Transfers of non-Manx prisoners to the UK are being restricted due to capacity pressures in UK prisons, the Justice and Home Affairs Minister has confirmed. There are currently 10 long-term prisoners at Jurby who do not have Manx addresses, while 21 long-term inmates from outside the island have been transferred to the UK since 2022.

The figures were released by Justice and Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson in response to a written question from Speaker and Rushen MHK Juan Watterson, who asked how many long-term prisoners were from off-island, how many had been repatriated in the last three years, and what obstacles existed to further transfers.

Mrs Poole-Wilson explained that a long-term detainee is defined as a person serving a sentence of custody for a term of four years or more and the definition of ‘off Island’ has been interpreted as a person who does not ordinarily reside in the Isle of Man.

She said: ‘As of November 22, 2025, the number of long-term detainees who provided an off-Island home address is 10.

‘From 1 January 2022 to date, 21 long-term detainees have been transferred off island. When a prisoner requests a transfer, the Prison works with the Cross Border Transfer section in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in order to determine eligibility for transfer and then, if eligible and agreed, complete the transfer.’

Mrs Poole-Wilson went on to explain that the minimum criteria for transfer include the prisoner being a national of the receiving country, having a final and enforceable sentence, and having at least six months left to serve.

These criteria are standard across many jurisdictions, as repatriation schemes generally rely on shared legal frameworks and agreement between the authorities involved.

The minister added: ‘In transferring prisoners to the UK, the Isle of Man is currently limited to one prisoner transfer per month due to prisons capacity pressures there.

‘This limitation constrains the pace of repatriations, but work is ongoing with HMPPS to ensure an effective and efficient process. This limitation does not include those under exclusion or deportation orders.

‘Repatriation of prisoners must be in accordance with international law. International treaties and bi-lateral agreements providing for the transfer of prisoners to a country of origin, other than the UK, would need to be in place for transfer to be considered.’

Currently, the Isle of Man Prison is operating close to full capacity, with almost 90% of its available spaces currently occupied. That’s according to recent figures released by the Department of Home Affairs.

A Freedom of Information (FoI) response published on October 24 shows that, at that stage, there were 147 inmates being held at the Jurby facility, which has a maximum capacity of 165. That leaves space for just 18 additional prisoners.

In April this year, however, the Department of Home Affairs’ chief officer, Dan Davies, confirmed that prison occupancy rates were even higher with a total of 160 prisoners in custody at that time and more than a third of those serving long-term sentences.

Speaking during an oral hearing of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Justice Committee on April 7, Mr Davies revealed the department was looking at an additional wing for the prison as an option.