New Court Reforms for Rape Survivors
Fixed trial dates. Specialist courtrooms. One point of contact. A new package of measures aims to change what survivors experience when a rape case reaches court
Waiting for court is not passive. It is preparing yourself for a date, arranging your life around it, carrying the anxiety of what is coming - and knowing it could still be postponed at the last minute. For too many survivors of rape and sexual violence, that uncertainty can continue for years.
Now, a new package of measures has been announced for rape and serious sexual offence cases across England and Wales.
So, what’s changing?
Every Crown Court is set to have at least one specialist courtroom for rape and serious sexual offence cases within the next two years, backed by an estimated £23 million investment.
Plans include:
fixed dates for rape trials, rather than placing them on floating lists where they can be postponed at short notice
private entrances and waiting areas, helping victims avoid contact with defendants
trauma-informed training for court staff
better access to special measures and facilities for pre-recorded evidence
the ability to observe sentencing remotely
a pilot giving victims a single point of contact at court.
That last point matters.
The justice system can involve police, prosecutors, advocates, court staff, support workers and countless updates across months or years. Knowing who you can actually contact when you need information should not be difficult.
And then there are the delays
A new rape justice taskforce is also being created, bringing together people from across the criminal justice system to focus on postponed rape trials and why victims withdraw from proceedings. The scale of the problem is significant.
At the end of March 2026, 15,373 sexual offence cases were outstanding in the Crown Court. Of those, 4,896 were adult rape cases - a 121% increase in three years. Rape Crisis England & Wales also reports that one in three rape trials is postponed at least once.
For survivors, a postponed trial is not simply an administrative change. It can mean preparing yourself to give evidence and then having to prepare all over again. Time off work. Childcare. Travel. Sleepless nights. Putting parts of your life on hold while another date appears in the diary. Delay has a human cost.
More support outside the courtroom
Separate from the courtroom funding, £43 million has been announced for the national rape and sexual abuse support fund over the next two years, including counselling, therapy, outreach and group support.
Improving what happens inside court is only one part of the picture.
Survivors also need clear information, specialist support and a justice system that recognises what it is asking of somebody when a case stretches across months - or years.
The detail now will be in what happens next.
Will fixed dates actually mean fewer cancelled trials?
Will one point of contact mean survivors are better informed?
Will specialist courtrooms be consistently available when they are needed?
And, crucially, will people spend less of their lives waiting?
A better courtroom experience matters. So does making sure survivors are not losing years of their lives waiting to get there.
Why it matters
For survivors, these changes are not just about court buildings or procedure. They are about reducing the uncertainty, distress, and practical barriers that can make an already difficult process even harder.
Fixed trial dates could mean fewer last-minute changes after someone has spent weeks preparing themselves to give evidence. Separate entrances and waiting areas could reduce the risk of coming face-to-face with a defendant or their supporters. Trauma-informed staff could make the process feel less alienating. And having one clear point of contact could mean survivors are not left repeatedly chasing different parts of the system for basic information.
None of these measures can remove the difficulty of going through a rape trial. But they can make the process more consistent, more humane and easier to navigate.
They also reflect something survivors and specialist organisations have been saying for years: how justice is delivered matters, not just the outcome.
