@VictimsComm

Claire Waxman OBE, an independent voice for victims. The official account for the Victims' Commissioner for England & Wales.

 Petty France, Westminster
victimscommissioner.org.uk
Joined October 2011
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751Media
Victims are waiting years for justice - delays that deepen their trauma and undermine confidence in the justice system. In my interview with @ObserverUK, I explain why addressing the courts crisis must be the priority if we are to fix the wider system. 🔗observer.co.uk/news/national…
Graphic featuring a portrait of Claire Waxman, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales. The graphic includes a quote from an interview with The Observer: “The system is fundamentally broken. We are leaving victims suffering these long waits for justice. We are losing victims and witnesses along the way, which means we don’t bring offenders to justice. That becomes a public safety issue.” Victims’ Commissioner logo displayed in the bottom left corner.

ALT Graphic featuring a portrait of Claire Waxman, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales. The graphic includes a quote from an interview with The Observer: “The system is fundamentally broken. We are leaving victims suffering these long waits for justice. We are losing victims and witnesses along the way, which means we don’t bring offenders to justice. That becomes a public safety issue.” Victims’ Commissioner logo displayed in the bottom left corner.

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Victims' Commissioner for England & Wales retweeted
OpenJusticeForAll@OpenJustice4All2h
*CAMPAIGN WIN* We are incredibly pleased to hear that the government has announced the testing of tech that will help transform audio recordings in mags courts. This will modernize the appeals process and make transcripts available. A huge step in the right direction for victims
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The determined campaigning of Jebina Islam, Farah Naz & Ayse Hussein in memory of their loved ones was central to this reform. Sentencing is a crucial opportunity to address offenders directly and outline the impact of crime. Under new powers, attending court is not optional.
Graphic showing Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE and three women campaigners standing outside 10 Downing Street, alongside a quote reading: "Today's announcement reflects the tireless efforts of victims' families who refused to accept that offenders could simply opt out of facing justice."

ALT Graphic showing Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE and three women campaigners standing outside 10 Downing Street, alongside a quote reading: "Today's announcement reflects the tireless efforts of victims' families who refused to accept that offenders could simply opt out of facing justice."

Ministry of Justice
@MoJGovUK12h
Cowardly offenders who refuse to attend their sentencing will be punished in prison under tough new rules set out today. Judges will be given new powers to restrict prisoners' social visits and confine them to their cells as punishment for not attending.
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Victims' Commissioner for England & Wales retweeted
Claire Waxman OBE@voice4victimsOct 21
Safeguarding women and children is fundamental to halving violence against women and girls: that must mean properly funding access to justice.
Hannah Summers@hansummersOct 20
Vulnerable families including victims of domestic abuse are unable to find adequate representation in the family courts because chronically low fees are driving barristers away from legal aid work, the chair of the @FamilyLawBar warns. Full interview 👉 tinyurl.com/2p76kyrb
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Victims experience the justice system as one system. Government too often treats it as several. Until we reform justice as a whole, victims will keep paying the price. Read the article below.
Rachel Sylvester
@RSylvester1Oct 15
Andy Burnham has a blind spot about the criminal justice system - my latest newsletter column for @ObserverUK observer.co.uk/news/politics…

Andy Burnham has a blind spot about the criminal justice ...

An analysis of moves made in Manchester, and a close look into his decision-making thus far in No 10, shows a PM unwilling to grasp the nettle

observer.co.uk
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81,000 Crown Court cases are waiting for trial. Behind every number is a survivor waiting for justice and closure. After speaking in the House of Lords, survivors urge Parliament to use the Courts and Tribunals Bill to act. Justice delayed is trauma prolonged.
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The Courts and Tribunals Bill is a rare opportunity to tackle the backlog crisis. Later this week, survivors will share with Peers the human cost of court delays. Victims have heard promises before. They now need evidence that reform will deliver swifter justice and real change.
Graphic featuring a quote from Claire Waxman OBE, Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales: "Behind nearly 81,000 cases is always a victim whose life has been profoundly affected by delay."

ALT Graphic featuring a quote from Claire Waxman OBE, Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales: "Behind nearly 81,000 cases is always a victim whose life has been profoundly affected by delay."

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🔗Read my response to the government's proposed changes to the Courts and Tribunals Bill: victimscommissioner.org.uk/n…

Victims' Commissioner responds to Government changes to Courts and Tribunals Bill - Victims...

Responding to the government’s announcement on proposed changes to the Courts and Tribunals Bill, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and

victimscommissioner.org.uk
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Ahead of tomorrow’s next tranche of releases, I am keeping up the pressure on the Government to ensure everyone released early is fitted with a tag before release. Government must act at pace. Public safety and the protection of victims must come first.
Claire Waxman OBE@voice4victimsOct 11
The Government must ensure all offenders released early are tagged BEFORE release, using modern GPS technology, not outdated systems. Public safety and victims’ protection must come first. telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10…

Fit criminals with electronic tags at prison gates, says victims’ commissioner

Public given a ‘false sense of security’ by bogus promises that offenders released early are monitored

telegraph.co.uk
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I spoke to @LBC about early release: victim safety must come first. A tag is only a safeguard if the justice system acts the moment it’s breached. Without swift, meaningful consequences for broken license conditions, we risk giving victims a dangerous, false sense of security.
LBC
@LBCOct 8
‘It feels like a false sense of security.’   @voice4victims says victims of stalking and domestic abuse have ‘very little confidence’ in the tagging system for early release prisoners.   @TomSwarbrick1
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Victims' Commissioner for England & Wales retweeted
Claire Waxman OBE@voice4victimsOct 8
Tagging must manage risk and put victims’ safety first. If bail conditions or tagging conditions are breached, there must be rapid and meaningful consequences. A tag is only a safeguard if the system acts when it is breached.
LBC
@LBCOct 8
‘This is a revolving door, isn’t it?!’ @NickFerrariLBC is staggered by Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s claim that the police have to deal with over 100 tag breaches a day.
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Victims' Commissioner for England & Wales retweeted
BBC Radio 4 Today
@BBCr4todayOct 5
"We're going to reach a time when we can't recover... It's not sensible for any aspect of our criminal justice life." Lord Leveson, who led the review of criminal courts, says he thinks his proposal to curb jury trials was right - despite ministers now ditching the plan.
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Morwenna's courage in sharing her story is a powerful reminder of what is truly at stake. Survivors continue to pay the price of a broken system. As Government drops a key plank of its court reform programme, victims are entitled to ask: do the remaining reforms go far enough?
Sky News
@SkyNewsOct 4
Andy Burnham has scrapped plans to end the right to a jury trial, which was hoped would tackle court backlogs. A survivor says 'rapists will walk free'. Warning: This report by political correspondent @amandaakass mentions rape.⁠

Survivor reacts to jury trial plans being largely scrapped

Andy Burnham scraps Starmer-era plan to curb jury trials - but won't set target for courts backlog to fall.

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The Government has announced major changes to its court reform programme. Ministers insist the remaining reforms will still deliver the transformation needed to meaningfully tackle court delays. The question now is whether they are right. My statement: victimscommissioner.org.uk/n…
Quote graphic featuring a portrait of Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE. On the left, white italicized text on a dark blue background reads: "If a central element of that reform package is now being removed, victims are entitled to ask whether what remains will be enough to meet the challenge. Indeed, they are being asked to place their faith in a plan that ministers themselves previously argued would not be." On the right is a photo of Claire Waxman sitting at a table. Bottom left includes the Victims' Commissioner logo.

ALT Quote graphic featuring a portrait of Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE. On the left, white italicized text on a dark blue background reads: "If a central element of that reform package is now being removed, victims are entitled to ask whether what remains will be enough to meet the challenge. Indeed, they are being asked to place their faith in a plan that ministers themselves previously argued would not be." On the right is a photo of Claire Waxman sitting at a table. Bottom left includes the Victims' Commissioner logo.

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As early prison releases get underway, many victims may be feeling anxious about what this means. Victim Support has launched a dedicated helpline, providing support to anyone concerned about an offender being released from prison. Find out more: 🔗 victimsupport.org.uk/offende…
Promotional graphic from Victim Support. A person wearing a headset is shown answering calls. Text reads: "Worried about changes to an offender's release date? Our new national helpline is here to support you. Call 0808 168 9280." Victim Support logo displayed in the top left.

ALT Promotional graphic from Victim Support. A person wearing a headset is shown answering calls. Text reads: "Worried about changes to an offender's release date? Our new national helpline is here to support you. Call 0808 168 9280." Victim Support logo displayed in the top left.

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Victims' Commissioner for England & Wales retweeted
Claire Waxman OBE@voice4victimsOct 1
Today I’ve been speaking about my deep disappointment that criminal justice has not been prioritised in the PM’s plan for Britain. Today should surely be the wake-up call. Criminal justice reform must be a priority. Victims deserve justice and safety. victimscommissioner.org.uk/n…
Sky News
@SkyNewsOct 1
"I'm not convinced" that Andy Burnham grasps the scale of the criminal justice crisis, Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman tells @CathyNewman. It's after hundreds of prisoners were released under a government scheme to reduce pressure on the prison system. 📺 Sky 501
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Victims' Commissioner for England & Wales retweeted
Sky News
@SkyNewsOct 1
"I'm not convinced" that Andy Burnham grasps the scale of the criminal justice crisis, Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman tells @CathyNewman. It's after hundreds of prisoners were released under a government scheme to reduce pressure on the prison system. 📺 Sky 501
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