Victims’ Commissioner meets with new Lord Chancellor as Government pauses prison releases
Claire Waxman met with the Lord Chancellor, Alex Norris, to discuss the safeguards needed to protect victims and maintain public confidence as the Government reviews planned early prison releases.
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman OBE, met with the Lord Chancellor, Alex Norris, as the Government pauses and reviews planned prison releases under the Sentencing Act.
The meeting followed the Victims’ Commissioner’s calls for a pause to the planned prison releases amid concerns that victim safeguards and protections were not sufficient to keep the public safe.
During the discussions, the Commissioner welcomed acknowledgement that victims had been let down by the way the policy had initially been developed and communicated. However, she stressed that rebuilding confidence would require more than this acknowledgement and called for a coordinated response across the criminal justice system to ensure victim and public safety remain at the heart of decision-making.
The Commissioner raised concerns that leadership, coordination and oversight had been lacking, with agencies too often operating in silos and victims left to bear the consequences.
She called for a ministerial-led national taskforce to provide strategic leadership, oversee implementation and ensure agencies are working to a common plan. The Commissioner also urged greater transparency, including the publication of clear performance measures and accountability mechanisms.
The Commissioner also stressed the need for trauma-informed and tailored communication with victims, warning that many had been left shocked, distressed and uncertain by the way the policy was originally communicated.
She also emphasised that, while some exclusions may ultimately be necessary, the focus must remain on robust safeguards and risk management for all victims affected by any early release measures.
While recognising the significant pressures facing the prison estate and the lack of simple solutions, the Commissioner made clear that victims should not be left shouldering the consequences of wider systemic challenges and failures in planning and preparation.
Following the meeting with the Lord Chancellor, the Victims’ Commissioner said:
For victims, the meeting included a welcome acknowledgement that they had been let down. But this situation did not arise overnight. Leadership, coordination and oversight were sorely lacking, with the consequences felt across the system – and ultimately borne by victims.
The Government must grip this situation with urgency, bring agencies together under a national taskforce and behind a common plan, and deliver the safeguards victims and the public have been promised. That means trauma-informed communication, robust risk assessments that properly reflect victims’ experiences, meaningful and enforceable licence conditions, and a clear plan for managing risk, including confidence all parts of the system have the capacity to keep the public safe.
Let me be clear: nobody wants to be here. The pressures facing the prison estate are real. There are no silver bullets, no easy solutions and very little room for manoeuvre. But victims should never have been left shouldering the consequences of years of inaction, only to be let down again by failures in planning and preparation.
In recent weeks, my office has heard from victims left shocked, distressed and deeply uncertain about what the future holds. I called for the scheme to be paused because I was not satisfied that victims’ concerns were being properly addressed, and I welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision to act. But rebuilding trust will require sustained action, transparency and a clear demonstration that victim and public safety is driving decision-making at every stage.
While we cannot control where we are, we can control where we go from here. I left this meeting cautiously more hopeful than I have been in recent weeks, but victims have heard assurances before. What matters now is delivery.
Ultimately, the real test is not whether the Government acknowledges victims’ concerns, but whether it acts on them. I will continue to hold the Government to account for the commitments it has made and for ensuring those safeguards are delivered in practice.
Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales
The Commissioner also raised concerns about victims who are not eligible for the Victim Contact Scheme, warning that some risk being left without clear information, support or routes to seek reassurance if they are affected by the changes. She also called for stronger engagement with victim support organisations, recognising the crucial role they play in supporting affected victims and the pressures many frontline services are already facing.
The Victims’ Commissioner will continue to engage with ministers, criminal justice agencies and the victim support sector as the Government’s review progresses, and will continue to hold decision-makers to account for delivering the safeguards needed to protect victims and maintain public confidence.
Further reading
Victims’ Commissioner: Government has rightly halted prisoner early release scheme and must now provide urgent clarity for victims.
Published on July 23, 2026
Read full articleVictims’ Commissioner: “As things stand, I do not have confidence that these releases can be managed in a way that fully safeguards victims, protects the public and maintains confidence in the justice system.”
Published on July 22, 2026
Read full articleThe Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales has written to Minister Timpson to formally raise urgent concerns regarding the implementation of the Sentencing Act 2026 ahead of scheduled prison releases this September.
Published on July 8, 2026
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