We are thrilled to publish the third edition of our annual Cheal Report - Understanding people in prison overseas. Named after one of our founders, Chris Cheal, this report is compiled using data that Prisoners Abroad collected and had access to across 2024-25.

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It brings together important insights into the number and characteristics of British people that are in prisons around the world, their family and friends, and those that return to the UK each year.

Key trends:

• For the fourth year in a row, we have seen the number of new cases increase, in this last year by 36.7%. Numbers increased more rapidly last year, especially for drug-related offences, younger age groups and women. The number of family members supported also continues to rise in line with this. 
• We have started to see the impact of the legalisation of the possession of cannabis in Thailand, with arrests for drug trafficking happening in a number of countries in Europe and worldwide with people having travelled from Thailand. This looks set to continue well into 2025 with new cases occurring further afield in countries such as Ghana and Zimbabwe.
• Numbers in countries where people receive our survival grant are on the rise - especially in the UAE and Thailand - which will have an effect on the overall level of funding needed to support this group.
• Figures released from a Freedom of Information Act request show a concerning trend of decreasing successful prisoner repatriations to England and Wales.
• Despite recent plateauing of numbers returning to the UK after a prison sentence, signs indicate that this may change soon, particularly with regard to the USA following the more aggressive deportation policy of the current administration.

To read the 2024-2025 Cheal report in full please download it here and get in touch if you have any enquiries.

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