Sentencing Act 2026

2026 c. 2 · Enacted 22 January 2026 · Extends to United Kingdom

Contents

1. Part 1: Sentencing
2. Suspended sentences
3. 1Presumption of suspended sentence order for sentences of 12 months or less
4. 2Custodial sentences that may be suspended
5. Income reduction orders
6. 3Income reduction orders
7. Purposes of sentencing
8. 4Purposes of sentencing
9. Deferment of sentence
10. 5Date to which passing of sentence may be deferred
11. Finding of domestic abuse
12. 6Finding of domestic abuse
13. Offenders of particular concern
14. 7Special custodial sentence for certain offenders of particular concern: England and Wales
15. 8Sentence with fixed licence period: Scotland
16. 9Sentence with fixed licence period: Northern Ireland
17. 10Corresponding provision under service law Not yet in force
18. Whole life order: murder of police, prison or probation officer
19. 11Whole life order: murder of police, prison or probation officer
20. Rehabilitation activity requirement
21. 12Removal of requirement to specify maximum number of days
22. 13Rehabilitation activity requirement renamed probation requirement
23. New community order requirements and community requirements
24. 14Driving prohibition requirement
25. 15Public event attendance prohibition requirement
26. 16Drinking establishment entry prohibition requirement
27. 17Restriction zone requirement Not yet in force
28. 18Power to add or alter requirements
29. Sentencing Council for England and Wales
30. 19Sentencing Council business plan
31. 20Sentencing guidelines
32. Prison capacity report
33. 21Annual report relating to prison capacity
34. Court transcripts
35. 22Provision of transcripts of sentencing remarks to victims
36. Part 2: Management of offenders after sentencing
37. Release
38. 23Release
39. 24Release: consequential amendments relating to driving disqualification
40. 25Release on licence of certain violent or sexual offenders: service offences
41. 26Limitation of provisions about home detention curfew Not yet in force
42. Licences
43. 27Licence conditions
44. 28Licence conditions: offenders sentenced under repealed armed forces legislation
45. Recall and further release
46. 29Power to make provision about recall to prison
47. 30Further release after recall: introductory
48. 31Further release after recall: relevant young offenders suitable for automatic release
49. 32Further release after recall: other offenders eligible for automatic release
50. 33Further release after recall: supplementary
51. Removal of requirement for supervision after sentence
52. 34Repeal of provisions relating to supervision after end of sentence
53. Early removal of prisoners liable to removal from the United Kingdom Not yet in force
54. 35Early removal of prisoners liable to removal from United Kingdom Not yet in force
55. Community order requirements and community requirements
56. 36Removal of maximum period for unpaid work requirement
57. 37Number of hours of work required by unpaid work requirement
58. 38Termination of community order
59. 39Termination of supervision period of suspended sentence order
60. Parole Board rules
61. 40Rules about the proceedings of the Parole Board
62. Repatriated prisoners
63. 41Application of provisions about release etc to certain repatriated prisoners
64. Sentences of imprisonment or detention for public protection
65. 42Imprisonment or detention for public protection: termination of licences
66. 43Powers of High Court on referral
67. Part 3: Bail
68. 44Amendments to Bail Act 1976
69. Part 4: Foreign criminals
70. 45Deportation of foreign criminals
71. Part 5: General
72. 46Power to make consequential provision
73. 47Power to state effect in Sentencing Act 2020 of commencement of amendments made by this Act
74. 48Extent
75. 49Commencement
76. 50Short title
77. Schedule 1: Presumption of suspended sentence order: consequential provision
78. 1Firearms Act 1968
79. 2Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
80. 3Armed Forces Act 2006
81. 4Sentencing Act 2020
82. Schedule 2: Sentence with fixed licence period in Scotland or Northern Ireland: consequential provision
83. Part 1: Scotland
84. 1Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
85. 2Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989
86. 3Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993
87. 4Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984
88. Part 2: Northern Ireland
89. 5Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008
90. 6Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984
91. Schedule 3: Corresponding provision about sentencing under service law: sentences for offenders of particular concern Not yet in force
92. 1Paragraph 1 Not yet in force
93. 2Paragraph 2 Not yet in force
94. 3Paragraph 3 Not yet in force
95. 4Paragraph 4 Not yet in force
96. 5Paragraph 5 Not yet in force
97. 6Paragraph 6 Not yet in force
98. 7Paragraph 7 Not yet in force
99. 8Paragraph 8 Not yet in force
100. 9Paragraph 9 Not yet in force
101. 10Paragraph 10 Not yet in force
102. 11Paragraph 11 Not yet in force
103. 12Paragraph 12 Not yet in force
104. 13Paragraph 13 Not yet in force
105. 14Paragraph 14 Not yet in force
106. 15Paragraph 15 Not yet in force
107. 16Paragraph 16 Not yet in force
108. Schedule 4: Offences where offender not eligible for automatic release under section 255BA after recall
109. Schedule 5: Repeal of provisions relating to supervision after end of sentence: consequential provision
110. Part 1: Amendments consequential on repeals made by section 34
111. 1Crime (Sentences) Act 1997
112. 2Crime (Sentences) Act 1997
113. 3Crime (Sentences) Act 1997
114. 4Crime (Sentences) Act 1997
115. 5Crime (Sentences) Act 1997
116. 6Crime (Sentences) Act 1997
117. 7Crime (Sentences) Act 1997
118. 8Crime and Disorder Act 1998
119. 9Criminal Justice Act 2003
120. 10Offender Management Act 2007
121. 11Sentencing Code
122. Part 2: Repeal of provision which inserts or amends provision repealed by section 34 or Part 1 of this Schedule
123. 12Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014
124. 13Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015
125. 14Sentencing Act 2020
126. 15Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020
127. 16Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022