Category: Media
The King’s Speech offers a chance to rebuild victims’ trust in the justice system
Delivering meaningful reform would be one of the clearest signals that this government is serious about its commitment to victims.
Victims’ Commissioner extends victim survey deadline to ensure more victims’ voices are heard
The 2026 Victim Survey, which launched on 8 April, will now close on 20 May 2026.
Why victims’ rights still aren’t being delivered – and what must change
The Victims' Commissioner blogs on her response to the Victims’ Code consultation, and why stronger laws must now be backed by real systems and accountability.
Victim‑centred reform, shaped by lived experience
As the Victims and Courts Bill gains Royal Assent and becomes law, hard‑won reforms driven by bereaved families show how lived experience can shape the justice system.
From risk to harm: why we must act earlier to prevent stalking from escalating into serious violence
As National Stalking Awareness Week comes to a close, the Victims' Commissioner details how stalking can escalate, following her speech at Suzy Lamplugh Trust's conference on the critical link between stalking and "fatal fixation".
Victims’ Commissioner welcomes AI court transcripts pilot
The government has announced a pilot by HM Courts & Tribunals Service to test the use of artificial intelligence to produce court transcripts.
Victims given more time to challenge unduly lenient sentences in ‘significant and long‑overdue reform’
Victims and bereaved families will be given significantly more time to challenge sentences they believe do not reflect the seriousness of the crime, following long‑awaited reforms to the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme announced on Thursday 9 April by the Government.
Victims’ Commissioner launches 2026 Victims’ Survey
Have you been a victim of crime in the past five years? Whether you reported the crime to the police or chose not to, the Victims’ Commissioner would like to hear from you.
Victims’ Commissioner welcomes Grooming Gangs Inquiry Terms of Reference
The Victims’ Commissioner has welcomed the publication of the Terms of Reference for the Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, describing it as "an important step towards confronting the profound institutional failures” that left children exposed to widespread abuse."
Victims’ Commissioner welcomes national policing stance on self‑swabbing kits, warning they expose deeper failings in the justice system
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman OBE, has responded to the national policing position on the use of self‑swabbing kits in cases of rape and serious sexual assault. The new policing statement sets out concerns about the safety, evidential reliability and lack of safeguarding associated with self‑swabbing kits used outside regulated environments.