| Short Title: | Victims and Prisoners Bill |
| Type: | Bill |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | A Bill to make provision about victims of criminal conduct and others affected by criminal conduct; about the appointment and functions of individuals to act as independent public advocates for victims of major incidents; about the release of prisoners; about the membership and functions of the Parole Board; to prohibit certain prisoners from forming a marriage or civil partnership; and for connected purposes. |
| Introduced By: | |
| Legislation History: | https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3443 |
The Victims and Prisoners Act is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced by the Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, in March 2023.[1]
The Act makes provision for the establishment of an Independent Advocate to support victims of major incidents, and makes changes to the parole system of England and Wales, allowing government ministers to veto the release of some prisoners. Ministers will also have the power to restrict marriage in prisons in England and Wales for those serving whole life orders.[2] The bill was introduced into Parliament on 29 March 2023.[3]
In December 2023, an amendment was added to the legislation that establishes a compensation scheme for victims of the contaminated haemophilia blood products scandal. The government failed to prevent the amendment in a vote in the House of Commons, despite a three-line whip, in what was seen as a significant blow to the Sunak administration's authority.[4] [5]
The Victims and Prisoners Act became one of the final pieces of legislation passed into law by the parliament elected in 2019 before it was dissolved prior to the 2024 general election.[6] One of its first uses was in August 2024 to prevent the serial killer Levi Bellfield from entering into a civil partnership with his girlfriend.[7]