Criminals who skip sentencing face cell confinement and loss of visits in England and Wales

Judges to gain powers to block social visits for months under measures due to take effect next year

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

Updated22 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Judges in England and Wales will be given stronger powers to punish criminals who refuse to attend sentencing, including confining them to their cells for up to three weeks and banning social visits for nearly a month, under measures due to take effect next year.

The new sanctions, announced by the Ministry of Justice, allow judges to keep non-attending offenders in their cells for up to three weeks, suspend social visits for almost a month and revoke prison privileges for longer periods. Visits could also be restricted to once every four weeks for almost three months. For offenders aged 18 to 20, judges will be able to impose similar restrictions for shorter periods. Visits from prisoners' children will be exempt.

The measures build on an existing law that already requires criminals to attend sentencing or face a fine or up to two years in jail for contempt of court. The Ministry of Justice acknowledged that longer jail terms alone were unlikely to deter offenders who are already behind bars.

Prisons Minister Catherine McKinnell said: "Criminals should not be able to pick and choose when they face justice." She added that refusing to turn up to sentencing "is an insult to victims and their families, and offenders must face the consequences."

The change follows campaigns by the families of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, law graduate Zara Aleena and mother-of-three Jan Mustafa, whose killers did not attend their sentencing hearings. Triple crossbow and knife killer Kyle Clifford also refused to face his punishment in court.

Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman OBE, said the announcement follows the "tireless efforts of victims' families" who would not accept offenders simply opting out of facing justice. She said it was "essential" the powers were used consistently by courts and prisons "so families receive the justice and accountability they deserve."

However, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, called for evidence that the sanctions will increase attendance and warned the measures will punish relatives of prisoners who "have committed no offence themselves."

Analysis

Why This Matters

The new powers give judges a direct enforcement tool against offenders who refuse to attend sentencing, going beyond the additional jail time already available.
The sanctions will also affect prisoners' families: social visits can be restricted for months, with only children's visits exempt.
Sentencing attendance has become a high-profile issue in England and Wales after several killers refused to appear, prompting victims' families to campaign for change.

Background

The new sanctions build on an existing law under which criminals who skip sentencing can already be fined or jailed for a further two years for contempt of court. The Ministry of Justice has acknowledged that additional jail time alone is unlikely to deter offenders who are already serving prison sentences, which is why the new measures target prison conditions instead. The policy follows a series of high-profile killings in which convicted offenders refused to attend their own sentencing hearings, including the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

Key Perspectives

Ministry of Justice and Prisons Minister Catherine McKinnell: Offenders should not be able to choose when they face justice, and refusing to attend sentencing is an insult to victims and their families that must carry consequences.

Prison Reform Trust: Chief executive Pia Sinha argues there is no evidence the sanctions will increase attendance, and warns they will punish prisoners' relatives, who have committed no offence themselves.

Victims' families and the Victims' Commissioner: Claire Waxman OBE says the announcement follows the tireless efforts of victims' families and calls for the powers to be used consistently by courts and prisons so families receive the justice and accountability they deserve.

What to Watch

Whether sentencing attendance rises once the measures take effect next year.
How judges apply the powers in practice, including the shorter restrictions for 18 to 20-year-olds and the exemption for children's visits.
The Prison Reform Trust's call for evidence: any published data on whether the sanctions change behaviour could shape the policy's future.

Sources

Criminals who skip sentencing will face solitary confinement or lose social visits · BBC News

Checked

10 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedCriminals who skip sentencing face cell confinement and loss of visits.BBC News: “The new measures mean offenders could be confined to cells for up to three weeks, social visits could be banned for nearly a month and any prison privileges revoked for longer.”
Partly supportedJudges will be able to block social visits for months.BBC News: “Judges will also being able to restrict social visits further to once every four weeks for almost three months for criminals who refuse to attend sentencing.”
SupportedThe measures are due to take effect next year and could include cell confinement for up to three weeks and a social-visit ban for nearly a month.BBC News: “The tougher sanctions, due to come into effect next year”
SupportedJudges will also be able to restrict visits to once every four weeks for almost three months, with shorter similar restrictions for offenders aged 18 to 20; visits from prisoners’ children are exempt.BBC News: “For criminals aged 18-20, judges will be able to impose similar restrictions but for shorter periods of time, the MoJ said. However, visits from prisoners' children will be exempt from the new sanctions.”
SupportedThe existing law requires criminals to attend sentencing or face a fine or up to two years in jail for contempt of court.BBC News: “build on an existing law that orders criminals to attend sentencing or face being fined or jailed for another two years for contempt of court.”
SupportedThe Ministry of Justice acknowledged that longer jail terms alone are unlikely to deter offenders who are already behind bars.BBC News: “with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) acknowledging that longer jail time alone is unlikely to deter them if they are already behind bars.”
SupportedCatherine McKinnell said, “Criminals should not be able to pick and choose when they face justice.”BBC News: “"Criminals should not be able to pick and choose when they face justice," Prisons Minister Catherine McKinnell said.”
SupportedMcKinnell said refusing to attend sentencing “is an insult to victims and their families, and offenders must face the consequences.”BBC News: “"Refusing to turn up to sentencing is an insult to victims and their families, and offenders must face the consequences", she added.”
SupportedThe families of Sabina Nessa, Zara Aleena and Jan Mustafa advocated for changes to the law, and the killers did not attend their sentencing hearings.BBC News: “The families of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, law graduate Zara Aleena and mother-of-three Jan Mustafa have previously advocated for changes to the laws. All of their loved ones' killers did not attend their sentencing hearings.”
SupportedPia Sinha called for evidence the sanctions would increase attendance and warned prisoners’ relatives would be punished despite having “committed no offence themselves.”BBC News: “But Pia Sinha, the CEO of Prison Reform Trust, has called for evidence that sanctions will increase attendance and warned the measures will punish relatives of prisoners who "have committed no offence themselves".”