More people were recalled to jails in England and Wales in the first half of this year than were released, despite government efforts to reduce the prison population, according to figures released on Thursday.

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data shows that 12,338 people were recalled to custody between the beginning of April and the end of June, while 12,278 people were released. It continues a trend set between January and March, when 13,193 people were returned to prison and 12,977 released.

A total of 52,716 prisoners were put back behind bars in the year to June after breaching the terms of their licence – 27% up on the previous 12-month total.

The high recall rate is a key contributor to the prison capacity crisis and helped to prompt early release schemes earlier this month.

The MoJ figures also show 79,274 inmates were freed early from prison between September 2024 and June 2026 under emergency measures brought in by the government to try to tackle the overcrowding crisis.

The move, known as the SDS40…