Remand: what it means
Holding a defendant in custody before trial or sentencing. People on remand are counted in the prison population even though they have not been sentenced.
A defendant is on remand when a court decides they must be held in custody, rather than released on bail, while waiting for trial or for sentencing. The Ministry of Justice reports the remand population in two groups: untried (awaiting trial) and convicted unsentenced (found guilty, awaiting sentence).
Why it matters when checking a claim
- Part of the prison population. The total prison population includes people on remand. Changes in court backlogs can therefore affect prison numbers without any change in sentencing.
- Not a finding of guilt. Untried remand prisoners have not been convicted; some will be acquitted.
- Time on remand counts towards a sentence if the person is later convicted and jailed.
See what is the UK prison population, the Crown Court backlog and the prison population key figure.
Also searched as: on remand, remand prisoners, remand in custody, remand meaning uk
Questions that use this term
Related terms
- Prison operational capacity: The maximum number of prisoners a prison or the whole estate can hold while maintaining good order, security and the proper running of the regime.
- Custodial sentence: A sentence that sends an offender to prison or a young offender institution. Most adults serve part of the sentence in custody and the rest on licence in the community.
- Headcount: A count of individual people, each counted once regardless of how many hours they work or how many posts they hold.
More crime and justice terms: Police recorded crime · Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) · Clearance rate (crime outcomes and charge rate) · Proven reoffending rate · Prison operational capacity · Custodial sentence · Community order.