Clinks Policy Briefing | April 2026

This month, we wrapped up our 2025 State of the Sector research. We have now published the final report and the accompanying financial analysis, which contains analysis of the most up-to-date financial data held by the Charity Commission on criminal justice charities.  

We will be publishing a recording of our launch event for the report in the coming weeks. Ahead of the launch event, we published the second and third blogs in our series previewing our findings from the report, outlining the challenges and barriers which the sector has faced in delivering their services and issues surrounding funding, respectively.  

It has also been a busy month of government policy announcements, including on an expansion to electronic monitoring (EM), procedural reforms to probation and the Women’s Justice Board’s (WJB) final report. We provided an overview of the EM and probation announcement, here, in addition to a more detailed, analytical response, here. We also published our response to the publication of the Women’s Justice Board report and hosted the WJB’s statement, here. 

Additionally, we published a blog outlining the key takeaways from the National Women’s Justice Coalition’s first impact report and why its findings are important for the wider voluntary sector, and further response, this time to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ latest thematic review on the untapped potential of family contact in prisons. 

Lastly, we published the minutes from our December RR3 Quarterly meeting, here.   

Female Offender Dashboard: Update 

On Thursday 12 March, the MoJ published an update to the Female Offender Strategy Dashboard which presents the key metrics identified in the Delivery Plan via a web-based data visualisation tool. 

Youth Custody Data 

On Friday 13 March, HMPPS and the Youth Custody Service published monthly statistics on the population in custody of children and young people within the secure estate for January 2026. 

A thematic inspection: What helps women cope in prison? 

On Friday 13 March, HMPPS and the Probation Service published the HMPPS action plan, and 12-month update, in response to HMIP inspection on what helps women cope in prison. 

Major funding boost to ‘divert women from a life of crime’ 

On Monday 16 March, the MoJ announced that thousands more vulnerable women trapped in a revolving door of crime will receive drug, employment and housing support as part of £31.6 million funding boost. 

Women’s Justice Board recommendations for reducing women’s imprisonment 

On Monday 16 March, the MoJ published the Women’s Justice Board’s recommendations report for reducing women’s imprisonment. 

Independent review of police force structures: terms of reference 

On Tuesday 17 March, the Home Office published the terms of reference for the Independent Review of Police Force Structures.  

Safety, well-being and hope: The untapped potential of family contact in prisons 

On Tuesday 17 March, HM Inspector of Prison published a report on the critical role that families and friends can play in the lives of people in prison, helping to support mental and physical well-being, a sense of purpose and a desire to change. 

Children to get ‘swifter justice’ as new family court approach expands nationally 

On Tuesday 17 March, the MoJ and HM Courts and Tribunals Service announced that the newly named Child Focused Courts will be rolled out across England and Wales. 

Appointments Offered to People on Probation: 2023-2025 

On Wednesday 18 March, the MoJ published an ad hoc analysis of the number of face-to-face sentence management appointments. 

Update on Probation Delivery 

On Thursday 19 March, the MoJ issued a statement in the House of Lords and the House of Commons on probation delivery.  

Pathways between probation and addiction treatment in England: a follow-up study 

On Thursday 19 March, the MoJ and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published follow-up analysis building on the pathways between probation and addiction treatment in England report. 

Government announces plans to tag ‘thousands more’ people 

On Thursday 19 March, the MoJ and HMPPS announced that they plan to tag ‘thousands more’ people alongside changes to supervision that will focus probation time on the those who pose the greatest risk. 

Impact of Social Visits in Prison 

On Friday 20 March, the MoJ published a report on the impact of prison visits on reoffending, self-harm and housing post-release, using matched analysis across time, frequency and demographics. 

Justice in Numbers Summary Tables and Pocketbook 

On Monday 23 March, the MoJ published the latest edition of the justice in numbers pocketbook. 

MOJ small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) and VCSE action plan: 2025 to 2028 

On Tuesday 24 March, the MoJ updated the action plan for small and medium-sized enterprises and the VSCE sector, aiming to make it easier for small businesses to access public sector supply chains and remove unnecessary burdens and costs. 

Reform of Local Justice Areas 

On Tuesday 24 March, the MoJ published the outcomes of their consultation on the reform of local justice areas.  

Safeguarding responses to county lines and youth violence 

On Tuesday 24 March, the Home Office published a commissioned report evaluating how multi-agency safeguarding partnerships across England respond to serious youth violence/county lines exploitation. 

Agreement between UK Government and Welsh Government on youth justice and probation 

On Wednesday 25 March, the MoJ, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales and HMPPS published the agreement between the UK Government and Welsh Government on youth justice and probation in Wales. 

Workforce management information: MOJ 

On Wednesday 25 March, the MoJ updated its information, its agencies and executive non-departmental public bodies’ paybills. 

Agreement on the production of a memorandum of understanding on probation services in Wales 

On Wednesday 25 March, the MoJ and HMPPS published their future Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build flexibility and partnerships across Wales to support the delivery of probation services. 

Ministry of Justice: Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) 

On Wednesday 25 March, the MoJ updated statistics on the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) data-linking programme which aims to improve the connectedness of government data in England and Wales. 

Criminal court statistics quarterly: October to December 2025 

On Thursday 26 March, the MoJ published quarterly data on the type and volume of cases received and processed through the criminal court system of England and Wales, including statistics on case timeliness for the period between October and December 2025. 

Family court statistics quarterly: October to December 2025 

On Thursday 26 March, the MoJ published data on the volume of cases dealt with by family courts over time, with statistics also broken down for the main types of case involved for the period between October to December 2025. 

Integrated Offender Management: Impact evaluation report 

On Thursday 26 March, the MoJ and HMPPS published a report providing findings from an impact evaluation of Integrated Offender Management. 

HMCTS reform evaluation thematic report: digitalisation 

On Thursday 26 March, the MoJ published a report drawing together findings from multiple strands of research evaluating the digitalisation activities of the HMCTS Reform Programme. 

Prison performance data 2024 to 2025 

On Thursday 26 March, the MoJ and HMPPS published data on prison unit costs cover the direct and overall cost of prison places and prisoner population from 2024 to 2025. 

Preventing the drivers of youth custody 

On Thursday 26 March, on behalf of the MoJ, the Minister for Sentencing, Youth Justice and International, Jake Richards, gave a speech about the drivers of youth custody and the future of youth courts. 

Families First Partnership programme 

On Thursday 26 March, the Department for Education published updated guidance for safeguarding partners on implementing Family Help and multi-agency child protection reforms and increasing support for family networks. 

Changing Futures Lived Experience Support Grant: prospectus 

On Thursday 26 March, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published details on the changing futures lived experience support grant. The grant will fund a national lived experience provider to work with partners and the central government team to strengthen cross-area learning, and ensure lived experience plays a central role in program design, delivery and system change both locally and nationally. 

How do you get people on board? Exploring what matters for interventions implementation in the community 

On Thursday 26 March, HMPPS published findings from a research study exploring the factors that help, and hinder, the implementation of interventions within the community. 

Probate reform evaluation data summary 

On Thursday 26 March, the MoJ published analysis containing key trends in the probate service and how they vary for different groups of applications and service users. 

‘Everything is after sentencing’: The experiences of remand prisoners 

On Friday 27 March, HM Inspector of Prisons published a report on the experiences of people on remand in prison, arguing that they have poorer outcomes than those serving a sentence. 

Reframing masculinity for young men and boys 

On Friday 27 March, HM Inspector of Probation published a report highlighting the importance for probation and youth justice practice of understanding current constructions of masculinity. 

PPO to conduct investigation into use of restraints on pregnant women in prison during pregnancy-related hospital escorts 

On Monday 30 March, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman announced that the Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson, has commissioned them to carry out an investigation into the use of restraints on pregnant women in prison during pregnancy-related hospital escorts. 

Hardly working out: barriers to physical education in prisons 

On Tuesday 31 March, HM Inspector of Prisons published a report examining the barriers to physical education in prisons. 

Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 21: Segregation 

On Tuesday 31 March, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman published the 21st issue of the Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue on segregation. 

Prison Education - Core Education Planned Delivery Volumes April 2025 – March 2027 

On Tuesday 31 March, the MoJ published a report on the planned levels of Core Education commissioning under the previous and current Core Education contracts within prisons. 

Recall, Review and Re-Release of Recalled Prisoners Policy Framework 

On Tuesday 31 March, the MoJ and HMPPS updated the Recall, Review and Re-Release of Recalled Prisoners Policy Framework to reflect the legislative changes introduced by the Sentencing Act 2026. 

Trainee Probation Officer starters: April 2025 to March 2026 

On Thursday 2 April, the HMPPS published annual transparency data on the number of Trainee Probation Officer starters in HMPPS for the previous financial year. 

Record year for gang busts and knife seizures 

On Sunday 5 April, the Home Office announced that new figures show a record year for County Lines enforcement, with ‘more gang leaders charged and knives seized’ than in previous years, backed by £34m in new funding. 

Police National Computer proxy for ‘knife-enabled offenders’ 

On Tuesday 7 April, the Home Office published management information on an experimental proxy for ‘knife-enabled offenders’ using the Police National Computer dataset covering the period from 2018 to 2023. 

Neighbourhood Policing Programme, as at 28 February 2026 

On Tuesday 7 April, the Home Office published an ad-hoc management information data release on growth under the Neighbourhood Policing Programme in England and Wales, as at 28 February 2026. 

Government hits neighbourhood police hiring target 

On Tuesday 7 April, the Home Office published a news story outlining that the government has now met their target to put over 3,000 additional neighbourhood police into roles 2 months early. 

Protecting lives, building hope: a plan to halve knife crime 

On Tuesday 7 April, the Home Office published a report which sets out the actions this government is taking to meet its ambition to halve knife crime in a decade. 

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Sixty-fifth report from Session 2024-26 

On Tuesday 7 April, HM Treasury published the Government’s response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Sixty-fifth report from Session 2024-26, including the MoJ’s response to the efficiency and resilience of the Probation Service. 

Outcome of unduly lenient sentence referrals 

On Wednesday 8 April, the Attorney General’s Office published the updated data on recent sentences they have examined under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. 

Facial recognition technology in policing 

On Thursday 9 April, the UK Parliament published a rapid response detailing how the UK police forces have used facial recognition technology for around a decade, including information on how it works, how it is used and what the opportunities and concerns are with the use of facial recognition technology. 

Schools in knife crime hotspots to get targeted support 

On Thursday 9 April, the Home Office announced that schools in high knife crime hotspots will get targeted support in an effort to divert children away from crime. 

Knife homicides down 27% after 63,000 knives taken off streets 

On Thursday 9 April, the Home Office announced that ‘more than 63,000 knives and weapons have been taken off our streets’ under the current government. 

Knife crime hotspots to see surge in police operations 

On Thursday 9 April, the Home Office announced that ‘high knife crime hotspots’ will have increased police patrols, knife arches and Live Facial Recognition in an effort to lower rates of knife crime. 

Victims and bereaved get more time to challenge lenient sentences 

On Thursday 9 April, the MoJ announced that victims and bereaved families will get more time to challenge sentences if they do not feel that they are not proportionate to the harm they've suffered. 

Police custody and pre-charge bail, year ending March 2025 

On Thursday 9 April, the MoJ published official statistics on detentions in police custody, strip searches in custody, police pre-charge bail, and detentions over 24 hours in police custody. 

Youth custody data 

On Friday 10 April, HMPPS and the Youth Custody Service published monthly statistics on the population in custody of children and young people within the secure estate for February 2026. 

Serious Violence Reduction Orders independent evaluation report 

On Friday 10 April, the Home Office published an independent evaluation of the Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) pilot, examining design, delivery and outcomes across 4 police force areas. 

New funding to expand specialist patrols 

On Friday 10 April, the Home Office announced a £5 million funding boost to increase deployment of highly trained officers to identify and disrupt offending behaviours in key public spaces. 

YJB response to the publication of the Southport Inquiry report 

On Monday 13 April, the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales published their response to the Southport Inquiry report. 

Offender management: psychology risk assessment reports 

On Monday 13 April, the MoJ and HMPPS published a guidance document containing a policy which outlines requirements for practitioner psychologists producing psychology risk assessment (PRA) reports within HMPPS. 

AI court transcripts to boost access to justice for victims 

On Tuesday 14 April, the MoJ and HM Courts and Tribunals Service announced a new study that will explore how AI can be used to transcribe court hearings and open the door to faster, cheaper access to court records for victims.  

Courts 

Insidetime published a briefing outlining that the government has fully reversed recent changes to Parole Board Rule 19 that had restricted the rights of people in prison to oral hearings, restoring the original rules after significant criticism and confusion. 

Transform Justice published a blog which finds that judges and court professionals do not consistently treat defendants with respect, nor support them to understand and participate in their court hearings. 

Criminal Justice System 

INQUEST published nine research guides that have been drawn from their archive at Bishopsgate Institute. These include guides on: Mental Health: Prisons and Policing, Responses and strategies outside of the law, Justice Denied: truth and accountability in state-related deaths, Policing: a pervasive culture of violence and evasion, Privatisation and the Diffusion of Responsibility within the Justice System, The Role of Families, Prisons: Letters & Writings, Prisons: Suicide and Deaths in Mental Health Settings. 

Education 

The University and College Union published a report on the mental health and wellbeing of prison educators working in the UK, arguing that many prison educators feel their working lives are scarred by high stress levels and heavy workloads, leading to a decline in their mental health and wellbeing. 

The Prisoners’ Education Trust published a blog highlighting key concerns following the Ministry of Justice’s new transparency data showing that the number of planned hours of education in public sector prisons in England has been cut by 25%. Building off this, in a guest blog for Russell Webster, Jon Collins from the Prisoners’ Education Trust highlighted some of the grim details of the slashing of the prison education budget. 

Families   

INQUEST published their annual impact report, showcasing their campaigning, advocacy, support, and creative approaches that reached far beyond traditional justice spaces in 2025. The report highlights promising progress, with families shaping the development of Hillsborough Law, to INQUEST hosting the first ever Family Listening Day in Scotland, as part of a review into the Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) process.  

Lived Experience 

The Shannon Trust published a blog on the lasting impact of peer mentoring, arguing that it offers an opportunity to build human connections and learning and can be transformative, not only for the individual but for everyone around them. 

Prisons 

The Howard League published a blog on fire safety in prisons, arguing that more than 60 prisons await vital improvements. They highlighted that only after the threat of litigation from the Howard League that the government notified its independent fire safety regulator, the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate (CPFSI), that it no longer intended to take non-compliant cells out of use by the end of 2027. 

Probation 

The Probation Institute published the 39th edition of the Probation Quarterly journal which included articles on the growing strain on the criminal justice system, the importance of belonging in supporting desistance, and practitioners’ role in identifying unmet needs as defined by the Care Act. 

Revolving Doors published a blog which argues that the Probation Service has become dominated by defensive, risk‑averse practices that undermine meaningful rehabilitation, leaving staff overburdened and people on supervision unsupported. It calls for a cultural reset focused on smaller caseloads, learning‑focused reviews, restored professional judgement, and a renewed commitment to rehabilitation as the service’s core purpose. 

Sentencing 

The Magistrates’ Association published their position statement on Community Sentences, which calls for a renewed focus on community sentencing, built on the three principles of credibility, transparency and local coherence. 

Women 

Women in Prison published a blog welcoming the government’s announcement to invest almost £32m for women’s services to tackle the root causes of reoffending. 

The National Women’s Justice Coalition published its first impact report, evidencing four years of collective influence and how collective strength, feminist leadership and credible evidence can shift policy. 

Youth Justice 

The National Association for Youth Justice published a briefing on the importance for youth justice services to build a culture of relational care, supported by strong boundaries, reflective supervision, and compassionate organisational cultures to help children feel valued, build trust, and support positive development and change.