Welcome to the November 2026 edition of the Clinks Policy Briefing. Please let us know if you have any thoughts on this newsletter or any of the things it has covered by contacting the Policy team.
This month:
- Our Policy Work, including manifesto guest blogs by Change Grow Live, Release Mates and Through the Sentence, analysis of the 2026 Budget, a briefing on vetting people with lived experience, and our response to the Independent Review of the Prison System.
- Latest Justice News, including publications on homelessness, community safety, courts and sentencing, electronic monitoring, mental health, prison conditions and releases, probation, victims’ support, women and youth justice.
- Parliamentary News, including ministerial questions on courts, prisons, probation, victims and women, updates on the Social Housing, Health, Youth Justice Board and Courts and Tribunals Bills, and debates on early release, sentencing, electronic monitoring and recalls.
- Sector Insights, including commentary on homelessness, problem-solving courts, voluntary sector advocacy, drug treatment, prison education and conditions, support for children and families, women in prison, Earned Settlement proposals and youth custody.
This month, we published a series of guest blogs as a part of our manifesto blog series highlighting key recommendations from our new voluntary sector-led manifesto for criminal justice reform.
We published a guest blog by Change Grow Live arguing that the ramping up of Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTRs), alongside better integration between treatment providers and probation services, can address the root causes of offending, reduce reoffending, and provide a credible alternative to short custodial sentences.
Another guest blog, from Release Mates, highlights how tailored through-the-gate support, lived experience mentoring, and practical day-of-release assistance can improve resettlement outcomes and give people leaving prison a realistic chance to rebuild their lives.
Through the Sentence blogged for us on the impact of imprisonment on children and families, arguing for better identification, support, family engagement, and sustainable funding for voluntary sector services supporting those affected by imprisonment.
We also published analysis of the Government's 2026 Budget, arguing that it failed to address the deep funding pressures facing the justice system, despite offering welcome investment in rough sleeping prevention, tackling misogyny and preventative spending.
On vetting, we published a briefing examining the HMPPS Risk Assessed Access Policy Framework, outlining the vetting process for people with lived experience of the criminal justice system and highlighting key implementation issues for voluntary sector organisations.
Finally, we have published our response to the Independent Review of the Prison System's call for evidence.
Accommodation and Homelessness
- Plan to drive down homelessness for young people leaving care - The Department for Education announced a new action plan to reduce homelessness among care-experienced young people.
Community Safety and Prevention
- Steps to Safety initiative introduced in 12 areas across England - The Department of Health and Social Care published a news story announcing the first phase of the Steps to Safety programme.
- Respect orders launch: targeting antisocial behaviour - The Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Ministry of Justice published a news story announcing the introduction of Respect Orders.
Courts, Sentencing and Legal Aid
- People who do not attend sentencing hearings to face new prison punishments - The Ministry of Justice published a press release announcing new powers for judges to impose prison sanctions on people who refuse to attend sentencing hearings.
- Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: June 2026 - The Ministry of Justice published accredited official statistics on prosecutions, convictions, remand and sentencing in England and Wales.
- Thousands step forward in record magistrate recruitment drive - The Ministry of Justice and HM Courts & Tribunals Service published a press release on magistrate recruitment and an audio-recording pilot in magistrates’ courts.
- Access to Justice: Legal Aid: Government Response - The Justice Committee published the Government’s response to its report on access to justice and legal aid.
Electronic Monitoring
- Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, September 2026 - The Ministry of Justice published statistics on the use and delivery of location- and alcohol-monitoring devices.
- Electronic monitoring in practice: The police response to electronically monitored bail conditions and the use of electronic monitoring on community sentences and post-release licences - HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services published a joint inspection report on electronic monitoring. The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS published an action plan in response.
Health and Mental Health
- Vision laid out for ‘no wrong door’ approach to mental health support - The Welsh Government published a press release setting out its approach to improving access to mental health support.
- 'Serious offenders' detained in hospital will no longer receive benefits - The Department for Work and Pensions published a press release on plans to remove benefit entitlement from people convicted of specified serious violent and sexual offences who are detained in hospital under a Hospital Order.
Policing and Public Protection
- Police use of force statistics, April 2025 to March 2026 - The Home Office published official statistics on police use of force in England and Wales.
- Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) annual report: 2025 to 2026 - HMPPS and the Ministry of Justice published annual statistics on people managed under MAPPA.
Prisons and Custody
- Distance learning for adult prisons policy framework - The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS published a policy framework on access to further and higher education distance learning in adult prisons.
- 'Offender' management statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 - The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS published statistics on prison populations, releases, recalls and probation supervision.
- Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales: Deaths in Prison Custody to September 2026 Assaults and Self-harm to June 2026 - The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS published statistics on deaths, self-harm and assaults in prisons.
- Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data: April 2025 to June 2026 - The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS published statistics on people released under the SDS40 scheme.
- Physical education and activity in custody policy framework - The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS published a policy framework on physical education, sport and physical activity in custody.
- Justice and Home Affairs Committee: Fire Safety in Prisons - The Justice and Home Affairs Committee published a House of Lords report on fire prevention, safety, oversight and accountability in prisons.
Probation, Resettlement and Rehabilitation
- Proven reoffending statistics: October to December 2024 - The Ministry of Justice published statistics on proven reoffending in England and Wales.
- Deaths of people under probation supervision in the community, annual update to March 2026 - The Ministry of Justice published statistics on deaths among people under probation supervision in the community.
- Effective practice: making more of what we learn through inspection - HM Inspectorate of Probation published its strategy for sharing learning from inspections across probation and youth justice services.
Victims, Survivors and Domestic Abuse
- Victims of abuse to be better supported by their community - The Ministry of Justice published a press release announcing the Respond campaign to help communities support victims and survivors of abuse.
- New panel to give child sexual abuse and exploitation survivors a voice - The Home Office, Victims’ Commissioner and Ministry of Justice published a news story announcing an advisory panel for adult survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation, alongside an accompanying factsheet.
Women
- New courts in the north to help women break the cycle of reoffending - The Ministry of Justice published a press release announcing the expansion of Intensive Supervision Courts for women in northern England.
- Health and social care needs assessment toolkit: women's prisons - The UK Health Security Agency and NHS England published guidance on assessing and responding to women’s health and social care needs in prison.
Youth Justice
- Children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour - HM Inspectorate of Probation published a report on children and young people who display harmful sexual behaviour.
- Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate: Update to June 2026 - The Ministry of Justice, HMPPS and Youth Custody Service published statistics on safety across secure settings for children and young people.
Parliamentary Questions:
- The Lord Chancellor was asked about several key issues, including topics related to:
- Courts: crown court trials, jurors, allowances for juries, court repairs and maintenance, criminal cases and domestic abuse prosecutions.
- Prison: the release of people from prison, homelessness upon release, prison accomodation, prison construction, costs of the early release scheme, education in prisons, prison repairs and maintenance, drugs, universal credit for people in prisons, parents in prison, prison staff and prison adjudication proceedings.
- Sentencing: criminal proceedings for sexual offences.
- Victims: Victim support schemes for crimes of violence and domestic abuse.
- Women: women who offend and women who reoffend.
- He was also asked about: health services for people who commit minor offences, probation and remand in custody for veterans, electronic tagging and tagging breaches, temporary accommodation units, housing for people who reoffend, criminal investigations for sexual offences, medical treatments for sexual offences, rehabilitating those with joint-enterprise convictions, translation services, restorative practice hub, administration of justice in Wales, bail, rehabilitation, temporary accommodation and safeguarding against security threats.
- The Attorney General was asked about domestic abuse prosecutions.
- The Home Secretary was asked about criminal investigations for sexual offences, victims of sexual offences, victims of harassment and notifying victims of bail decisions.
- The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care was asked about health services in prisons.
- The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions was asked about employment support for prison leavers.
- The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government was asked about homelessness after leaving prison.
Bill Updates:
Courts and Tribunals Bill
- Tuesday 13 October, Third Reading in the House of Commons
- Wednesday 14 October, First Reading in the House of Lords
- Tuesday 27 October, Second Reading in the House of Lords
Health Bill
Tuesday 13 October, Second Reading in the House of Lords
Wednesday 28 October, First Sitting in the Committee Stage in the House of Lords
Social Housing Bill [HL]
- Tuesday 27 October, First and Second Sitting in the Committee Stage expected in the House of Commons
- Thursday 29 October, Third and Fourth Sitting in the House of Commons
- Tuesday 3 November, Fifth Sitting in the House of Commons
Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Restoration of Powers and Responsibilities) Bill [HL]
Wednesday 11 November, scheduled to enter the Committee Stage in the House of Lords
Debates:
- Tuesday 13 October, Early Release Scheme, debated in the House of Commons
- Tuesday 13 October, Police Funding: North-east England, debated in the House of Commons
- Monday 19 October, Controlling or Coercive Behaviour: Sentencing, debated in the House of Commons
- Monday 26 October, Rough Sleeping and Good Growth Funds, debated in the House of Commons
- Tuesday 27 October, Electronic Monitoring, debated in the House of Commons
- Tuesday 27 October, International Criminal Court, debated in the House of Lords
- Wednesday 28 October, Electronic Monitoring, debated in the House of Lords
- Wednesday 28 October, Causing Death by Dangerous or Careless Driving, debated in the House of Commons
- Tuesday 3 November, Prison (Governor’s and Adjudicators’ Punishments) (Amendment) Rules 2026, debated in the House of Lords
- Tuesday 3 November, Strangulation: Prevention and Awareness, debated in the House of Commons
- Wednesday 4 November, Prison Recalls: Breach of Licence, debated in the House of Lords
- Monday 9 November, Rape and Serious Sexual Offences: Jury Directions, debated in the House of Lords
Accommodation
Homeless Link published a blog analysing the 2026 Budget, welcoming major new investment in rough sleeping and homelessness services while highlighting concerns about Local Housing Allowance, Housing First funding and pressures on homelessness providers.
Homeless Link also published a response to new CHAIN rough sleeping figures, warning that rising levels of rough sleeping in London highlight the need for sustained investment in frontline services and stronger cross-government action to achieve the government's ambition of ending rough sleeping.
Courts
The Centre for Justice Innovation published a briefing outlining learning and recommendations from Welsh national Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) and problem-solving workshops, highlighting strong support for problem-solving approaches in public law family proceedings to reduce repeat care cases and improve multi-agency working, while identifying challenges around funding, workforce capacity and regional variation, and setting out 10 recommendations for implementation in Wales.
Criminal Justice System
NCVO was featured in a news article for Civil Society, warning that the voluntary sector should not take its improved relationship with the current government for granted and must continue to advocate independently.
Drug and Alcohol Use
Collective Voice published a blog calling for a new drugs strategy and renewed investment in treatment and harm reduction services following the latest drug-related death figures.
Education
The Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) published a blog on FE Week arguing that cuts to prison education hours have reduced learning opportunities, increased time spent in cells, and undermined rehabilitation outcomes across the prison estate.
Families
Prison Reform Trust published a report on the third phase of its Child Impact Assessment project, highlighting how child-centred approaches can better identify and meet the needs of children affected by parental involvement in the justice system.
Centre for Crime and Justice Studies published a report reviewing evidence on early help and early intervention, identifying 18 characteristics associated with effective support for children and families and providing a framework to inform policy, commissioning and practice.
Prisons
Prison Reform Trust published a comment on a thematic report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, arguing that prison overcrowding and poor maintenance are driving unacceptable living conditions that undermine rehabilitation.
Women
Agenda Alliance published a guest blog by Dr Sofia Buncy MBE and Dr Alexandria Bradley highlighting the work of the Muslim Women in Prison Project and the importance of culturally competent, faith-sensitive support for young Muslim women in contact with the criminal justice system.
Hibiscus published a news article highlighting concerns that the government's Earned Settlement proposals could increase risks for migrant victim-survivors of violence against women and girls by creating further barriers to safety and support.
Youth Justice
Alliance for Youth Justice (AYJ) published a comment on the latest inspection report of HMYOI Werrington, highlighting concerns about conditions and outcomes for children in custody and reflecting on the implications for youth justice policy and practice.
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This month's edition was written by...
Clinks Specialist Policy and Communications Officer, Elizaveta Chandler
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