The United Kingdom Government has announced a major overhaul of how rape and serious sexual offence cases are handled in England and Wales, with specialised courtrooms, private entrances and waiting areas for survivors, and fixed trial dates to reduce delays.
The reforms, announced on Monday by the UK Ministry of Justice, are designed to make the criminal justice system more responsive to victims and reduce the lengthy delays experienced by survivors awaiting justice.
Under the new programme, every Crown Court in England and Wales will have at least one courtroom specially equipped to handle rape and serious sexual offence cases within the next two years.
The specialised facilities will include separate waiting rooms and entrances for victims, while technology will be provided to enable evidence to be pre-recorded and sentencing proceedings to be observed remotely.
The government also said rape and serious sexual offence cases would be prioritised, with trials allocated fixed dates rather than being placed on floating lists that can result in hearings being moved at short notice.
The move follows concerns over delays in the prosecution of rape cases. According to the UK Ministry of Justice, rape cases that reached the Crown Court took an average of 424 days to conclude in 2025.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said victims had for too long felt abandoned by the justice system.
“For too long, victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by our justice system. Prosecution rates for rape remain shamefully low, with many victims waiting years for justice,” Burnham said.
He said the reforms were intended to “rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first,” while stressing that improving prosecution alone would not be enough to tackle sexual violence.
Lord Chancellor Alex Norris said survivors had often been left to navigate the criminal justice system without adequate support.
“Victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt they’ve been left alone facing the criminal justice system for too long. They have been treated as cases to process and not as people to support,” Norris said.
He said the new funding would provide victim-centred facilities and specialist training for court staff.
The reforms will require court staff to undergo trauma-informed training, while the government will also trial a system that gives victims of sexual offences a single point of contact throughout their court proceedings.
A new Rape Justice Taskforce will bring together senior figures across the criminal justice system to address postponed rape trials and examine what the government described as myths that can contribute to victims withdrawing from cases.
Chief Executive Officer of Rape Crisis England & Wales, Ciara Bergman, welcomed the measures, saying they included reforms the organisation had advocated for over several years.
She particularly welcomed measures aimed at improving trial efficiency and enabling survivors to participate in and observe proceedings more easily.
Bergman also highlighted the importance of separate entrances, exits and waiting areas to reduce the risk of survivors encountering alleged perpetrators or their supporters at court.
The latest measures form part of the UK Government’s wider pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
Earlier in September, Burnham announced plans for every police force in England and Wales to have dedicated rape and sexual offence investigation teams by the end of 2027.
The government said it had committed more than £1bn to supporting victims of violence against women and girls since taking office, alongside measures including domestic abuse specialists in emergency call centres and new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders.
The reforms also follow public campaigning by Charlotte Nichols and others calling for improved support for victims and survivors of rape and serious sexual offences.
