Number of young adults facing life behind bars or indeterminate sentences almost doubles in a decade

The number of young adults behind bars or facing long-term sentences has nearly doubled in a decade. Independent can reveal.

In 2014, this number was only 30, while in 2024, a total of 50 offenders aged 18-20 were sentenced to life or indefinite imprisonment.

Many face sentences equal to or longer than their age; 6 percent of young adults in prison are currently serving life sentences, up from just 2 percent a decade ago.

Prison experts are calling for specialist support for young people facing life or decades in prison, warning that many have a history of trauma, grew up in care or have been expelled from schools.

A new report from the Prison Reform Foundation’s National Lottery-funded Building Futures program has found that long-term sentences have profound consequences on mental health, identity development and the ability to imagine a meaningful future.

The study, based on testimony from 41 young male prisoners, calls for the prison service to better support young adults at this “critical stage of development” and provide better access to education and training.

“It was heartbreaking to be sentenced at such a young age; I couldn’t leave my room for months, barely able to do basic things like eat or shower,” said one prisoner.

Another, who was incarcerated at age 18, said the process was “difficult to say the least.”

He added: “Initially, I didn’t understand much about life in prison or the severity of my sentence and conviction and the impact it had on me.

“Also, I could barely understand some of the things discussed at my hearing, but I still struggle to understand the impact this has had on my life.”

Others described the difficulty of growing up behind bars: “The problem with maturing in prison is that it’s harder to transition into men and move on; you’re still treated the same by all the staff, administrators, policies as you were when you were younger, so you feel stuck trying to transition and you can’t get yourself out of certain scenarios because you can’t leave your environment and the culture is built in that environment.”

There are currently 10,324 young adults aged 18 to 24 in prisons in England and Wales, making up 12 per cent of the prison population.

Although the overall young adult prison population has halved over the past 20 years, the proportion of young adults detained serving life sentences has increased rapidly.

As of December 2025, 6 percent of 18-20 year olds were serving life sentences; In December 2015, this rate was only 2 percent. An additional 6 percent were serving extended certain sentences.

In a set of recommendations submitted to the Ministry of Justice, the report calls for improved access to education and training, including a dedicated prison policy for long-term prisoners, better training for staff working with young adults and removing restrictions on higher education funding for prisoners.

PRT chief executive Pia Sinha said the report shed “a clear light” on what it means for a young adult facing decades behind bars.

“For some young adults who commit serious crimes, imprisonment would be the appropriate punishment,” he added.

“But if the state imposes such long sentences on young people, it also bears a responsibility to ensure they grow, develop and eventually build a life beyond prison walls. Our findings show that with the right relationships, purposeful activities and an age-appropriate approach, young adults can adapt and progress. But without meaningful reform, we are dooming them to failure.”

“This report is a call to government and prison leaders: Young adulthood is a crucial developmental stage, and our prison system must recognize this. We owe these young people not only the chance to escape their sentences, but also the chance to build a future after them.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This Government inherited a prison system in crisis and we are determined to engage offenders in meaningful and purposeful activities so they can turn their backs on crime.

“We therefore aim to ensure every prisoner has access to education, skills training and employment opportunities, while also strengthening links with local employers to reduce the cycle of reoffending.”