Nasir Hafezi is a legal trainer, ethics consultant and solicitor. He is dedicated to making
knowledge about legal right and responsibilities accessible and available to the public. This
is demonstrated through his Community Legal Education channel, which serves as a strong
free public resource that serves to make the law easier to understand.
In this presentation, Nasir highlights key changes in Youth, Magistrates, and Crown Courts
today in the UK. He explains how the new Sentencing Act 2026 can be considered to be a
systemic overhaul, rather than just a technical change. When introducing these changes, he
helpfully provides “before” and “after” examples to show this applies to a specific offence in
practice. He concludes that advocacy needs to adapt.

Key Words/Topics
Prison Populations
Structural Reform
Presumption against immediate short-term custody of less than 12 months
Suspended sentences extended to 3 years
Release reform and eligibility points
Income Reduction Orders
Extension of Deferment to 12 months
Mandatory declaration of Domestic abuse
Sentencing Guidelines and Government control
Recall reform and the 56 day automatic release period
Exceptional Circumstances
Resentencing/supervision cases
Offending on supervision
Breach-related offending
Risk of harm
Criminal Justice Act 2003
New Additional License Conditions
Limits of Reform