Criminals who refuse to attend sentencing could lose prison privileges under new rules

England and Wales judges will be able to keep inmates in their cells for longer or stop visits if they refuse to face their victims’ families in court

Offenders who refuse to face their victims’ families in court for sentencing could be stripped of privileges or kept in cells for weeks under government changes granting wider powers to judges in England and Wales.

The imposition of new prison sanctions, coming into effect next year, build on existing laws that order offenders to attend sentencing or face a fine or be jailed for a further two years for contempt of court.