Courts: Reoffenders

The Intensive Supervision Court (ISC) pilot will undergo a phased expansion, and it is currently estimated that, once all sites are operational, approximately 500 cases could be sentenced under the ISCs per year. These figures are indicative, based on historical sentencing data, and actual figures will depend on operational assessment of cases and independent judicial sentencing decisions. As a result, the real case volumes will likely vary.

The pilot is subject to a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation programme. While it is too early to draw firm conclusions about its effectiveness in reducing reoffending compared with alternative sentences, the final process evaluation report, published in November 2025 (available on gov.uk: Process evaluation of the Intensive Supervision Courts pilot: Final Report) shows high levels of compliance, with 66% of offenders not breaching their orders. Additionally, international evidence suggests that problem-solving approaches, such as the ISCs, can reduce arrests by 33% compared to standard sentences. Full impact and economic evaluations, including on reoffending outcomes and value for money, will be published in 2028 at the earliest.

Savings to the prison estate from the ISCs will be estimated as part of the Department’s planned economic evaluation.

As of March 2025, 194 individuals had received orders under Intensive Supervision Courts (Process evaluation of the Intensive Supervision Courts pilot: Final Report). Robust reoffending data are not yet available, as a sufficient follow-up period is needed to measure this reliably; this will be addressed in the planned impact evaluation.

Eligibility for ISCs requires individuals to be aged 18 or over at the point of conviction, resident in a pilot catchment area, willing to comply with the programme, and to consent to treatment and engagement with services. They must otherwise be facing a custodial sentence that could be suspended.

Additional criteria apply depending on the model: participants in the Female Offender ISC must be women assessed as having complex needs, while participants in Substance Misuse ISCs must have a drug or alcohol need linked to their offending. Sentencing decisions ultimately remain at the discretion of the judiciary. Individuals convicted of use of weapons or sexual offences are excluded, and local areas may apply further exclusions where appropriate.

As of March 2025, 20 individuals on an order under the ISC had been given a custodial sanction as a result of breaching the requirements of their order (Process evaluation of the Intensive Supervision Courts pilot: Final Report). Under the model, a custodial sanction of up to 28 days can be imposed and may be used on up to three occasions over the course of an order.