q3 Details for 2025 Q3	79,700	30,406	28,850
Received in the quarter 30,406 Disposed of in the quarter 28,850
2025 Q4 Details for 2025 Q4	80,462	29,589	28,803
Received in the quarter 29,589 Disposed of in the quarter 28,803
2026 Q1 Details for 2026 Q1	80,437	29,532	29,610
Received in the quarter 29,532 Disposed of in the quarter 29,610
2026 Q2 Details for 2026 Q2	80,829	28,234	27,837
Received in the quarter 28,234 Disposed of in the quarter 27,837

Figure as of 24 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Magistrates’ courts: criminal cases open at quarter end

The numbers behind this chart

Magistrates’ courts: criminal cases open at quarter end (Cases)
Year	Open at quarter end
2019 Q1	222,212
2019 Q2	220,002
2019 Q3	214,948
2019 Q4	223,577
2020 Q1	250,544
2020 Q2	345,326
2020 Q3	331,850
2020 Q4	302,401
2021 Q1	309,642
2021 Q2	277,539
2021 Q3	262,086
2021 Q4	273,276
2022 Q1	259,654
2022 Q2	249,383
2022 Q3	265,744
2022 Q4	260,802
2023 Q1	252,853
2023 Q2	254,035
2023 Q3	259,124
2023 Q4	278,339
2024 Q1	282,101
2024 Q2	291,150
2024 Q3	321,742
2024 Q4	327,286
2025 Q1	333,297
2025 Q2	347,365
2025 Q3	359,600
2025 Q4	364,923
2026 Q1	371,980
2026 Q2	380,230

Figure as of 24 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Source: Ministry of Justice, Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 (tables C1 and M1), published 24 September 2026.

Probation and the people who run prisons

People supervised by the Probation Service, England and Wales

Line chart of people supervised by the probation service, england and wales from December 2015 to March 2026: All supervision 241,144 to 258,332; In the community 166,306 to 179,300.

Year-end figures (31 December) to the latest year, then quarter ends. Breaks in the series: March 2026: Break in series: a change to how the caseload is counted (see the probation tables’ notes).

The numbers behind this chart

People supervised by the Probation Service, England and Wales (People)
Year	All supervision	In the community
December 2015 Details for December 2015	241,144	166,306
In the community 166,306
December 2016 Details for December 2016	267,146	—
In the community —
December 2017 Details for December 2017	264,649	187,542
In the community 187,542
December 2018 Details for December 2018	256,010	180,484
In the community 180,484
December 2019 Details for December 2019	247,759	172,110
In the community 172,110
December 2020 Details for December 2020	223,973	155,679
In the community 155,679
December 2021 Details for December 2021	238,500	170,744
In the community 170,744
December 2022 Details for December 2022	240,431	170,655
In the community 170,655
December 2023 Details for December 2023	238,765	164,359
In the community 164,359
December 2024 Details for December 2024	240,362	167,575
In the community 167,575
March 2025 Details for March 2025	242,397	166,954
In the community 166,954
June 2025 Details for June 2025	244,209	169,044
In the community 169,044
September 2025 Details for September 2025	246,502	171,099
In the community 171,099
December 2025 Details for December 2025	248,568	173,496
In the community 173,496
March 2026 Details for March 2026	258,332	179,300
In the community 179,300

Figure as of 30 July 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Prison and probation officers in post, full-time equivalent

Line chart of prison and probation officers in post, full-time equivalent from March 2017 to June 2026: Prison officers (bands 3 and 4) 15,004 to 18,530; Probation officers 3,595 to 5,465; Probation services officers 1,693 to 5,924.

HMPPS payroll staff at quarter end; public sector prisons only (contracted prisons employ their own staff).

The numbers behind this chart

Prison and probation officers in post, full-time equivalent (Full-time equivalent)
Year	Prison officers (bands 3 and 4)	Probation officers	Probation services officers
March 2017 Details for March 2017	15,004	3,595	1,693
Probation officers 3,595 Probation services officers 1,693
June 2017 Details for June 2017	15,394	3,536	1,863
Probation officers 3,536 Probation services officers 1,863
September 2017 Details for September 2017	15,878	3,446	1,873
Probation officers 3,446 Probation services officers 1,873
December 2017 Details for December 2017	16,575	3,382	2,161
Probation officers 3,382 Probation services officers 2,161
March 2018 Details for March 2018	17,653	3,410	2,358
Probation officers 3,410 Probation services officers 2,358
June 2018 Details for June 2018	18,169	3,390	2,334
Probation officers 3,390 Probation services officers 2,334
September 2018 Details for September 2018	18,813	3,345	2,514
Probation officers 3,345 Probation services officers 2,514
December 2018 Details for December 2018	19,235	3,368	2,560
Probation officers 3,368 Probation services officers 2,560
March 2019 Details for March 2019	19,103	3,445	2,700
Probation officers 3,445 Probation services officers 2,700
June 2019 Details for June 2019	18,725	3,517	2,479
Probation officers 3,517 Probation services officers 2,479
September 2019 Details for September 2019	18,879	3,454	2,579
Probation officers 3,454 Probation services officers 2,579
December 2019 Details for December 2019	18,509	3,584	2,553
Probation officers 3,584 Probation services officers 2,553
March 2020 Details for March 2020	18,290	3,563	2,740
Probation officers 3,563 Probation services officers 2,740
June 2020 Details for June 2020	18,539	3,716	2,539
Probation officers 3,716 Probation services officers 2,539
September 2020 Details for September 2020	18,196	3,654	2,881
Probation officers 3,654 Probation services officers 2,881
December 2020 Details for December 2020	17,934	3,742	2,659
Probation officers 3,742 Probation services officers 2,659
March 2021 Details for March 2021	18,304	3,645	3,118
Probation officers 3,645 Probation services officers 3,118
June 2021 Details for June 2021	18,441	4,552	5,683
Probation officers 4,552 Probation services officers 5,683
September 2021 Details for September 2021	18,763	4,429	5,712
Probation officers 4,429 Probation services officers 5,712
December 2021 Details for December 2021	18,487	4,613	5,712
Probation officers 4,613 Probation services officers 5,712
March 2022 Details for March 2022	18,340	4,489	6,070
Probation officers 4,489 Probation services officers 6,070
June 2022 Details for June 2022	18,115	4,693	5,769
Probation officers 4,693 Probation services officers 5,769
September 2022 Details for September 2022	18,092	4,536	6,335
Probation officers 4,536 Probation services officers 6,335
December 2022 Details for December 2022	18,133	4,648	6,164
Probation officers 4,648 Probation services officers 6,164
March 2023 Details for March 2023	18,834	4,609	6,909
Probation officers 4,609 Probation services officers 6,909
June 2023 Details for June 2023	18,929	4,626	6,751
Probation officers 4,626 Probation services officers 6,751
September 2023 Details for September 2023	19,554	4,889	6,590
Probation officers 4,889 Probation services officers 6,590
December 2023 Details for December 2023	19,764	4,948	6,304
Probation officers 4,948 Probation services officers 6,304
March 2024 Details for March 2024	20,225	5,338	5,857
Probation officers 5,338 Probation services officers 5,857
June 2024 Details for June 2024	20,216	5,160	5,908
Probation officers 5,160 Probation services officers 5,908
September 2024 Details for September 2024	20,136	5,436	5,586
Probation officers 5,436 Probation services officers 5,586
December 2024 Details for December 2024	19,638	5,283	5,316
Probation officers 5,283 Probation services officers 5,316
March 2025 Details for March 2025	19,310	5,657	5,253
Probation officers 5,657 Probation services officers 5,253
June 2025 Details for June 2025	19,272	5,519	5,213
Probation officers 5,519 Probation services officers 5,213
September 2025 Details for September 2025	19,124	5,576	5,409
Probation officers 5,576 Probation services officers 5,409
December 2025 Details for December 2025	18,659	5,454	5,400
Probation officers 5,454 Probation services officers 5,400
March 2026 Details for March 2026	18,554	5,573	5,785
Probation officers 5,573 Probation services officers 5,785
June 2026 Details for June 2026	18,530	5,465	5,924
Probation officers 5,465 Probation services officers 5,924

Figure as of 20 August 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Source: Ministry of Justice, Offender management statistics quarterly: probation caseload (annual and latest quarterly tables), published 30 July 2026; Ministry of Justice, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2026: time series of staff in post, published 20 August 2026.

Legal aid: what it is spent on

Legal aid spending by type, England and Wales, £ million, cash

RDEL, the measure in the Legal Aid Agency’s accounts. Cash; the drill-down below gives real terms.

The numbers behind this chart

Legal aid spending by type, England and Wales, £ million, cash (£ million, cash)
Year	Criminal	Civil	Central Funds
2005-06 Details for 2005-06	£1,200m	£843m	£69m
Civil £843m Central Funds £69m
2006-07 Details for 2006-07	£1,190m	£777m	£53m
Civil £777m Central Funds £53m
2007-08 Details for 2007-08	£1,203m	£824m	£65m
Civil £824m Central Funds £65m
2008-09 Details for 2008-09	£1,172m	£903m	£73m
Civil £903m Central Funds £73m
2009-10 Details for 2009-10	£1,101m	£961m	£88m
Civil £961m Central Funds £88m
2010-11 Details for 2010-11	£1,175m	£1,026m	£78m
Civil £1,026m Central Funds £78m
2011-12 Details for 2011-12	£1,115m	£966m	£101m
Civil £966m Central Funds £101m
2012-13 Details for 2012-13	£995m	£946m	£98m
Civil £946m Central Funds £98m
2013-14 Details for 2013-14	£967m	£825m	£81m
Civil £825m Central Funds £81m
2014-15 Details for 2014-15	£889m	£685m	£63m
Civil £685m Central Funds £63m
2015-16 Details for 2015-16	£861m	£600m	£49m
Civil £600m Central Funds £49m
2016-17 Details for 2016-17	£863m	£646m	£45m
Civil £646m Central Funds £45m
2017-18 Details for 2017-18	£892m	£678m	£49m
Civil £678m Central Funds £49m
2018-19 Details for 2018-19	£879m	£731m	£48m
Civil £731m Central Funds £48m
2019-20 Details for 2019-20	£864m	£762m	£55m
Civil £762m Central Funds £55m
2020-21 Details for 2020-21	£599m	£835m	£32m
Civil £835m Central Funds £32m
2021-22 Details for 2021-22	£828m	£880m	£44m
Civil £880m Central Funds £44m
2022-23 Details for 2022-23	£873m	£926m	£56m
Civil £926m Central Funds £56m
2023-24 Details for 2023-24	£1,073m	£962m	£64m
Civil £962m Central Funds £64m
2024-25 Details for 2024-25	£1,138m	£1,010m	£63m
Civil £1,010m Central Funds £63m

Figure as of 24 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Legal aid by scheme, completed-claim measure, £ million, cash

By scheme, on the closed-claim measure: payments for pieces of work completed in the year, even where the work started earlier. It differs from the RDEL measure in the accounts, especially in years when completions were delayed (2020-21, and 2025-26 after the Legal Aid Agency cyber attack). Provisional: 2025-26.

The numbers behind this chart

Legal aid by scheme, completed-claim measure, £ million, cash (£ million, cash)
Year	Crime higher (Crown Court)	Crime lower (police station, magistrates)	Civil representation (court cases)	Civil legal help (advice)	Mediation
2008-09 Details for 2008-09	£271m	£486m	£831m	—	£12m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £486m Civil representation (court cases) £831m Civil legal help (advice) — Mediation £12m
2009-10 Details for 2009-10	£387m	£475m	£767m	£256m	£13m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £475m Civil representation (court cases) £767m Civil legal help (advice) £256m Mediation £13m
2010-11 Details for 2010-11	£449m	£439m	£789m	£256m	£13m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £439m Civil representation (court cases) £789m Civil legal help (advice) £256m Mediation £13m
2011-12 Details for 2011-12	£663m	£410m	£860m	£218m	£15m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £410m Civil representation (court cases) £860m Civil legal help (advice) £218m Mediation £15m
2012-13 Details for 2012-13	£640m	£387m	£908m	£189m	£14m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £387m Civil representation (court cases) £908m Civil legal help (advice) £189m Mediation £14m
2013-14 Details for 2013-14	£614m	£380m	£925m	£139m	£8m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £380m Civil representation (court cases) £925m Civil legal help (advice) £139m Mediation £8m
2014-15 Details for 2014-15	£615m	£334m	£815m	£111m	£7m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £334m Civil representation (court cases) £815m Civil legal help (advice) £111m Mediation £7m
2015-16 Details for 2015-16	£630m	£287m	£703m	£101m	£7m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £287m Civil representation (court cases) £703m Civil legal help (advice) £101m Mediation £7m
2016-17 Details for 2016-17	£627m	£284m	£699m	£102m	£6m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £284m Civil representation (court cases) £699m Civil legal help (advice) £102m Mediation £6m
2017-18 Details for 2017-18	£636m	£271m	£723m	£98m	£5m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £271m Civil representation (court cases) £723m Civil legal help (advice) £98m Mediation £5m
2018-19 Details for 2018-19	£653m	£260m	£744m	£98m	£5m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £260m Civil representation (court cases) £744m Civil legal help (advice) £98m Mediation £5m
2019-20 Details for 2019-20	£603m	£255m	£809m	£107m	£6m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £255m Civil representation (court cases) £809m Civil legal help (advice) £107m Mediation £6m
2020-21 Details for 2020-21	£361m	£224m	£735m	£85m	£6m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £224m Civil representation (court cases) £735m Civil legal help (advice) £85m Mediation £6m
2021-22 Details for 2021-22	£552m	£248m	£849m	£95m	£6m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £248m Civil representation (court cases) £849m Civil legal help (advice) £95m Mediation £6m
2022-23 Details for 2022-23	£581m	£257m	£973m	£102m	£6m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £257m Civil representation (court cases) £973m Civil legal help (advice) £102m Mediation £6m
2023-24 Details for 2023-24	£748m	£301m	£1,070m	£118m	£6m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £301m Civil representation (court cases) £1,070m Civil legal help (advice) £118m Mediation £6m
2024-25 Details for 2024-25	£798m	£323m	£1,052m	£121m	£7m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £323m Civil representation (court cases) £1,052m Civil legal help (advice) £121m Mediation £7m
2025-26 Details for 2025-26	£751m	£362m	£591m	£122m	£7m
Crime lower (police station, magistrates) £362m Civil representation (court cases) £591m Civil legal help (advice) £122m Mediation £7m

Figure as of 24 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Legal aid cases and claims, England and Wales

Line chart of legal aid cases and claims, england and wales from 2000-01 to 2025-26: Crime lower cases not published to 1,002,537; Civil legal help claims 761,583 to 162,766; Crime higher cases not published to 193,101; Civil representation certificates not published to 103,117.

The numbers behind this chart

Legal aid cases and claims, England and Wales (Cases or claims)
Year	Crime lower cases	Civil legal help claims	Crime higher cases	Civil representation certificates
2000-01 Details for 2000-01	—	761,583	—	—
Civil legal help claims 761,583 Crime higher cases — Civil representation certificates —
2001-02 Details for 2001-02	1,685,094	748,890	—	—
Civil legal help claims 748,890 Crime higher cases — Civil representation certificates —
2002-03 Details for 2002-03	1,549,626	798,033	—	—
Civil legal help claims 798,033 Crime higher cases — Civil representation certificates —
2003-04 Details for 2003-04	1,579,751	756,569	—	—
Civil legal help claims 756,569 Crime higher cases — Civil representation certificates —
2004-05 Details for 2004-05	1,505,674	715,837	—	—
Civil legal help claims 715,837 Crime higher cases — Civil representation certificates —
2005-06 Details for 2005-06	1,528,383	786,522	104,940	—
Civil legal help claims 786,522 Crime higher cases 104,940 Civil representation certificates —
2006-07 Details for 2006-07	1,462,987	876,071	103,869	157,727
Civil legal help claims 876,071 Crime higher cases 103,869 Civil representation certificates 157,727
2007-08 Details for 2007-08	1,381,424	735,436	109,251	144,871
Civil legal help claims 735,436 Crime higher cases 109,251 Civil representation certificates 144,871
2008-09 Details for 2008-09	1,521,547	756,446	44,631	152,666
Civil legal help claims 756,446 Crime higher cases 44,631 Civil representation certificates 152,666
2009-10 Details for 2009-10	1,501,589	905,944	138,266	168,415
Civil legal help claims 905,944 Crime higher cases 138,266 Civil representation certificates 168,415
2010-11 Details for 2010-11	1,429,889	812,913	142,904	153,622
Civil legal help claims 812,913 Crime higher cases 142,904 Civil representation certificates 153,622
2011-12 Details for 2011-12	1,332,269	674,042	260,051	148,301
Civil legal help claims 674,042 Crime higher cases 260,051 Civil representation certificates 148,301
2012-13 Details for 2012-13	1,234,409	599,927	258,385	150,544
Civil legal help claims 599,927 Crime higher cases 258,385 Civil representation certificates 150,544
2013-14 Details for 2013-14	1,203,518	316,161	245,265	108,617
Civil legal help claims 316,161 Crime higher cases 245,265 Civil representation certificates 108,617
2014-15 Details for 2014-15	1,129,606	194,244	240,466	92,955
Civil legal help claims 194,244 Crime higher cases 240,466 Civil representation certificates 92,955
2015-16 Details for 2015-16	1,036,023	166,056	231,049	100,933
Civil legal help claims 166,056 Crime higher cases 231,049 Civil representation certificates 100,933
2016-17 Details for 2016-17	984,602	161,986	215,565	107,060
Civil legal help claims 161,986 Crime higher cases 215,565 Civil representation certificates 107,060
2017-18 Details for 2017-18	932,958	147,197	203,757	111,141
Civil legal help claims 147,197 Crime higher cases 203,757 Civil representation certificates 111,141
2018-19 Details for 2018-19	899,572	139,676	184,254	107,410
Civil legal help claims 139,676 Crime higher cases 184,254 Civil representation certificates 107,410
2019-20 Details for 2019-20	884,327	140,379	174,041	115,797
Civil legal help claims 140,379 Crime higher cases 174,041 Civil representation certificates 115,797
2020-21 Details for 2020-21	812,824	110,546	139,935	109,587
Civil legal help claims 110,546 Crime higher cases 139,935 Civil representation certificates 109,587
2021-22 Details for 2021-22	840,250	123,585	162,232	107,901
Civil legal help claims 123,585 Crime higher cases 162,232 Civil representation certificates 107,901
2022-23 Details for 2022-23	848,749	132,763	159,666	106,701
Civil legal help claims 132,763 Crime higher cases 159,666 Civil representation certificates 106,701
2023-24 Details for 2023-24	939,760	154,320	177,132	108,732
Civil legal help claims 154,320 Crime higher cases 177,132 Civil representation certificates 108,732
2024-25 Details for 2024-25	986,795	163,874	194,417	109,865
Civil legal help claims 163,874 Crime higher cases 194,417 Civil representation certificates 109,865
2025-26 Details for 2025-26	1,002,537	162,766	193,101	103,117
Civil legal help claims 162,766 Crime higher cases 193,101 Civil representation certificates 103,117

Figure as of 24 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.

Source: Ministry of Justice, Legal aid statistics quarterly: April to June 2026: tables 1.0 to 1.2, published 24 September 2026.

Where the money goes, level by level

UK total (this level)
Nation
Department or service body
Local body
Spending category
Line or transaction not published

United Kingdom

HM Treasury’s spending on law courts and on prisons (two sub-functions of public order and safety, COFOG 3.3 and 3.4), added together. Police, fire and immigration are counted elsewhere (see the police and fire pages).

£18.4bn in 2025-26 (cash); £18.4bn in 2025-26 prices; £265 per resident; +10.7% on a year earlier in cash, +7.0% in real terms.

United Kingdom: by nation, 2024-25
Nation	Cash, 2024-25	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Per resident	Real change on a year earlier	Source	Below this
England and Wales Details for England and Wales	£14.9bn	£15.4bn	£241	+2.4%	HM Treasury	Broken down below
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £15.4bn Per resident £241 Real change on a year earlier +2.4% Source HM Treasury Below this Broken down below
Scotland Details for Scotland	£1.3bn	£1.3bn	£235	+8.7%	HM Treasury	Broken down below
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £1.3bn Per resident £235 Real change on a year earlier +8.7% Source HM Treasury Below this Broken down below
Northern Ireland Details for Northern Ireland	£472m	£488m	£245	+2.9%	HM Treasury	Broken down below
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £488m Per resident £245 Real change on a year earlier +2.9% Source HM Treasury Below this Broken down below

England and Wales

England and Wales are one legal jurisdiction: justice in Wales is not devolved. The figure is HM Treasury’s identifiable spending on law courts and prisons in England plus that in Wales. The departments below are measured differently (total managed expenditure) and are not expected to add up to it.

£14.9bn in 2024-25 (cash); £15.4bn in 2025-26 prices; £241 per resident; +6.5% on a year earlier in cash, +2.4% in real terms.

England and Wales: by department or service body, 2024-25
Department or service body	Cash, 2024-25	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Per resident	Real change on a year earlier	Source	Below this
Ministry of Justice Details for Ministry of Justice	£14.0bn	£14.5bn	£227	+0.2%	HM Treasury	Broken down below
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £14.5bn Per resident £227 Real change on a year earlier +0.2% Source HM Treasury Below this Broken down below
Law Officers’ Departments Details for Law Officers’ Departments	£973m	£1.0bn	£15.74	+0.3%	HM Treasury	Broken down below
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £1.0bn Per resident £15.74 Real change on a year earlier +0.3% Source HM Treasury Below this Broken down below

Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice departmental group’s total managed expenditure (resource and capital, including annually managed expenditure such as provision movements), as HM Treasury publishes it. The group includes HMPPS, HMCTS, the Legal Aid Agency and smaller bodies such as the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and the Office of the Public Guardian, whose budgets are not shown separately here.

£15.4bn in 2025-26 (cash); £15.4bn in 2025-26 prices; £248 per resident; +9.5% on a year earlier in cash, +5.8% in real terms.

Ministry of Justice: by department or service body, 2024-25
Department or service body	Cash, 2024-25	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Per resident	Real change on a year earlier	Source	Below this
HM Prison and Probation Service Details for HM Prison and Probation Service	£7.2bn	£7.5bn	£117	+4.5%	Ministry of Justice	Broken down below
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £7.5bn Per resident £117 Real change on a year earlier +4.5% Source Ministry of Justice Below this Broken down below
Legal Aid Agency Details for Legal Aid Agency	£2.2bn	£2.3bn	£35.78	+1.3%	Ministry of Justice	Broken down below
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £2.3bn Per resident £35.78 Real change on a year earlier +1.3% Source Ministry of Justice Below this Broken down below
HM Courts and Tribunals Service Details for HM Courts and Tribunals Service	£1.9bn	£1.9bn	£30.17	—	HM Courts and Tribunals Service	Local body not published: HMCTS does not publish spending by court or tribunal centre. Its accounts split fee income and costs only for fee-charging business (civil, family and tribunals); criminal courts charge no fees. It publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £1.9bn Per resident £30.17 Real change on a year earlier — Source HM Courts and Tribunals Service Below this Local body not published: HMCTS does not publish spending by court or tribunal centre. Its accounts split fee income and costs only for fee-charging business (civil, family and tribunals); criminal courts charge no fees. It publishes its individual payments over £25,000 each month.

HM Prison and Probation Service

Net expenditure in HMPPS’s accounts (after income). Below it are two views on different bases that are not meant to add up: every prison’s overall cost (HMPPS’s cost per place figures, which include shares of national costs) and the operating segments its board is shown (Net resource expenditure by operating segment as reported to the HMPPS Board (note 2a). The segments total less than net expenditure in the accounts: PFI accounting, costs held in the Ministry of Justice, overhead recharges and provisions are added in the reconciliation (note 2b).).

£7.2bn in 2024-25 (cash); £7.5bn in 2025-26 prices; £117 per resident; +8.7% on a year earlier in cash, +4.5% in real terms.

HM Prison and Probation Service: by local body, 2024-25
Local body	Cash, 2024-25	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Per resident	Real change on a year earlier	Source	Below this
Prisons in England and Wales Details for Prisons in England and Wales	£4.9bn	£5.1bn	—	+1.0%	Ministry of Justice	On its own page
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £5.1bn Per resident — Real change on a year earlier +1.0% Source Ministry of Justice Below this On its own page
Public sector prisons Details for Public sector prisons	£2.6bn	£2.7bn	—	+4.3%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £2.7bn Per resident — Real change on a year earlier +4.3% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Probation Service Details for Probation Service	£1.2bn	£1.2bn	—	+2.8%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Probation spending is not published by region or probation delivery unit; staff numbers by region are in the HMPPS workforce statistics.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £1.2bn Per resident — Real change on a year earlier +2.8% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Probation spending is not published by region or probation delivery unit; staff numbers by region are in the HMPPS workforce statistics.
Contracted prisons and services (Contracted Operational Delivery) Details for Contracted prisons and services (Contracted Operational Delivery)	£955m	£988m	—	−0.1%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £988m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier −0.1% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
National services Details for National services	£255m	£263m	—	+19.7%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £263m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier +19.7% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Youth Custody Service Details for Youth Custody Service	£182m	£189m	—	−6.8%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £189m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier −6.8% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
HMPPS Change Details for HMPPS Change	£165m	£171m	—	−5.4%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £171m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier −5.4% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Rehabilitation pathways and partnerships Details for Rehabilitation pathways and partnerships	£95m	£98m	—	−8.1%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £98m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier −8.1% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Directorate of Security Details for Directorate of Security	£89m	£93m	—	+0.9%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £93m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier +0.9% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Strategy, performance and corporate delivery Details for Strategy, performance and corporate delivery	£59m	£61m	—	−31.0%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £61m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier −31.0% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Transforming delivery Details for Transforming delivery	£48m	£50m	—	+115.4%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £50m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier +115.4% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Probation operations (headquarters) Details for Probation operations (headquarters)	£29m	£30m	—	−6.3%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £30m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier −6.3% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Prison operations (headquarters) Details for Prison operations (headquarters)	£21m	£21m	—	−12.6%	HM Prison and Probation Service	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £21m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier −12.6% Source HM Prison and Probation Service Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the accounts.

Legal Aid Agency

Legal aid spending on the resource (RDEL) measure used in the Legal Aid Agency’s accounts, cash. Before April 2013 legal aid was run by the Legal Services Commission; Central Funds moved to the Agency in 2013-14.

£2.2bn in 2024-25 (cash); £2.3bn in 2025-26 prices; £35.78 per resident; +5.4% on a year earlier in cash, +1.3% in real terms.

Legal Aid Agency: by spending category, 2024-25
Spending category	Cash, 2024-25	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Per resident	Real change on a year earlier	Source	Below this
Criminal legal aid Details for Criminal legal aid	£1.1bn	£1.2bn	—	+2.0%	Ministry of Justice	Line or transaction not published: The accounts measure (RDEL) is not split by scheme; the statistics split spending by scheme on a different measure (completed claims), shown in the legal aid section of the page. Payments to individual firms are not published.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £1.2bn Per resident — Real change on a year earlier +2.0% Source Ministry of Justice Below this Line or transaction not published: The accounts measure (RDEL) is not split by scheme; the statistics split spending by scheme on a different measure (completed claims), shown in the legal aid section of the page. Payments to individual firms are not published.
Civil legal aid Details for Civil legal aid	£1.0bn	£1.0bn	—	+0.9%	Ministry of Justice	Line or transaction not published: The accounts measure (RDEL) is not split by scheme; the statistics split spending by scheme on a different measure (completed claims), shown in the legal aid section of the page. Payments to individual firms are not published.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £1.0bn Per resident — Real change on a year earlier +0.9% Source Ministry of Justice Below this Line or transaction not published: The accounts measure (RDEL) is not split by scheme; the statistics split spending by scheme on a different measure (completed claims), shown in the legal aid section of the page. Payments to individual firms are not published.
Central Funds (defence costs paid to acquitted defendants and others) Details for Central Funds (defence costs paid to acquitted defendants and others)	£63m	£66m	—	−5.0%	Ministry of Justice	Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the statistics.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £66m Per resident — Real change on a year earlier −5.0% Source Ministry of Justice Below this Line or transaction not published: Not broken down further in the statistics.

Law Officers’ Departments

The Attorney General’s departments: the Crown Prosecution Service (most of the money), the Serious Fraud Office, the Government Legal Department and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. Total managed expenditure.

£1.0bn in 2025-26 (cash); £1.0bn in 2025-26 prices; £16.48 per resident; +5.0% on a year earlier in cash, +1.5% in real terms.

Law Officers’ Departments: by department or service body, 2024-25
Department or service body	Cash, 2024-25	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Per resident	Real change on a year earlier	Source	Below this
Crown Prosecution Service Details for Crown Prosecution Service	£830m	£859m	£13.44	−2.0%	Crown Prosecution Service	Local body not published: The CPS does not publish spending by its 14 areas; its accounts give staff costs and prosecution costs (mostly fees to barristers) for the whole service.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £859m Per resident £13.44 Real change on a year earlier −2.0% Source Crown Prosecution Service Below this Local body not published: The CPS does not publish spending by its 14 areas; its accounts give staff costs and prosecution costs (mostly fees to barristers) for the whole service.

Scotland

Scotland has its own legal system, run by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Scottish Legal Aid Board publish their accounts as PDFs; they are not yet carried here, so only the prison service is shown below.

£1.3bn in 2024-25 (cash); £1.3bn in 2025-26 prices; £235 per resident; +13.1% on a year earlier in cash, +8.7% in real terms.

Scotland: by department or service body, 2024-25
Department or service body	Cash, 2024-25	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Per resident	Real change on a year earlier	Source	Below this
Scottish Prison Service Details for Scottish Prison Service	£505m	£522m	£91.04	−0.5%	Scottish Prison Service	Local body not published: The Scottish Prison Service publishes each prison’s average population in its annual report but not its costs, so there is no prison-by-prison money level for Scotland.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £522m Per resident £91.04 Real change on a year earlier −0.5% Source Scottish Prison Service Below this Local body not published: The Scottish Prison Service publishes each prison’s average population in its annual report but not its costs, so there is no prison-by-prison money level for Scotland.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has its own courts, prosecution and prisons under its Department of Justice. The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, the Public Prosecution Service and the Legal Services Agency are not yet carried here; only the prison service is shown below.

£472m in 2024-25 (cash); £488m in 2025-26 prices; £245 per resident; +7.0% on a year earlier in cash, +2.9% in real terms.

Northern Ireland: by department or service body, 2024-25
Department or service body	Cash, 2024-25	Real terms (2025-26 prices)	Per resident	Real change on a year earlier	Source	Below this
Northern Ireland Prison Service Details for Northern Ireland Prison Service	£155m	£160m	£80.45	+2.5%	Northern Ireland Prison Service	Local body not published: The Northern Ireland Prison Service runs three establishments (Maghaberry, Magilligan and Hydebank Wood) and does not publish costs for each in its accounts.
Real terms (2025-26 prices) £160m Per resident £80.45 Real change on a year earlier +2.5% Source Northern Ireland Prison Service Below this Local body not published: The Northern Ireland Prison Service runs three establishments (Maghaberry, Magilligan and Hydebank Wood) and does not publish costs for each in its accounts.

Cash is as published. Real terms are in 2025-26 prices, using HM Treasury’s GDP deflator. Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population for the area the body serves. Changes compare the same body in consecutive years.

Search the department's payments over £25,000

Every payment of £25,000 or more the departments published for the latest year, as published. See every department's spending over £25,000 for what each covers.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice published 38,654 payments worth £7.45bn to 3,962 suppliers and recipients from March 2025 to February 2026 (12 of 12 months published). The headquarters, HM Prison and Probation Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Legal Aid Agency; the arm's-length bodies' files are published separately and not read here.

Gaps and problems in the data, as published (2)

The newest payment published is from 2026-02, 7 months before this was read.
593 credits and refunds (negative amounts, £140,013,135 in all) are included, so totals are net.

Searching needs JavaScript. Every payment is in one JSON file.

Source: Ministry of Justice, spending over £25,000 on GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0. 48 files read, newest updated 2026-09-17; every payment kept is in one JSON file.

Every file read (48)

HMCTS spending over £25,000 for February 2026 (2026-02): 389 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for February 2026 (2026-02): 894 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for February 2026 (2026-02): 1,551 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for February 2026 (2026-02): 371 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for January 2026 (2026-01): 413 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for January 2026 (2026-01): 837 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for January 2026 (2026-01): 1,381 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for January 2026 (2026-01): 408 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for December 2025 (2025-12): 491 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for December 2025 (2025-12): 1,033 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for December 2025 (2025-12): 1,474 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for December 2025 (2025-12): 440 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for November 2025 (2025-11): 421 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for November 2025 (2025-11): 766 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for November 2025 (2025-11): 1,520 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for November 2025 (2025-11): 418 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for October 2025 (2025-10): 428 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for October 2025 (2025-10): 1,025 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for October 2025 (2025-10): 2,120 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for October 2025 (2025-10): 388 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for September 2025 (2025-09): 463 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for September 2025 (2025-09): 901 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for September 2025 (2025-09): 903 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for September 2025 (2025-09): 457 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for August 2025 (2025-08): 339 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for August 2025 (2025-08): 921 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for August 2025 (2025-08): 1,494 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for August 2025 (2025-08): 369 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for July 2025 (2025-07): 380 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for July 2025 (2025-07): 818 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for July 2025 (2025-07): 2,214 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for July 2025 (2025-07): 381 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for June 2025 (2025-06): 411 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for June 2025 (2025-06): 808 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for June 2025 (2025-06): 1,081 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for June 2025 (2025-06): 581 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for May 2025 (2025-05): 326 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for May 2025 (2025-05): 946 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for May 2025 (2025-05): 1,022 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for May 2025 (2025-05): 322 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for April 2025 (2025-04): 410 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for April 2025 (2025-04): 907 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for April 2025 (2025-04): 1,983 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for April 2025 (2025-04): 432 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMCTS spending over £25,000 for March 2025 (2025-03): 568 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
HMPPS spending over £25,000 for March 2025 (2025-03): 1,003 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
LAA spending over £25,000 for March 2025 (2025-03): 843 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
MOJ's spending over £25,000 for March 2025 (2025-03): 660 rows. Read 2026-09-24.

Attorney General's Office, Government Legal Department and HMCPSI

Attorney General's Office, Government Legal Department and HMCPSI published 899 payments worth £70.2m to 74 suppliers and recipients from June 2025 to May 2026 (12 of 12 months published). One combined file for the Attorney General's Office, the Government Legal Department and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

Gaps and problems in the data, as published (4)

The newest payment published is from 2026-05, 4 months before this was read.
17% of rows are under £25,000: the department lists individual lines of larger payments, or publishes some smaller ones. They are kept as published.
20.0% of payments (£5,595,307) have the supplier name withheld, redacted or left blank by the department.
21 credits and refunds (negative amounts, £1,675,811 in all) are included, so totals are net.

Searching needs JavaScript. Every payment is in one JSON file.

Source: Attorney General's Office, Government Legal Department and HMCPSI, spending over £25,000 on GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0. 12 files read, newest updated 2026-08-12; every payment kept is in one JSON file.

Every file read (12)

May 2026 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over 25k (2026-05): 69 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
April 2026 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over 25k (2026-04): 55 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
March 2026 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2026-03): 119 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
February 2026 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2026-02): 66 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
January 2026 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2026-01): 69 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
December 2025 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2025-12): 94 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
November 2025 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2025-11): 73 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
October 2025 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2025-10): 83 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
September AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2025-09): 58 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
August 2025 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2025-08): 86 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
July 2025 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2025-07): 71 rows. Read 2026-09-24.
June 2025 AGO GLD HMCPSI supplier transactions over £25k (2025-06): 56 rows. Read 2026-09-24.

Crown Prosecution Service

Crown Prosecution Service: no file of spending over £25,000 found. No Crown Prosecution Service file of spending over £25,000 was found on GOV.UK; the CPS publishes its transparency data on its own website, which this site does not yet read.

Where it would be published: www.cps.gov.uk/publication-scheme. Checked 2026-09-24.

Where the money comes from

Almost all of it is voted by Parliament from general taxation. Courts also charge fees in civil, family and tribunal cases (not criminal ones), which pay for part of their running costs; prisons earn a little from work and services sold.

Net spending and income, £ million, cash
Body	What	2024-25	2025-26
HM Courts and Tribunals Service Details for HM Courts and Tribunals Service	Net spending (paid for by Parliament)	£1.9bn	£2.1bn
What Net spending (paid for by Parliament) 2025-26 £2.1bn
HM Courts and Tribunals Service Details for HM Courts and Tribunals Service	Court and tribunal fees collected	£830m	£868m
What Court and tribunal fees collected 2025-26 £868m
HM Courts and Tribunals Service Details for HM Courts and Tribunals Service	Other operating income	£70m	£73m
What Other operating income 2025-26 £73m
HM Prison and Probation Service Details for HM Prison and Probation Service	Net spending (paid for by Parliament)	£7.2bn	not published
What Net spending (paid for by Parliament) 2025-26 not published
HM Prison and Probation Service Details for HM Prison and Probation Service	Income (prison industries, services sold, recharges)	£302m	not published
What Income (prison industries, services sold, recharges) 2025-26 not published

Source: HM Courts and Tribunals Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026, published 9 July 2026; HM Prison and Probation Service, HM Prison and Probation Service, Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025, published 30 October 2025.

How many work in it

Staff, full-time equivalent
Body	When	Full-time equivalent
HM Prison and Probation Service (average, accounts) Details for HM Prison and Probation Service (average, accounts)	2024-25	65,781
When 2024-25
Prison officers in post (bands 3 and 4, HMPPS) Details for Prison officers in post (bands 3 and 4, HMPPS)	June 2026	18,530
When June 2026
Probation officers in post (HMPPS) Details for Probation officers in post (HMPPS)	June 2026	5,465
When June 2026
HM Courts and Tribunals Service Details for HM Courts and Tribunals Service	2025-26	16,374
When 2025-26
Crown Prosecution Service Details for Crown Prosecution Service	2024-25	7,291
When 2024-25
Scottish Prison Service Details for Scottish Prison Service	2024-25	4,758
When 2024-25
Northern Ireland Prison Service Details for Northern Ireland Prison Service	2024-25	1,600
When 2024-25

Judges and magistrates are not HMCTS staff and are not counted. Contracted prisons’ staff are not counted in HMPPS’s figures.

Prosecution: the Crown Prosecution Service

CPS cases ending in a conviction, % of completed cases
Year	Magistrates’ courts	Crown Court
2022-23 Details for 2022-23	83.3%	78.1%
Crown Court 78.1%
2023-24 Details for 2023-24	83.8%	77.5%
Crown Court 77.5%
2024-25 Details for 2024-25	84.3%	77.0%
Crown Court 77.0%

A conviction rate is not a measure of whether the right cases were brought: it depends on which cases the police refer and the CPS charges. Worked out from the counts of outcomes in the CPS’s accounts.

Source: Crown Prosecution Service, Crown Prosecution Service, annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, published 23 July 2025.

England and Wales, separately

Spending on law courts and prisons in England and in Wales, £ million, cash (HM Treasury, country and regional analysis)
Year	England	Wales
2020-21 Details for 2020-21	£10.5bn	£644m
Wales £644m
2021-22 Details for 2021-22	£11.2bn	£683m
Wales £683m
2022-23 Details for 2022-23	£11.9bn	£719m
Wales £719m
2023-24 Details for 2023-24	£13.2bn	£751m
Wales £751m
2024-25 Details for 2024-25	£14.1bn	£775m
Wales £775m

One jurisdiction, but HM Treasury assigns its spending to each country. Justice in Wales is not devolved: the Welsh Government does not fund courts or prisons.

Hand-kept figures last checked against their sources on 24 September 2026.

What these figures do and don't show

Different measures at each level. The UK and jurisdiction figures are HM Treasury’s spending on law courts and prisons; the departments are their total managed expenditure; HMPPS, HMCTS and the CPS are net spending in their accounts; legal aid is on the accounts’ RDEL measure; each prison is HMPPS’s cost per place figure. They are not expected to add up.
Three systems, never added. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own courts, prosecutors and prisons, and count their costs differently. Scottish and Northern Irish courts, prosecution and legal aid are not yet carried here.
Prison costs compare unlike prisons. A young offender institution or a high-security prison costs far more per prisoner than an open prison. Compare a prison with others of its function, and treat public and contracted prisons’ costs as different bases.
Nothing here shows cause and effect. Backlogs, conviction rates and crowding sit beside the money, not as its result: they depend on crime, charging, sentencing law and much else.
Hand-kept figures. HMPPS, HMCTS, CPS and the Scottish and Northern Irish prison services publish their accounts only as PDFs; their figures were read from them and are dated.

Figures from data/services/justice.json, generated 29 September 2026.

Use this data

The figures belong to the bodies that published them and are used under their terms, listed in Sources for this page; most are Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence. Only our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them, including commercially, if you credit Tekstak Ltd and link back to this page.

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Sources for this page

Source	Publisher	Figures as of	Updated	Licence
PESA 2026: chapters 4 and 5 tables	HM Treasury	16 July 2026	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
PESA 2021: chapter 4 and 5 tables	HM Treasury	—	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
PESA 2016: chapter 4 and 5 tables	HM Treasury	—	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
PESA 2011: chapter 4 and 5 tables	HM Treasury	—	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
Costs per prison place and cost per prisoner by individual prison, 2015-16 to 2024-25 (HMPPS annual report and accounts, management information addendum)	Ministry of Justice	26 March 2026	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 (tables C1 and M1)	Ministry of Justice	24 September 2026	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
Prison population: monthly bulletin (2025-01 to 2026-08)	Ministry of Justice	7 September 2026	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2026: annual prison population	Ministry of Justice	30 July 2026	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
Offender management statistics quarterly: probation caseload (annual and latest quarterly tables)	Ministry of Justice	30 July 2026	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2026: time series of staff in post	Ministry of Justice	20 August 2026	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0
Legal aid statistics quarterly: April to June 2026: tables 1.0 to 1.2	Ministry of Justice	24 September 2026	annual	Open Government Licence v3.0

Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.

Over the longest run published: cash, real terms and per head

Prisons: what each one costs, and how full it is

Courts: the Crown Court backlog

Probation and the people who run prisons

Legal aid: what it is spent on

Where the money goes, level by level

United Kingdom

England and Wales

Ministry of Justice

HM Prison and Probation Service

Legal Aid Agency

Law Officers’ Departments

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Search the department's payments over £25,000

Ministry of Justice

Attorney General's Office, Government Legal Department and HMCPSI

Crown Prosecution Service

Where the money comes from

How many work in it

Prosecution: the Crown Prosecution Service

England and Wales, separately

What these figures do and don't show

Use this data

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Sources for this page

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