Sentencing Act ensuring punishment cuts crime gets Royal Assent

23 Jan 2026 12:02 PM

New laws will end automatic release for badly behaved offenders and strengthen community punishment.

• New laws end automatic release for badly behaved offenders and strengthen community punishment 
• Reforms supported by plans to rebuild the probation service, with investment increasing by up to £700 million over next few years 
• Part of the government’s plan for change to keep dangerous offenders locked up, cut reoffending and protect the public 

Legislation that will keep dangerous criminals locked up, end the cycle of less serious offenders going in and out of prison and end the crisis in our prisons became law yesterday.

The Sentencing Act, which has now received Royal Assent, will grip the prison crisis on the brink of collapse which this government inherited. It will make sure future governments always have the prison places needed to keep people safe, with the most dangerous offenders locked up and tough community restrictions meaning those released from prison enter a period of supervision tailored to their risk and the type of crime they committed. This includes the biggest ever expansion in tagging and the use of restriction zones to better protect victims.   

The most serious offenders - those on life sentences, IPP, and extended determinate sentences - will not be released any earlier than they are now. 

Alongside this, the probation budget will be increased by up to £700 million over the next three years to bolster community justice, including the probation service’s resource and ability to tag offenders. The government is also investing in new technology to reduce admin so staff can focus on work that reduces reoffending. 

Commenting on Royal Assent, Sentencing Minister Jake Richards said: 

This government inherited a prison system bursting at the seams and at breaking point – risking the total breakdown of law and order in this country. 

Urgent, bold action was needed to keep the public safe. These reforms will make sure prisons never run out of space again and dangerous offenders are kept off our streets, while putting victims first with much tougher punishments for offenders outside jail.  

We are already delivering the biggest prison expansion since the Victorian era, but the reality is we cannot just build our way out of the chaos – it must go hand in hand with radical reform to avoid another ticking timebomb.

The measures in the Sentencing Act will not take effect immediately, giving the probation service and victims support groups the time needed to prepare for the changes coming in. Implementation will be phased over the next two years, with changes to how long offenders stay in prison when they are recalled expected to begin in the coming months, and the earned release model to be rolled out in the Autumn.

The Sentencing Act follows the Independent Sentencing Review led by David Gauke, published in May. 

Key reforms in the Act include:  

• A new “earned progression model” for prisoners serving standard determinate sentences that will see prisoners who behave badly spend longer behind bars. 
• Tougher community punishments such as new powers for judges to bar criminals from pubs, concerts and sports matches, curtailing offenders’ freedoms as punishment, financial penalties that force offenders to pay back for their crimes or unpaid work orders that force offenders to give back to society. 
• New “restriction zones” to restrict offenders to a certain area, allowing victims to travel without fear of seeing them.  
• A judicial finding of domestic abuse in sentencing which will allow criminal justice agencies to identify domestic abusers, ensure they are better monitored, and the right measures are in place to protect victims.