Offenders who refuse to face their victims’ families in court for sentencing could be stripped of privileges or kept in cells for weeks under government changes granting wider powers to judges in England and Wales.
The imposition of new prison sanctions, coming into effect next year, builds on existing laws that order offenders to attend sentencing or face a fine or be jailed for a further two years for contempt of court.
“Criminals should not be able to pick and choose when they face justice. Refusing to turn up to sentencing is an insult to victims and their families, and offenders must face the consequences,” said the prisons minister, Catherine McKinnell.
The new rules, to be laid before parliament on Thursday, will grant judges new powers to impose a loss of prison privileges for ۸۴ days, cell confinement for ۲۱ days, a loss of social visits for ۲۷ days and a restriction on visits to once every four weeks, for ۸۴ days. They could result in offenders already facing decades behind bars facing additional punishments.
The Ministry of Justice has said that while no measure could guarantee offenders would attend their sentencing hearing, the widened powers strengthened the consequences for offenders and ensured they could be “appropriately punished”.
Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, raised questions for ministers as to whether the new rules would achieve the aim of getting offenders to attend sentence hearings.
“These measures will inevitably affect not only prisoners but also family members, including children, who rely on prison visits to maintain contact, and who have committed no offence themselves,” Sinha said.
Younger offenders aged ۱۸ to ۲۰ could have privileges removed for up to ۲۱ days or be confined to cells for up to ۱۰ days, said the MoJ. Visits from prisoners’ children will be exempt, to help maintain family ties and when in the child’s best interests.
Claire Waxman, the victim’s commissioner for England and Wales, who has worked with relatives of the murder victims Sabina Nessa, Zara Aleena and Jan Mustafa, said the announcement reflected the “tireless efforts” of victims’ families.
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“I know how offenders’ refusal to attend sentencing hearings compounds trauma and robs families of one of the very few moments of accountability in the justice process,” said Waxman. “It is now essential that these powers are used consistently by courts and prisons, so families receive the justice and accountability they deserve.”
The move comes after nearly ۲,۰۰۰ prisoners across England and Wales were released from prison this month as part of a government plan to ease prison overcrowding.
