Judges to gain powers to restrict visits and confine offenders who skip sentencing

Judges in England and Wales are expected to gain powers next year to confine offenders to their prison cells and restrict social visits if they refuse to attend sentencing, according to the BBC and the Telegraph. The measures are intended to make offenders face victims’ families in court, but no exact start date has been announced.

Offenders could be confined to their cells for up to three weeks. The Telegraph reported that the proposed sanctions also include a ban on social visits for up to 27 days, loss of other prison privileges for up to 84 days, or limits on social visits to once every four weeks for up to 84 days. Visits from prisoners’ children would be exempt.

Why ministers want stronger sentencing attendance powers

The measures would build on an existing law allowing courts to order offenders to attend sentencing and impose a fine or up to two additional years in prison for contempt if they refuse. The Ministry of Justice acknowledged that extra jail time alone is unlikely to deter people already serving long sentences, the BBC reported.

Prisons Minister Catherine McKinnell said: ‘Criminals should not be able to pick and choose when they face justice.’ She described a refusal to attend sentencing as an insult to victims and their families.

Farah Naz, the aunt of Zara Aleena, told the BBC that her family had wanted Aleena’s murderer, Jordan McSweeney, to hear their victim impact statement. McSweeney did not attend his sentencing and was jailed for at least 38 years. Naz said his absence left the family feeling that justice was ‘not quite complete’, and that removing privileges would shift power towards victims.

Prison reform group questions the effect on families

Prison Reform Trust chief executive Pia Sinha called for evidence that the sanctions would increase attendance. She warned that restrictions on visits could also punish prisoners’ relatives, who ‘have committed no offence themselves’. The group wants ministers to explain how the measures’ impact will be assessed, the Telegraph reported.

Claire Waxman, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, said the announcement followed sustained campaigning by victims’ families. She said courts and prisons should use the new powers consistently so families receive the accountability they expect.