Judges in England and Wales will receive expanded powers next year to punish convicted offenders who refuse to attend sentencing hearings.
The measures include keeping offenders in their cells for up to three weeks and suspending social visits for nearly a month, according to the Ministry of Justice.
The ministry says the aim is to hold offenders accountable to victims and their families when they refuse to face sentencing in court.
What the new sanctions allow
The expanded measures build on an existing law requiring offenders to attend sentencing or face a fine or up to two additional years in prison for contempt of court.
Under the new rules, judges will also be able to restrict social visits to once every four weeks for almost three months and withdraw prison privileges for longer periods.
The Ministry of Justice says similar restrictions could apply to offenders aged 18 to 20, though for shorter periods.
Visits from prisoners' children will be exempt from the new sanctions.
Prisons Minister Catherine McKinnell said the measures address offenders' refusal to face the consequences of their crimes in court.
"Criminals should not be able to pick and choose when they face justice," McKinnell said.
She said refusing to attend sentencing causes additional distress to victims and their relatives, making consequences for such behavior necessary.
"Refusing to turn up to sentencing is an insult to victims and their families, and offenders must face the consequences," she said.
Families and campaigners react
Farah Naz, the aunt of Zara Aleena, welcomed the prospect of stronger sanctions.
Aleena was sexually assaulted and murdered while walking home in Ilford, east London, in June 2022.
Her killer, Jordan McSweeney, was sentenced to at least 38 years in prison but refused to attend his sentencing hearing.
Naz said her family had wanted McSweeney to hear their victim impact statement in person so he could understand the harm caused by his actions.
His absence left the family feeling that the process had not delivered complete justice.
"Taking away these privileges... would rebalance the power in the justice system from offender to victim," Naz said.
The proposed changes follow campaigning by families whose relatives were murdered by offenders who did not attend sentencing.
Those families include the relatives of primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, law graduate Zara Aleena and mother of three Jan Mustafa.
Other offenders who refused to attend their sentencing hearings include Thomas Cashman, who murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, and Kyle Clifford, who killed three people using a crossbow and a knife.
Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, questioned whether the proposed sanctions would achieve their intended purpose.
She called for evidence that the measures would increase attendance and warned that restrictions could also affect prisoners' relatives who had committed no offense.
Claire Waxman, the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, said the announcement followed sustained efforts by victims' families to ensure offenders could not avoid facing sentencing.
Waxman said consistent implementation by courts and prisons would be essential to ensuring that families received accountability and justice.
The measures are scheduled to take effect next year.
