The Sentencing Act has received Royal Assent

The Sentencing Act has now received Royal Assent. This a significant moment for strengthening the justice system’s response to domestic abuse.

We particularly welcome the introduction of a judicial finding of domestic abuse in sentencing. This is an important step toward ensuring domestic abuse is properly identified, that perpetrators are monitored more effectively, and that victim‑survivors receive stronger protection. We also welcome the shift from exclusion zones to offender restriction zones, which can help reduce the risk of harmful contact.

We are pleased to see the removal of clause 35, which would have reduced accountability for breaches and risked leaving victim-survivors less protected when court orders are broken. We were proud to support the campaign calling for it to be dropped.

However, legislation alone is not enough.

As implementation begins, including phased changes to recall, we need a system that prioritises safety in the community. Behaviour in prison does not necessarily reflect the level of risk someone poses following release.

To drive meaningful change, we must see:

• Robust, mandated training and guidance for the judiciary, co‑created with specialist domestic abuse organisations and people with lived experience. Training must cover all forms of domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour and ‘honour’-based abuse, and be culturally competent and trauma‑informed.
• Stronger risk assessment and case management within probation, ensuring domestic abuse risk is properly understood, reviewed and acted on throughout sentencing, release and recall.
• Effective multi‑agency safeguarding, including MARAC, specialist IDVA support, and proven perpetrator programmes such as the Drive Project. MAPPA alone will not cover the majority of domestic abuse perpetrators.
• Clear and consistent victim information and contact arrangements, so victim‑survivors have transparency, updates and safety planning support throughout the sentence, especially at key decision points.

We are concerned that more offenders will be managed in the community without the necessary investment in specialist domestic abuse services. Electronic monitoring and recall arrangements must be matched by the capacity to act on breaches and assess risk properly, yet the Act does not guarantee that risk will be reassessed before automatic re‑release after 56 days. Nor does it ensure that licence breaches will trigger a meaningful review of conditions.

Only domestic abuse perpetrators who fall under MAPPA categories 2 and 3 will be excluded from automatic re‑release, leaving many victim‑survivors without the additional safeguards they need.

SafeLives stands ready to work with government, the judiciary, probation and wider criminal justice partners to ensure these reforms deliver genuine safety. Victim‑survivors deserve a system that consistently identifies domestic abuse, reduces risk, and holds perpetrators to account.