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Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Snapshot 3

Breach of Restraining Order

Bringing together relevant statistics and trends relating to sentencing

by Annalena Wolcke

Last updated: Aug 2026

Overview

  • Sentencing Council guideline range: fine to a 4-year prison sentence
  • Maximum sentence: 5-years’ imprisonment
  • Convictions decreased from over 9,000 in 2017 to 5,300 in 2023, but have increased slightly since then to over 6,000 in 2025
  • Convictions in 2025: 6,079
  • This snapshot summarises key trends over the past 5 years

Sentences Imposed

Figure 1: Sentences for Breach of Restraining Order, 2021-2025

  • Over 50% of convictions resulted in a term of immediate imprisonment.1
  • A further 19% resulted in a Suspended Sentence Order.2

Figure 2: Sentences Imposed for Breach of Restraining Order, 2021-2025

  • Between 2021 and 2025, the proportion of immediate custodial sentences increased by 20%.
  • At the same time, the proportion of Community Orders decreased.

Immediate Prison Sentence Lengths

Figure 3: Prison Sentence Lengths, Breach of Restraining Order, 2025

  • The most frequent sentence range is between 3 to 6 months, accounting for 30% of all immediate custodial sentences.
  • Approximately 27% of prison sentences are over 6 months.

Sentencing Outcomes by Sex

Figure 4: Sentencing Outcomes by Sex, Breach of Restraining Order, 2025

  • Female (n=404); Male (n=5,548)
  • In 2025, the custody rate for breach of a restraining order was higher for men (56%) than for women (42%).

These rates do not account for various factors that influence sentencing decisions, such as the offender’s criminal history and the seriousness of the specific offence. Additional research would be needed to determine whether gender affected the sentence imposed.

This Snapshot is one of a series on sentencing trends in England & Wales. Others can be found here. For further information, contact Annalena Wolcke at [email protected]

  1. Data source for all figures: Data calculated from Ministry of Justice (2026), Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2025, published 30th of April. Outcomes by offence data tool, Table 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2025. ↩︎
  2. ‘Other sanctions’ include: absolute discharge and the category ‘otherwise dealt with’ ↩︎