Rape victims to get free legal advice throughout criminal justice process

The new Independent Legal Advisor service will provide guidance outside of court, including on how to challenge a “no further action” decision by the CPS. The MoJ also announced that Operation Soteria – a programme rolled out across police forces to improve how sexual offences are investigated – will be… Lawyers will be available to help victims understand their rights and challenge unnecessary requests for personal information, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said....

Frontline Criminal Justice Experience to Shape New Six-Part Webinar Series

The six-part webinar programme will focus on the realities of frontline work, from burnout and grief to behaviour change and case formulation. Titled ‘Lessons from the Frontline: Working with Offending Behaviour’, the series has been designed as a practical development offer for professionals working across probation, community justice and offender… The community site for the criminal justice interventions and rehabilitation community; Reflective Practice, has launched a new free-to-attend webinar series for its members....

'Ageing prisoner population can have a huge impact - and the Isle of Man is no different'

For nearly four decades, Leroy Bonnick has immersed himself in a working prison life, immersing himself within facilities such as HMP Oakwood, HMP Lewes and HMYOI Werrington, after growing up in Dudley. He joined his current role, based on the Isle of Man, almost 10 years ago, rising through the… Police Oracle caught up with Leroy Bonnick, Prison Governor and Head of Probation for the Isle of Man Prison, and Declan Crawley, Head of Community Resettlement & Rehabilitation at the facility, to look at how rehabilitation is offered to the site's population, which has nearly doubled in size since 2019....

From Repeat Incidents to Sustainable Safety

Across many forces, a relatively small cohort of individuals and households generate a disproportionate number of incidents. Repeat domestic abuse callouts, persistent anti-social behaviour, substance misuse related offending, neighbourhood disputes, and vulnerability linked to mental health all contribute to recurring demand. This is not a failure of frontline policing. It… By Jonathan Hussey...

Advertorial: National Centre of VAWG and Public Protection expands team

As policing and partners intensify efforts to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and improve public protection, the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) is recruiting for key national roles that will help deliver and strengthen consistency across forces, as part of a wider system approach.  With the Government’s ambition to halve VAWG within a decade and… The National Centre of Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection is expanding its team of specialists to strengthen policing’s response to tackling VAWG, and build a consistent victim-centred approach across England and Wales. ...

VAWG and CSE: turning the White Paper moment into safer outcomes

Her description of “a weird shack with loads of bits put into it” is blunt, but accurate. Over time, we have layered processes, thresholds, forms and workarounds onto responses for child sexual exploitation (CSE) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). The result is that risk is often managed through… Jess Phillips’ remarks at the CSAE Disruption Conference landed because they described what many frontline practitioners already feel: the current safeguarding landscape is a patchwork that asks people to work around systems rather than through them....

Out of Court Resolutions: How to Combine Proportionality with Public Confidence

When used well, they support rehabilitation, reduce reoffending, and strengthen confidence in local justice. When used poorly, however, they risk being perceived as inconsistent, ineffective, or soft on crime. In recent years, scrutiny from inspectors, commissioners, and the public has intensified. Questions are regularly raised about whether OOCRs deliver meaningful… Out of Court Resolutions (OOCRs) play an increasingly important role in modern policing. Conditional cautions and community resolutions offer a proportionate response to lower-level offending, reduce unnecessary court backlogs, and enable victims to receive timely outcomes. ...

Advertorial: Hate crime, evidence, and the need for effective intervention

These offences are driven by prejudice against someone’s identity, whether related to race, religion, sexuality, disability, or other protected characteristics. The harm extends well beyond the immediate victim. Hate crime creates fear, weakens trust in public institutions, and damages social cohesion. When communities feel unsafe or targeted, confidence in justice… Hate crime poses a profound challenge, not only to individuals but to entire communities. ...

Courts in Crisis - The Government’s new strategy explained

The UK’s court system is in crisis. Crown courts have a backlog of nearly 80,0000 cases- the caseload has doubled since 2020 and it could hit 100,000 cases by 2028. Victims are waiting an average of 271 days for their cases to be resolved; 70% longer than before the COVID-19… By Ciara Placentino...

New Sentencing Bill Amendments Strengthen Protections for Pregnant Women

As of January 2026, significant amendments to the UK’s Sentencing Act have introduced stronger legal protections for pregnant women and primary carers within the criminal justice system. Central to these reforms is an amendment to the Bail Act 1976, which now places a clear legal duty on courts to consider… ...