The United Kingdom Government is introducing specialist courtrooms for rape and serious sexual offence cases in England and Wales, with measures designed to give survivors greater privacy and reduce lengthy delays.
Under the new programme, every Crown Court in England and Wales will have at least one courtroom equipped to handle rape and serious sexual offence trials within the next two years.
The specialist facilities will provide private entrances and waiting areas for victims, while technology will allow evidence to be recorded in advance and sentencing proceedings to be viewed remotely.
The government will also prioritise rape and serious sexual offence cases by assigning them fixed trial dates, rather than placing them on floating lists that can be changed at short notice.
The Ministry of Justice announced the measures on Monday, September 21, 2026, in a statement issued by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Lord Chancellor Alex Norris.
The reforms are aimed at tackling prolonged delays in the prosecution of rape cases. Ministry of Justice figures show that rape cases that reached Crown Court took an average of 424 days to conclude in 2025.
Burnham said the reforms were intended to improve the experience of victims who often wait years for their cases to be resolved.
“For too long, victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by our justice system,” he said, adding that prosecution rates for rape remained low.
He said the government would also focus on preventing sexual offences, arguing that improving prosecution alone would not address the wider problem.
Norris said survivors had often been left to navigate the criminal justice system with inadequate support.
“Victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt they’ve been left alone facing the criminal justice system for too long,” he said.
He added that the reforms would seek to ensure survivors were treated as people requiring support rather than simply as cases moving through the justice system.
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