#2026/19Victims and Courts Act 2026
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This law strengthens victims’ rights in the criminal justice system and gives courts new powers to manage sentencing and family-protection issues. Courts can order adult offenders in custody to attend sentencing hearings and can impose prison sanctions if they refuse or disrupt the hearing. It also limits parental responsibility for people convicted of serious sexual offences against children, or rape where a child was conceived as a result. Victims gain stronger protection against agreements that try to silence criminal disclosures, better information about sentence reviews, and a stronger Victims’ Commissioner with wider reporting and cooperation powers.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Courts can order offenders in custody to attend sentencing hearings and allow proportionate force for adults where needed.
- People convicted of serious sexual offences against children, or rape linked to a child’s conception, can have parental responsibility restricted by court order.
- Victims get stronger rights to disclose criminal conduct despite confidentiality clauses, and must be informed about asking for review of unduly lenient sentences.
+ 2 more changes with Pro
Obligations
What this law requires
The Crown Court must consult the relevant youth offending team before making an order requiring an offender under 18 to attend a sentencing hearing.
Relevant officers may use reasonable force only where necessary and proportionate when delivering an offender aged 18 or over to the courtroom under a sentencing attendance order.
Service courts must consult the relevant youth offending team before making an order requiring an offender under 18 to attend a sentencing hearing, and must have regard to the offender’s welfare when deciding whether to make the order.
Persons subject to service law authorised by the Provost Marshal of the Royal Military Police may use reasonable force only where necessary and proportionate when delivering an offender aged 18 or over to the courtroom under a service sentencing attendance order.
When sentencing a person to life imprisonment or at least 4 years’ imprisonment or detention for a serious sexual offence against a child, the Crown Court must make a prohibited steps order for each child for whom the offender has parental responsibility, unless a statutory exception applies.