In my previous statement on the issue to Parliament in May, I set out the challenge that we face in addressing the prison population and the need for immediate and continued action. The difficult but necessary step of emergency release over the summer had an immediate impact. The population reduced from 8,270 to just below 7,900, and the risk to the safe operation of our prisons was temporarily averted. As I highlighted in May, the impact was expected to be temporary, and that has proved to be the case. The population has continued to rise and has once again reached critical levels. As of this morning, there are 8,322 people in custody, 27 per cent of whom are on remand.
This is not just about the numbers; it is also about the complex needs of the population and the persistent pressures on prison staff. I remain grateful to Scottish Prison Service staff for their continued resilience. I have seen at first hand their excellent work to maintain positive relationships in prisons and their ability to find solutions. The latest projections through to January 2025 indicate that the prison population will likely continue to rise. Without intervention, that would take us into an unsustainable position, and we cannot and must not allow that to transpire.
Over the past decade, the average length of prison sentences has increased, and there has been a consistently high remand population. There is no single lever to address that on-going rise, so we must continue to pursue a wide range of actions. Since my previous statement, the implementation of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 and the transfer of all under-18s to secure care has freed up additional capacity at HMP Polmont. In addition, the Scottish Prison Service continues to maximise all available remaining capacity across the estate. Despite those efforts, those actions will only provide very short-term relief if population trends continue.
There is continued focus on optimising the use of home detention curfew. The number was reduced by emergency early release, and it is now rising again. It is currently around 107. I can confirm plans to lay regulations later this year to enable GPS technology to be used to monitor individuals being released on home detention curfew. Subject to parliamentary approval, those regulations will come into force in January 2025.