Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Ministry of Justice press release entitled New courts in the north to help women break the cycle of reoffending, published on 15 October 2026, what criteria will be used to determine the locations of further Intensive Supervision Courts for women in England and Wales.

The Government is committed to expanding the Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs) and has set out plans to increase the number of sites from four to eleven by 2029. This will include Women’s, Substance Misuse and Prolific Offender models.

Locations for this expansion were identified through an open Expression of Interest, promoted widely through national and local criminal justice partners. Applications were required to demonstrate operational readiness across probation and the courts, judicial sponsorship, and strength of local partnerships.

Essex justice services did not submit an application during this process and was therefore not considered as part of this expansion. As no application was received, the Department has not assessed the number of women in Essex who might have benefited from the implementation of a Women’s ISC.

The first three sites of this expansion launched in October 2026, with implementation of the remaining sites ongoing. There are currently no plans to expand to further locations at this time.