In this section: Public services
HMP Pentonville: cost, population and staff
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
£66m for HMP Pentonville in 2024-25, +3.1% on a year earlier after inflation. It cost £55,563 per prisoner in 2024-25, and held 1,200 people in August 2026 (129.3% of its uncrowded places).
Figure as of 26 March 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
Key figures
- £66m2024-25, cash +7.3% on a year earlier
- £55,563Cost per prisoner, 2024-25 Male reception prisons: £55,008
- £71,115Cost per place, 2024-25 Male reception prisons: £67,591
- 129.3%Population as a share of uncrowded places, 2026-08 Male reception prisons: 120.9%
- 1,200 prisonersPopulation, 2026-08 Male reception prisons: 26,769 prisoners
Source: Ministry of Justice.
Over time: cash, real terms and per resident
Real terms use HM Treasury’s GDP deflator, 2025-26 prices.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Cash |
|---|---|---|
2015-16Details for 2015-16 | £47.1m | £33.9m |
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2016-17Details for 2016-17 | £52.6m | £38.7m |
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2017-18Details for 2017-18 | £54.9m | £40.9m |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | £57.8m | £44.0m |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | £61.9m | £48.4m |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | £60.4m | £49.7m |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | £59.4m | £49.0m |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £61.5m | £54.2m |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £66.2m | £61.5m |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £68.3m | £66.0m |
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Figure as of 26 March 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
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.
At a glance
| What | Figure |
|---|---|
| Function | Male reception |
| Where | Islington, England |
| Overall cost, 2024-25 | £66m |
| Cost per prisoner, 2024-25 | £55,563 |
| Cost per place, 2024-25 | £71,115 |
| Population, August 2026 | 1,200 |
| Operational capacity | 1,205 |
| Staff in post (FTE) | 495 |
Where it sits, and what is below it
- UK total
- Nation
- Department or service body
- Local body (this level)
- Spending category
- Line or transaction not published
HMP Pentonville
Male reception. Overall resource expenditure: the prison’s own net spending plus its share of regional and national costs, as HMPPS allocates them for its cost per place figures. In Islington.
£66m in 2024-25 (cash); £68m in 2025-26 prices; +7.3% on a year earlier in cash, +3.1% in real terms.
| Spending category | Cash, 2024-25 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spent at the prison (direct)Details for Spent at the prison (direct) | £41m | £42m | — | +0.2% | Ministry of Justice | Line or transaction not published: HMPPS publishes one direct figure per prison; its split into staff, maintenance, food and the rest is not published by prison. Individual payments over £25,000 are published by HMPPS as a whole, not by prison. |
| ||||||
Share of regional and national costsDetails for Share of regional and national costs | £25m | £26m | — | +8.4% | Ministry of Justice | Line or transaction not published: The costs met regionally or nationally (healthcare contracts, education, maintenance contracts, headquarters) are allocated to prisons as one figure; what they consist of is not published by prison. |
| ||||||
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.
What is recorded alongside the money
These figures are published beside the funding, not as its result. Demand, geography, recording practice and many other things differ between areas and change over time; none of these charts shows cause and effect.
| Measure | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per prisonerDetails for Cost per prisoner | £55,563 | £55,008 | £56,618 | 2024-25 |
| ||||
Cost per placeDetails for Cost per place | £71,115 | £67,591 | £59,026 | 2024-25 |
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Population as a share of uncrowded placesDetails for Population as a share of uncrowded places | 129.3% | 120.9% | 101.3% | 2026-08 |
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PopulationDetails for Population | 1,200 prisoners | 26,769 prisoners | 86,843 prisoners | 2026-08 |
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Operational capacityDetails for Operational capacity | 1,205 places | 27,667 places | 88,937 places | 2026-08 |
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Average populationDetails for Average population | 1,188 prisoners | 27,343 prisoners | 87,009 prisoners | 2024-25 |
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Staff in post (public sector prisons)Details for Staff in post (public sector prisons) | 495 FTE | 11,097 FTE | 37,212 FTE | 2026-06 |
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Prison officers in postDetails for Prison officers in post | 261 FTE | 5,656 FTE | 18,065 FTE | 2026-06 |
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Overall resource expenditure (the prison’s own spending plus its share of regional and national costs) divided by the average population over the financial year, cash. Public and contracted prisons are costed differently (PFI prisons include interest on capital), and prisons of different functions do different jobs, so compare a prison with others of its function.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
2015-16Details for 2015-16 | £26,359 | — | £32,510 |
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2016-17Details for 2016-17 | £30,450 | — | £35,371 |
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2017-18Details for 2017-18 | £32,883 | — | £37,543 |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | £38,276 | — | £41,136 |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | £45,146 | — | £42,670 |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | £50,760 | £47,260 | £48,409 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | £47,657 | £45,582 | £47,434 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £48,949 | £49,428 | £51,108 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £51,985 | £52,474 | £53,801 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £55,563 | £55,008 | £56,618 |
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Figure as of 26 March 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
Overall resource expenditure divided by baseline certified normal accommodation (the uncrowded places the prison is certified for), cash.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
2015-16Details for 2015-16 | £37,263 | — | £35,182 |
| |||
2016-17Details for 2016-17 | £42,696 | — | £38,042 |
| |||
2017-18Details for 2017-18 | £45,123 | — | £40,843 |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | £48,619 | — | £43,213 |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | £53,393 | — | £44,640 |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | £53,967 | £55,128 | £48,162 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | £52,858 | £53,612 | £46,696 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £58,511 | £59,494 | £51,724 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £66,279 | £65,300 | £56,987 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £71,115 | £67,591 | £59,026 |
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Figure as of 26 March 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
Population divided by baseline certified normal accommodation. Above 100% the prison holds more people than it has uncrowded places for, which usually means sharing cells built for one.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
2025-01Details for 2025-01 | 128.3% | 123.4% | 103.5% |
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2025-02Details for 2025-02 | 130.0% | 125.3% | 104.4% |
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2025-03Details for 2025-03 | 128.8% | 124.9% | 105.1% |
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2025-04Details for 2025-04 | 129.5% | 123.9% | 102.8% |
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2025-05Details for 2025-05 | 129.1% | 122.4% | 103.0% |
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2025-06Details for 2025-06 | 128.8% | 121.0% | 102.1% |
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2025-07Details for 2025-07 | 129.1% | 122.2% | 103.0% |
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2025-08Details for 2025-08 | 129.8% | 122.0% | 103.5% |
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2025-09Details for 2025-09 | 129.0% | 120.3% | 102.3% |
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2025-10Details for 2025-10 | 129.2% | 121.3% | 102.3% |
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2025-11Details for 2025-11 | 129.4% | 121.6% | 102.2% |
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2025-12Details for 2025-12 | 129.6% | 119.7% | 101.3% |
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2026-01Details for 2026-01 | 129.6% | 122.4% | 101.7% |
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2026-02Details for 2026-02 | 129.1% | 122.4% | 102.0% |
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2026-03Details for 2026-03 | 127.4% | 120.4% | 101.8% |
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2026-04Details for 2026-04 | 128.7% | 116.4% | 99.9% |
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2026-05Details for 2026-05 | 125.6% | 117.8% | 100.3% |
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2026-06Details for 2026-06 | 128.3% | 117.6% | 100.1% |
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2026-07Details for 2026-07 | 128.2% | 119.2% | 100.7% |
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2026-08Details for 2026-08 | 129.3% | 120.9% | 101.3% |
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Figure as of 7 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
Prisoners held on the last working Monday of the month, including those on authorised absence (monthly population bulletin).
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
2025-01Details for 2025-01 | 1,191 | 27,422 | 86,463 |
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2025-02Details for 2025-02 | 1,206 | 27,842 | 87,199 |
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2025-03Details for 2025-03 | 1,195 | 27,763 | 87,919 |
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2025-04Details for 2025-04 | 1,202 | 27,557 | 88,084 |
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2025-05Details for 2025-05 | 1,198 | 27,244 | 88,103 |
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2025-06Details for 2025-06 | 1,195 | 26,966 | 87,334 |
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2025-07Details for 2025-07 | 1,198 | 27,224 | 87,966 |
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2025-08Details for 2025-08 | 1,205 | 27,180 | 88,273 |
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2025-09Details for 2025-09 | 1,197 | 26,803 | 87,336 |
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2025-10Details for 2025-10 | 1,199 | 27,032 | 87,413 |
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2025-11Details for 2025-11 | 1,201 | 27,092 | 87,332 |
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2025-12Details for 2025-12 | 1,203 | 26,692 | 86,596 |
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2026-01Details for 2026-01 | 1,203 | 27,290 | 87,212 |
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2026-02Details for 2026-02 | 1,198 | 27,111 | 87,367 |
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2026-03Details for 2026-03 | 1,182 | 26,655 | 87,292 |
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2026-04Details for 2026-04 | 1,194 | 25,778 | 85,704 |
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2026-05Details for 2026-05 | 1,166 | 26,086 | 85,992 |
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2026-06Details for 2026-06 | 1,191 | 26,050 | 85,761 |
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2026-07Details for 2026-07 | 1,190 | 26,391 | 86,267 |
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2026-08Details for 2026-08 | 1,200 | 26,769 | 86,843 |
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Figure as of 7 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
The most prisoners the prison can hold taking account of control, security and its regime, set by the prison group director. For the estate, the sum of every prison’s, before the operating margin.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
2025-01Details for 2025-01 | 1,205 | 28,290 | 88,662 |
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2025-02Details for 2025-02 | 1,205 | 28,220 | 88,635 |
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2025-03Details for 2025-03 | 1,205 | 28,236 | 88,925 |
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2025-04Details for 2025-04 | 1,205 | 28,191 | 89,228 |
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2025-05Details for 2025-05 | 1,205 | 28,236 | 89,551 |
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2025-06Details for 2025-06 | 1,205 | 28,179 | 89,573 |
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2025-07Details for 2025-07 | 1,205 | 28,168 | 89,373 |
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2025-08Details for 2025-08 | 1,205 | 28,185 | 89,627 |
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2025-09Details for 2025-09 | 1,205 | 28,156 | 89,437 |
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2025-10Details for 2025-10 | 1,205 | 28,099 | 89,311 |
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2025-11Details for 2025-11 | 1,205 | 28,073 | 89,334 |
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2025-12Details for 2025-12 | 1,205 | 28,077 | 89,464 |
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2026-01Details for 2026-01 | 1,205 | 28,091 | 89,671 |
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2026-02Details for 2026-02 | 1,205 | 28,114 | 89,792 |
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2026-03Details for 2026-03 | 1,205 | 28,069 | 89,795 |
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2026-04Details for 2026-04 | 1,205 | 27,981 | 89,765 |
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2026-05Details for 2026-05 | 1,205 | 27,947 | 89,662 |
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2026-06Details for 2026-06 | 1,205 | 27,794 | 89,120 |
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2026-07Details for 2026-07 | 1,205 | 27,632 | 88,895 |
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2026-08Details for 2026-08 | 1,205 | 27,667 | 88,937 |
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Figure as of 7 September 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
The mean of the twelve month-end populations in the financial year.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
2015-16Details for 2015-16 | 1,287 | — | 84,705 |
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2016-17Details for 2016-17 | 1,270 | — | 84,750 |
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2017-18Details for 2017-18 | 1,243 | — | 84,710 |
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2018-19Details for 2018-19 | 1,151 | — | 82,751 |
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2019-20Details for 2019-20 | 1,072 | — | 82,890 |
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2020-21Details for 2020-21 | 979 | 25,942 | 78,959 |
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2021-22Details for 2021-22 | 1,028 | 25,012 | 79,113 |
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2022-23Details for 2022-23 | 1,108 | 25,587 | 81,822 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | 1,183 | 26,471 | 87,129 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | 1,188 | 27,343 | 87,009 |
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Figure as of 26 March 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
HMPPS payroll staff in post at the establishment, full-time equivalent, at the end of each quarter. Contracted (private) prisons’ staff are not on the HMPPS payroll and are not counted.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
2017-03Details for 2017-03 | 427 | 8,496 | 30,288 |
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2017-06Details for 2017-06 | 413 | 8,699 | 30,690 |
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2017-09Details for 2017-09 | 403 | 8,824 | 31,261 |
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2017-12Details for 2017-12 | 401 | 9,025 | 31,817 |
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2018-03Details for 2018-03 | 399 | 9,405 | 33,122 |
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2018-06Details for 2018-06 | 412 | 9,663 | 34,089 |
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2018-09Details for 2018-09 | 488 | 10,075 | 34,888 |
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2018-12Details for 2018-12 | 500 | 10,228 | 35,453 |
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2019-03Details for 2019-03 | 497 | 10,200 | 35,430 |
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2019-06Details for 2019-06 | 485 | 10,120 | 35,152 |
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2019-09Details for 2019-09 | 487 | 10,525 | 35,459 |
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2019-12Details for 2019-12 | 471 | 10,357 | 35,062 |
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2020-03Details for 2020-03 | 457 | 10,260 | 35,033 |
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2020-06Details for 2020-06 | 451 | 10,383 | 35,369 |
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2020-09Details for 2020-09 | 460 | 10,322 | 35,125 |
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2020-12Details for 2020-12 | 459 | 10,279 | 34,861 |
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2021-03Details for 2021-03 | 489 | 10,512 | 35,315 |
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2021-06Details for 2021-06 | 496 | 10,563 | 35,507 |
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2021-09Details for 2021-09 | 503 | 10,672 | 35,777 |
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2021-12Details for 2021-12 | 498 | 10,576 | 35,390 |
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2022-03Details for 2022-03 | 494 | 10,541 | 35,361 |
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2022-06Details for 2022-06 | 502 | 10,520 | 35,036 |
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2022-09Details for 2022-09 | 496 | 10,614 | 35,165 |
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2022-12Details for 2022-12 | 494 | 10,693 | 35,303 |
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2023-03Details for 2023-03 | 489 | 10,969 | 36,398 |
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2023-06Details for 2023-06 | 500 | 11,077 | 36,757 |
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2023-09Details for 2023-09 | 513 | 11,324 | 37,594 |
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2023-12Details for 2023-12 | 519 | 11,351 | 37,950 |
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2024-03Details for 2024-03 | 518 | 11,448 | 38,628 |
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2024-06Details for 2024-06 | 520 | 11,429 | 38,560 |
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2024-09Details for 2024-09 | 524 | 11,360 | 38,718 |
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2024-12Details for 2024-12 | 509 | 11,168 | 38,158 |
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2025-03Details for 2025-03 | 508 | 11,136 | 37,795 |
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2025-06Details for 2025-06 | 506 | 11,169 | 37,693 |
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2025-09Details for 2025-09 | 502 | 11,090 | 37,465 |
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2025-12Details for 2025-12 | 492 | 10,974 | 36,974 |
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2026-03Details for 2026-03 | 500 | 10,984 | 36,977 |
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2026-06Details for 2026-06 | 495 | 11,097 | 37,212 |
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Figure as of 20 August 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
Band 3 and 4 prison officers (including specialists) in post, full-time equivalent, at the end of each quarter; public sector prisons only.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | HMP Pentonville | Male reception prisons | All prisons in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
2017-03Details for 2017-03 | 226 | 4,242 | 14,509 |
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2017-06Details for 2017-06 | 222 | 4,431 | 14,930 |
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2017-09Details for 2017-09 | 217 | 4,575 | 15,527 |
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2017-12Details for 2017-12 | 213 | 4,806 | 16,188 |
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2018-03Details for 2018-03 | 209 | 5,106 | 17,222 |
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2018-06Details for 2018-06 | 217 | 5,268 | 17,776 |
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2018-09Details for 2018-09 | 292 | 5,577 | 18,395 |
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2018-12Details for 2018-12 | 310 | 5,681 | 18,819 |
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2019-03Details for 2019-03 | 305 | 5,623 | 18,670 |
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2019-06Details for 2019-06 | 285 | 5,515 | 18,291 |
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2019-09Details for 2019-09 | 283 | 5,758 | 18,422 |
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2019-12Details for 2019-12 | 269 | 5,594 | 18,038 |
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2020-03Details for 2020-03 | 250 | 5,466 | 17,881 |
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2020-06Details for 2020-06 | 244 | 5,584 | 18,156 |
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2020-09Details for 2020-09 | 250 | 5,486 | 17,852 |
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2020-12Details for 2020-12 | 248 | 5,422 | 17,576 |
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2021-03Details for 2021-03 | 277 | 5,582 | 17,933 |
| |||
2021-06Details for 2021-06 | 282 | 5,595 | 18,062 |
| |||
2021-09Details for 2021-09 | 292 | 5,707 | 18,380 |
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2021-12Details for 2021-12 | 289 | 5,650 | 18,091 |
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2022-03Details for 2022-03 | 285 | 5,595 | 17,926 |
| |||
2022-06Details for 2022-06 | 294 | 5,552 | 17,686 |
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2022-09Details for 2022-09 | 291 | 5,556 | 17,674 |
| |||
2022-12Details for 2022-12 | 279 | 5,601 | 17,722 |
| |||
2023-03Details for 2023-03 | 281 | 5,839 | 18,442 |
| |||
2023-06Details for 2023-06 | 288 | 5,864 | 18,532 |
| |||
2023-09Details for 2023-09 | 295 | 6,040 | 19,155 |
| |||
2023-12Details for 2023-12 | 296 | 6,059 | 19,350 |
| |||
2024-03Details for 2024-03 | 295 | 6,125 | 19,813 |
| |||
2024-06Details for 2024-06 | 298 | 6,102 | 19,793 |
| |||
2024-09Details for 2024-09 | 295 | 6,012 | 19,735 |
| |||
2024-12Details for 2024-12 | 281 | 5,817 | 19,225 |
| |||
2025-03Details for 2025-03 | 272 | 5,789 | 18,899 |
| |||
2025-06Details for 2025-06 | 272 | 5,832 | 18,866 |
| |||
2025-09Details for 2025-09 | 270 | 5,764 | 18,718 |
| |||
2025-12Details for 2025-12 | 263 | 5,645 | 18,259 |
| |||
2026-03Details for 2026-03 | 265 | 5,617 | 18,148 |
| |||
2026-06Details for 2026-06 | 261 | 5,656 | 18,065 |
| |||
Figure as of 20 August 2026. Source: Ministry of Justice.
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, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2026: time series of staff in post, published 20 August 2026; HM Prison and Probation Service, Prison information pages on GOV.UK (addresses), with each postcode’s local authority from postcodes.io (ONS Postcode Directory).
What these figures do and don't show
- Compare with prisons of the same function. Costs per prisoner differ by what a prison does: local prisons serving courts, training prisons, high-security, open and youth establishments.
- Overall cost includes shared costs. HMPPS adds each prison’s share of regional and national costs (healthcare, education, maintenance contracts, headquarters) to what it spends itself.
- Contracted prisons are costed differently, and their staff are not on the HMPPS payroll, so no staff figure is shown for them.
- Nothing here shows cause and effect. A prison’s cost, crowding and staffing sit side by side; none is presented as the result of another.
Where this sits: United Kingdom → England and Wales → Ministry of Justice → HM Prison and Probation Service → Prisons in England and Wales → HMP Pentonville. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Prison population: monthly bulletin (2025-01 to 2026-08) | Ministry of Justice | 7 September 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 |
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.