{"metric":"prison_population","title":"Prison population","topic":"justice","unit":"people","measure_type":"count","geography":"K04000001","comparison_method":"previous_period","latest":{"period_start":"2026-08-24","period_end":"2026-08-30","period_label":"Week beginning 24 August 2026","value":86843,"status":"final","vintage":"2026-08-24"},"comparison":{"period_label":"Week beginning 17 August 2026","value":86722,"vintage":"2026-08-17"},"source":{"publisher":"Ministry of Justice","publication":"Prison population: weekly estate figures","landing_url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-population-weekly-estate-figures-2026","sheet":"Data","table":"Population and Capacity Briefing","row":"Population","column":"Total","raw_value":"86843","file_url":"","file_sha256":"54ebb2865d8e1853bcd70a16b7f0ad62c17b043881b65c90b6574608a78957c3","release_date":"2026-08-24","release_label":"Week of 24 August 2026"},"definition":"The number of people held in prisons in England and Wales on the Monday named in the Ministry of Justice's weekly population bulletin, across the adult male, female and youth custody estates.","does_not_measure":"People held in immigration removal centres, police cells or secure hospitals, people on home detention curfew, or prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland.","links":{"page":"/justice/prison-population","series":"/api/metrics/prison_population/series","vintages":"/api/metrics/prison_population/vintages"}}