Issue 470  3rd October 2026

A new national framework for listing cases in the criminal courts of England and Wales comes into effect tomorrow (1 October), supporting a more consistent approach to listing and helping courts to prioritise cases where delay has the greatest impact. The new Practice Direction on Listing in the Criminal Courts is the first national framework for criminal listing and provides direction to judges on prioritising cases based on the human impact of delay on victims, witnesses and defendants, while ensuring fairness in proceedings. A set of guidance notes have been published to support the implementation of the new arrangements and help the judiciary, HMCTS staff and practitioners apply the National Listing Framework in practice. Alongside the Practice Direction on Listing coming into force, the Lady Chief Justice’s Guidance on Live Links in the criminal courts, which was published on 6 July 2026, is also to be implemented nationally by tomorrow (1 October). The guidance provides a clear national framework for the consistent use of remote participation in criminal proceedings, supporting access to justice and the efficient use of court resources...

Hundreds of criminals are being released early from prisons in England and Wales under new rules introduced to prevent facilities reaching capacity. The first 700 of an expected 4,500 inmates eligible under the scheme were due to be let out on Thursday. The government has stressed they will remain subject to strict monitoring arrangements, including the expanded use of electronic tagging, and has said action was needed to prevent prisons from becoming full. But the plan has been strongly criticised by victims and questions have been raised over whether the Probation Service has sufficient resources to monitor thousands more criminals in the community.

Prisons in England and Wales are a matter of months away from reaching capacity, with Ministry of Justice data showing as of Monday 87,499 people were incarcerated, taking prison population levels up to 98.2%. Thursday's release is the first of 10 scheduled to take place, with the final slated for June 2027...

Offenders leaving prison from today will be monitored under the toughest supervision in British history, as new powers to restrict their movements come into force. The tough new rules mean the prison gate is no longer where punishment ends, creating a prison in the community to protect the public and victims. For the first time anywhere in the world, new restriction zones will tightly control the movements of the highest-risk sexual and violent offenders - confining many to an area just a few miles wide, keeping them away from those they have harmed and allowing victims to rebuild their lives without fear.

The biggest ever expansion of electronic monitoring in British history is also being rolled out with a new presumption that offenders will be electronically tagged and monitored when they leave prison. New technology rolling out this year will give probation near-live access to tagging data, helping probation staff spot breaches and act quickly when offenders step out of line. Cracking down further still, offenders can also now be banned from pubs, clubs and public events like football matches to prevent disruption and harm to the community. From next year, the government is also launching random drug testing for thousands of offenders...

People applying for a firearm or shotgun certificate will face stronger safety checks under new rules to help keep the public safe. From today, applicants will be required to declare any second homes where firearms could also be stored, enabling police to conduct appropriate security checks and notify the relevant force where necessary. They will also need to tell police about all people living in their household so they can identify any wider safety concerns, including risks linked to domestic abuse or mental wellbeing.

Further measures will strengthen medical checks throughout the 5 year life of a firearm or shotgun certificate. Certificate holders will be required to tell police if they are diagnosed with, or receive treatment for, a relevant medical condition, or if an existing condition gets worse. They will also need to inform police if they seek treatment or advice from an online or private doctor rather than their GP, helping ensure licensing decisions are based on the most up-to-date information available...

It was one of the flagship policies of his predecessor, but justice secretary Alex Norris left his audience none the wiser when he took to the floor in Liverpool to address the Labour party conference. In a 12-minute speech he did not once mention the key – and still very much alive –subject of jury trial reform.

Norris did pay tribute to Lammy for having ‘set in motion the major reforms we needed’ and said: ‘The changes that we are bringing to our courts will bring down the crown court backlog and ensure we are transforming the experience for victims of violence against women and girls. We will be fulfilling our manifesto commitment and implementing specialist rape courts at every Crown court in the country.’ The Courts and Tribunals Bill is currently at the report stage in the Commons and will face close scrutiny when it goes to the Lords later this year. Under the plans, juries would be replaced with a single judge in cases where a convicted defendant would be jailed for up to three years. One Labour lawyer, who did not want to be named, told the Gazette: ‘We were hoping for some clarity from the Norris speech but not to mention jury reform means we just have confusion.’ But there remains speculation that Norris will scrap or at least water down the plans. It was reported yesterday by politics website Politico that the justice secretary – who will be sworn in as lord chancellor on Thursday – is planning a new bill with ‘major structural reforms’ to speed up court hearings, the content of which would address some of the concerns about Lammy’s proposals...

The days of waste criminals hiding behind fake paperwork are numbered as thousands of businesses bring in online tracking. From today (Thursday 1 October 2026), a sweeping new digital crackdown means over 12,000 permitted waste sites across England must report, in near real-time, every single load of waste that they receive. 

For years, rogue operators have been able to hide behind outdated, paper-based system, falsifying documents and burying the evidence of illegal dumping. The new ‘Report Receipt of Waste’ service is the first step in arming investigators with a digital audit trail, exposing suspicious patterns like never before and giving enforcement teams the ammunition they need to hunt and shut down the gangs profiting from Britain’s waste epidemic. Waste can be generated by a household or on an industrial site, which should be picked up by a licensed carrier who is responsible for taking it to a permitted site for proper disposal. This new system, when fully-implemented, will help track down where a criminal network may be infiltrating the waste journey...