UK to toughen penalties for offenders who refuse to attend sentencing

The key facts

From next year, those refusing to attend sentencing can be locked in their cells for up to three weeks and denied visits for up to 27 days
From next year, those who refuse to attend sentencing could be locked in their cells for up to three weeks and lose visits for up to 27 days
The family of murdered Zara Aleena backed the reform, calling it a restoration of balance in favour of victims
The family of murdered Zara Aleena backed the reform, calling it a rebalancing in favour of victims
The Prison Reform Trust demands evidence of effectiveness and points out that innocent relatives of prisoners will suffer

New sanctions for failing to attend sentencing

The UK Ministry of Justice has announced tougher measures against prisoners who refuse to attend their own sentencing hearings. From next year, such offenders can be locked in their cells for up to three weeks, banned from visits for 27 days, and stripped of other prison privileges for longer periods. Judges will also be able to restrict social visits to once every four weeks for almost three months. Offenders aged 18–20 face similar but shorter restrictions. Visits by prisoners' children are excluded from the sanctions, the ministry said. According to Prisons Minister Khatija McKinnell,

The case of Zara Aleena and the victims' families campaign

The reform is linked to a number of high-profile cases. Zara Aleena, a 35-year-old law graduate, was raped and murdered by Jordan McSweeney in June 2022 as she walked home from a bar in east London. At the trial at the Old Bailey that same year, McSweeney stayed in his cell and was not present when he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 38 years, which was later reduced to 33 years after a successful appeal to the Court of Appeal (BBC News). The victim's aunt Farah Naz said the killer's refusal to attend sentencingleft the feeling that justice had not been fully completedand that the new measures would were joined by the relatives of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa and mother of three Jan Mustafa — their killers also failed to appear at sentencing. Thomas Cashman, who shot nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, and Kyle Clifford, who killed three people with a crossbow and a knife, also refused to attend court. Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales Claire Waxman linked the announcement of the reform to the

Current legislation and criticism

Already, refusing to attend a hearing can be treated as contempt of court, carrying a fine or up to two years of additional imprisonment. However, the Ministry of Justice acknowledged that a longer sentence alone is unlikely to deter those already behind bars — which is why privilege-stripping sanctions are being introduced. Pia Sinha, head of the Prison Reform Trust, called for evidence that the sanctions would actually increase attendance and warned that the measures would punish prisoners' relatives,who themselves have committed no offence(BBC News).

Why it matters

The reform directly affects the families of victims of serious crimes, for whom the offender's presence at sentencing is part of the process of acknowledging the harm done — this is what Zara Aleena's family hoped for when preparing their victim impact statement. From next year, courts and prisons will have a specific set of sanctions — cell confinement for up to three weeks, loss of visits and privileges — that can be applied instead of extending sentences, which the ministry itself admits is largely ineffective. The question raised by critics remains open: whether data will emerge proving that these measures actually increase offenders' attendance in court.