1-20 of 315 results for legtitle:"Sentencing Act 2026"
Librarians' tools
- Search time
- 0.221 seconds
- Solr query time
- 0.002 seconds
- Search query
- legtitle:"Sentencing Act 2026"
- We searched for
- legislationTitle_t:"Sentencing Act 2026" OR legislationTitle_ses:574544
Type
House
Session
Year
Department
Member
More
Primary member
Answering member
Legislative stage
Legislation
More
Subject
More
Publisher
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide a list of the type of victims by offence group who are (a) eligible and (b) not eligible, to receive a letter informing them of changes made by the Sentencing Act 2026 that will impact them.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide a list of the type of victims by offence group who are (a) eligible and (b) not eligible, to receive a letter informing them of changes made by the Sentencing Act 2026 that will impact them.
The Sentencing Act 2026 contains provisions which change the proportion of a standard determinate sentence that must be served in custody before an offender is automatically released on licence. In June 2026, letters were issued to victims engaged with the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme to notify them of changes to prisoner release arrangements introduced by the Act.
Eligibility to receive these letters was not determined by the offence group relating to the victim's case. Rather, victims were eligible to receive the letters where they were engaged with the Victim Contact Scheme and the offender in their case was serving a standard determinate sentence and was not subject to recall.
Victims were not eligible to receive the initial notification letter where they had not chosen to receive the services provided under the Victim Contact Scheme, or where the offender in their case was not serving a standard determinate sentence, including where the offender was serving another sentence type or was subject to recall.
Following the Prime Minister's announcement on 30 August 2026, sentence recalculations are being reviewed and, where necessary, recalculated. Victims will be contacted once this process has concluded to confirm whether the changes affect the offender in their case and, where applicable, to provide a revised release date.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims have (a) been contacted to confirm that their perpetrator will be released from prison early as a result of the Sentencing Act 2026, and (b) been contacted to confirm that their perpetrator will not be released from prison early...
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims have (a) been contacted to confirm that their perpetrator will be released from prison early as a result of the Sentencing Act 2026, and (b) been contacted to confirm that their perpetrator will not be released from prison early...
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consideration he has given to setting out the offences contained within the Schedule to The Sentencing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 6 and Revocation) Regulations 2026 in primary legislation.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consideration he has given to setting out the offences contained within the Schedule to The Sentencing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 6 and Revocation) Regulations 2026 in primary legislation.
Primary legislation is not needed in the short term to make the offence exclusions a reality.
A full list of exclusions can be found here: Sentencing Act 2026 offence exclusions - GOV.UK.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the additional cost will be, in (a) money, and (b) staff hours, to the Probation Service as a result of the ten tranches of early released prisoners under the Sentencing Act 2026 progression model.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the additional cost will be, in (a) money, and (b) staff hours, to the Probation Service as a result of the ten tranches of early released prisoners under the Sentencing Act 2026 progression model.
The Government assessed the impact of the Sentencing Act 2026 reforms through its published Impact Assessment and is working with probation, policing and local partners to manage implementation. The Impact Assessment can be accessed here: Sentencing Act Impact Assessment.
This Government is committed to ensuring the Probation Service has the capacity it needs to manage offenders safely in the community, including those released on licence from October 2026. We are investing up to £700 million in probation and community services by the final year of the spending review period to support the expansion of tagging, accommodation provision and increasing capacity. We have committed to onboarding at least 1,300 more trainee probation officers in 2026/27. This builds on the success of previous years’ campaigns with 1,057 trainees onboarded in 2024/25, and 1,389 in 2025/26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims were originally contacted advising them that their perpetrator may be released from prison early as a result of the Sentencing Act 2026, but whose perpetrator will now no longer be eligible as a result of the latest offence exclusions.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims were originally contacted advising them that their perpetrator may be released from prison early as a result of the Sentencing Act 2026, but whose perpetrator will now no longer be eligible as a result of the latest offence exclusions.
The Sentencing Act 2026 contains provisions which change the proportion of a standard determinate sentence which must be served in prison before the offender serving such a sentence is released automatically on licence. Eligible victims who have opted into the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, where the offender is serving a standard determinate sentence, have been informed of the commencement of the legislation.
According to information held on the Probation Service Victim Case Management System, as of 9 July 2026, 8,711 letters had been issued to victims engaged with the Victim Contact Scheme to inform them of the legislative changes to prisoner release arrangements under the Sentencing Act 2026. This figure should not be interpreted as the number of offenders affected by the changes. Not all offenders will necessarily receive an earlier release date, not all eligible victims choose to participate in the Victim Contact Scheme, and some offenders have multiple victims linked to their case.
On 30 August 2026, the Prime Minister announced further exclusions from the progression model. In addition to rape and certain child sexual offences previously announced, these exclusions included all forms of manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving, causing or allowing the death of a child and indecent assault offences.
As a result of these changes, sentence calculations are being reviewed and, where necessary, recalculated. It is therefore not currently possible to provide the number of victims who were initially informed that an offender in their case may be eligible for an earlier release date, but whose offender is no longer eligible as a result of the subsequent exclusions.
Once sentence calculations have been completed, Victim Liaison Officers will contact affected victims to confirm whether the offender's release date has changed and, where appropriate, provide them with an opportunity to make representations regarding licence conditions.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners his Department expects to be released in the first tranche of early release under the Sentencing Act 2026 progression model by establishment.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners his Department expects to be released in the first tranche of early release under the Sentencing Act 2026 progression model by establishment.
Following the Government's review of the Sentencing Act, and the decision to exclude additional offences from the Progression Model, the commencement date was moved to 1 October 2026. As a result, the first tranche will take place on 1 October 2026, with the second tranche following on 13 October 2026 as originally planned.
We have published the modelled estimates of the volumes of offenders to be released on the first day of each tranche. Current published estimates do not identify releases from individual prisons. This information is now available at: Estimated progression model tranche release volumes - GOV.UK.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders convicted of (a) rape, (b) other sexual offences against adults, (c) child sexual offences and (d) offences involving grooming are expected to be released earlier than they otherwise would have been under the Sentencing Act 2026.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders convicted of (a) rape, (b) other sexual offences against adults, (c) child sexual offences and (d) offences involving grooming are expected to be released earlier than they otherwise would have been under the Sentencing Act 2026.
This Government inherited a prisons system days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, including through the progression model, which will help ensure there are always enough prison places for the courts to be able to send people to custody.
The Prime Minister’s review informed decisions relating to implementation of the progression model and subsequent offence exclusions. The Government carefully considered concerns raised by victims, survivors, parliamentarians and the wider public and acted on those concerns. Representations received from Thames Valley police, other policing stakeholders, and a range of victims including the family of PC Harper during the review formed part of the evidence considered as part of that process. Ministers continue to engage with a range of stakeholders on implementation.
As a result, offenders convicted of unlawful killing offence such as manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving, as well as further historic child sex offences, will now be excluded, on top of rape and serious child sex offences. This also includes offenders convicted of offences involving the killing of an emergency worker. A full list of exclusions can be found here: Sentencing Act 2026 offence exclusions - GOV.UK.
These exclusions are in addition to the existing exclusion of more than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences.
The progression model amends release points for offenders serving Standard Determinate Sentences.
The date from which the progression model will apply, and the date of the first tranche of releases is 1 October 2026. Offenders released under the progression model will be controlled under strict licence conditions and can be recalled to custody where they breach those conditions or their risk can no longer be safely managed in the community.
We have published the modelled estimates of the volumes of offenders to be released on the first day of each tranche. Current published estimates do not identify releases from individual prisons, including HMP Isle of Wight. This information is now available at: Sentencing Act 2026 offence exclusions - GOV.UK.
Work is underway to implement the change announced, including the completion of complex sentence calculations necessary to support delivery. The Ministry of Justice also routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prison population and prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that victims receive individual and timely notification when an offender becomes eligible for earlier release under the Sentencing Act 2026.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that victims receive individual and timely notification when an offender becomes eligible for earlier release under the Sentencing Act 2026.
The Sentencing Act 2026 contains provisions which change the proportion of a standard determinate sentence which must be served in prison before the offender serving such a sentence is released automatically on licence. Eligible victims who have opted into the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, where the offender is serving a standard determinate sentence, have already been informed of the commencement of the legislation.
Following the Prime Minister's announcement on 30 August, offender release dates are being recalculated to reflect the additional offence exclusions. Victims engaged in the Victim Contact Scheme will be notified by their allocated Victim Liaison Officer once the recalculation has been confirmed and informed of any change to the offender's planned release date. Recalculations are being undertaken in release date order to ensure victims are notified in sufficient time to consider and submit representations regarding licence conditions before release.
Victims are able to make representations about licence conditions intended to protect them, including exclusion zones and non-contact requirements. They are informed of the outcome of decisions on licence conditions before release, including any conditions that have been imposed. Where a victim's representations are not reflected in the final licence conditions, the Victim Liaison Officer will explain the reasons for the decisions made.
Lords statement on the implementation of the Sentencing Act 2026.
Lords statement on the implementation of the Sentencing Act 2026.
My Lords, the exodus that we have just seen was about as chaotic as the Government’s plans that we are about to debate. However, I thank the Minister for providing us with the opportunity to ask questions.
This latest Statement represents the fifth early release scheme that has been announced since...
My Lords, the exodus that we have just seen was about as chaotic as the Government’s plans that we are about to debate. However, I thank the Minister for providing us with the opportunity to ask questions.
This latest Statement represents the fifth early release scheme that has been announced since...
My Lords, we agree with the Statement that the Government clearly inherited a crisis of prison spaces, and a crisis in our criminal justice system as a whole. Frankly, the crisis was clearly attributable to many years of neglect, principally under the last Government. The Sentencing Act was a timely...
My Lords, we agree with the Statement that the Government clearly inherited a crisis of prison spaces, and a crisis in our criminal justice system as a whole. Frankly, the crisis was clearly attributable to many years of neglect, principally under the last Government. The Sentencing Act was a timely...
My Lords, I begin by declaring my interest. I was the lead non-executive director and chaired the agency board of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service until March 2025. Last week the Lord Chancellor set out in the other place changes to the implementation of the Sentencing Act 2026 to...
My Lords, I begin by declaring my interest. I was the lead non-executive director and chaired the agency board of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service until March 2025. Last week the Lord Chancellor set out in the other place changes to the implementation of the Sentencing Act 2026 to...
It goes back beyond that.
It goes back beyond that.
Yes, it goes back beyond that, but the intensity has not gone away. The answer cannot be a succession of emergency measures. The noble Lord, Lord Wolfson, said the Government had introduced various emergency measures. Well, we needed to, because the previous Government refused to act. Parliament legislated through the...
Yes, it goes back beyond that, but the intensity has not gone away. The answer cannot be a succession of emergency measures. The noble Lord, Lord Wolfson, said the Government had introduced various emergency measures. Well, we needed to, because the previous Government refused to act. Parliament legislated through the...
My Lords, with regard to excluding those convicted of manslaughter from early release, should we not keep in mind that manslaughter involves varying degrees of culpability, from the very serious to those which are less serious? There are cases involving, for example, a high degree of provocation or diminished responsibility,...
My Lords, with regard to excluding those convicted of manslaughter from early release, should we not keep in mind that manslaughter involves varying degrees of culpability, from the very serious to those which are less serious? There are cases involving, for example, a high degree of provocation or diminished responsibility,...
I entirely agree with those comments from the noble Viscount. That is absolutely right. We obviously have to be consistent in the way we apply these exemptions, but the variation he points to is exactly right.
I entirely agree with those comments from the noble Viscount. That is absolutely right. We obviously have to be consistent in the way we apply these exemptions, but the variation he points to is exactly right.
My Lord, I warmly welcome this Statement. The Government’s commitment to end the IPP scandal, as has been mentioned, is long overdue. A transition with public protection at its heart is the right way forward, but may I suggest that we start straightaway with what I call the low-hanging fruit:...
My Lord, I warmly welcome this Statement. The Government’s commitment to end the IPP scandal, as has been mentioned, is long overdue. A transition with public protection at its heart is the right way forward, but may I suggest that we start straightaway with what I call the low-hanging fruit:...
I thank my noble friend and pay tribute to him for the work that he has done, along with many other noble Lords on all sides of the House, to move us forward on the question of IPPs and how we regularise the situation. I should reinforce this: it goes...
I thank my noble friend and pay tribute to him for the work that he has done, along with many other noble Lords on all sides of the House, to move us forward on the question of IPPs and how we regularise the situation. I should reinforce this: it goes...
My Lords—
My Lords—
I know that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Garnier, wants to get up, but I want to respond quickly to the questions from the noble Lord, Lord Marks, about implementation. It is obviously very early days. The Prime Minister has made a commitment to legislate in this Parliament. That...
I know that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Garnier, wants to get up, but I want to respond quickly to the questions from the noble Lord, Lord Marks, about implementation. It is obviously very early days. The Prime Minister has made a commitment to legislate in this Parliament. That...