Legislation – Sentencing Act 2026

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Introduction

Part 1
Sentencing

1 Presumption of suspended sentence order for sentences of 12 months or less

2 Custodial sentences that may be suspended

3 Income reduction orders

4 Purposes of sentencing

5 Date to which passing of sentence may be deferred

6 Finding of domestic abuse

7 Special custodial sentence for certain offenders of particular concern: England and Wales

8 Sentence with fixed licence period: Scotland

9 Sentence with fixed licence period: Northern Ireland

10 Corresponding provision under service law

11 Whole life order: murder of police, prison or probation officer

12 Removal of requirement to specify maximum number of days

13 Rehabilitation activity requirement renamed probation requirement

14 Driving prohibition requirement

15 Public event attendance prohibition requirement

16 Drinking establishment entry prohibition requirement

17 Restriction zone requirement

18 Power to add or alter requirements

19 Sentencing Council business plan

20 Sentencing guidelines

21 Annual report relating to prison capacity

22 Provision of transcripts of sentencing remarks to victims

Part 2
Management of offenders after sentencing

23 Release

24 Release: consequential amendments relating to driving disqualification

25 Release on licence of certain violent or sexual offenders: service offences

26 Limitation of provisions about home detention curfew

27 Licence conditions

28 Licence conditions: offenders sentenced under repealed armed forces legislation

29 Power to make provision about recall to prison

30 Further release after recall: introductory

31 Further release after recall: relevant young offenders suitable for automatic release

32 Further release after recall: other offenders eligible for automatic release

33 Further release after recall: supplementary

34 Repeal of provisions relating to supervision after end of sentence

35 Early removal of prisoners liable to removal from United Kingdom

36 Removal of maximum period for unpaid work requirement

37 Number of hours of work required by unpaid work requirement

38 Termination of community order

39 Termination of supervision period of suspended sentence order

40 Rules about the proceedings of the Parole Board

41 Application of provisions about release etc to certain repatriated prisoners

42 Imprisonment or detention for public protection: termination of licences

43 Powers of High Court on referral

Part 3
Bail

44 Amendments to Bail Act 1976

Part 4
Foreign criminals

45 Deportation of foreign criminals

Part 5
General

46 Power to make consequential provision

47 Power to state effect in Sentencing Act 2020 of commencement of amendments made by this Act

48 Extent

49 Commencement

50 Short title

SCHEDULES

Schedule 1 Presumption of suspended sentence order: consequential provision

Schedule 2 Sentence with fixed licence period in Scotland or Northern Ireland: consequential provision

Schedule 3 Corresponding provision about sentencing under service law: sentences for offenders of particular concern

Schedule 4 Offences where offender not eligible for automatic release under section 255BA after recall

Schedule 5 Repeal of provisions relating to supervision after end of sentence: consequential provision

Part 1Sentencing

New community order requirements and community requirements

14Driving prohibition requirement

(1)

The Sentencing Code is amended in accordance with subsections (2) to (7).

(2)

In section 163(2) (availability of driving disqualification), at the end insert “(including where the court makes a community order or a suspended sentence order which imposes a driving prohibition requirement).”

(3)

In section 201 (community order requirements table), in the table, after the entry relating to the prohibited activity requirement insert—

“driving prohibition requirement

Part 4A

section 207(A1)”.

(4)

In section 207 (availability of community order requirements)—

(a)

before the italic heading before subsection (1) insert—

“A1Driving prohibition requirement

A driving prohibition requirement is not an available requirement if the offence was committed before the day on which section 14(4)(a) of the Sentencing Act 2026 came into force.”;

(b)

after subsection (4) insert—

“(5)Day on which offence committed

Where an offence is found to have been committed over a period of 2 or more days, or at some time during a period of 2 or more days, it must be taken for the purposes of this section to have been committed on the last of those days.”

(5)

In section 287 (community requirements table), in the table, after the entry relating to the prohibited activity requirement insert—

“driving prohibition requirement

Part 4A

section 291(A1)”.

(6)

In section 291 (availability of community requirements)—

(a)

before the italic heading before subsection (1) insert—

“A1Driving prohibition requirement

A driving prohibition requirement is not an available requirement if the offence was committed before the day on which section 14(6)(a) of the Sentencing Act 2026 came into force.”;

(b)

after subsection (4) insert—

“(5)Day on which offence committed

Where an offence is found to have been committed over a period of 2 or more days, or at some time during a period of 2 or more days, it must be taken for the purposes of this section to have been committed on the last of those days.”

(7)

In Schedule 9 (community orders and suspended sentence orders: requirements), after Part 4 insert—

“Part 4ADriving prohibition requirement

8A

(1)

In this Code “driving prohibition requirement”, in relation to a relevant order, means a requirement prohibiting the offender from driving a motor vehicle on a road or other public place.

(2)

A driving prohibition requirement may prohibit the offender—

(a)

from driving at any time in a particular period or at particular times in a particular period;

(b)

from driving any motor vehicle or a motor vehicle of a particular kind;

(c)

from driving on any road or other public place or on a road or other public place in a particular area.

(3)

Where the court makes a relevant order imposing a driving prohibition requirement, the following must be specified in the order—

(a)

the period for which the requirement has effect;

(b)

if the order prohibits the offender from driving at particular times, those times;

(c)

if the order prohibits the offender from driving a motor vehicle of a particular kind, that kind of motor vehicle;

(d)

if the order prohibits the offender from driving on a road or other public place in a particular area, that area.

(4)

A court may impose a driving prohibition requirement whether or not the offence to which the order relates involved—

(a)

the driving of a motor vehicle, or

(b)

the use of a motor vehicle to commit the offence.

(5)

In this paragraph—

motor vehicle” has the same meaning as in the Road Traffic Act 1988 except that for this purpose section 189(1) of that Act is to be read as if paragraph (c) (certain electrically assisted pedal cycles not to be treated as motor vehicles) were omitted;

road” has the same meaning as in the Road Traffic Act 1988 (see section 192 of that Act).”

(8)

In section 177H of the Armed Forces Act 2006 (availability of driving disqualification order), at the end insert “(including where the court makes a service community order, an overseas community order or a suspended sentence order which imposes a driving prohibition requirement).”