英格兰和威尔士的法官将获得更大权力，若罪犯拒绝在宣判时面对受害者家属，可对其处以更严厉的监狱惩罚。
Judges will be given new powers to impose tougher prison punishments on offenders who refuse to face their victims' families during sentencing.
文/克莱尔·基南（Claire Keenan） 英格兰和威尔士的法官将获得更强权力：如果罪犯拒绝在宣判时面对受害者家属，法官可禁止其会见、将其关押在牢房长达数周。
By Claire Keenan Judges in England and Wales will be given stronger powers to block prison visits and keep offenders in their cells for weeks on end if they refuse to face their victims' families during sentencing.
这些更严厉的制裁预计明年生效，是在现有法律基础上推出的。现行法律规定罪犯必须出席宣判，否则可因藐视法庭被处以罚款或再监禁两年。
The tougher sanctions, due to come into effect next year, build on an existing law that orders criminals to attend sentencing or face being fined or jailed for another two years for contempt of court.
司法部（MoJ）承认，仅靠延长刑期不太可能阻止已经在押的杀人犯，此举是推动杀人犯出庭受审的最新尝试。
The move is the latest bid to push killers to attend court, with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) acknowledging that longer jail time alone is unlikely to deter them if they are already behind bars.
监狱大臣凯瑟琳·麦金内尔（Catherine McKinnell）表示：“罪犯不应能挑挑拣拣地决定何时面对正义。”
"Criminals should not be able to pick and choose when they face justice," Prisons Minister Catherine McKinnell said.
她补充道：“拒绝出席宣判是对受害者及其家属的侮辱，罪犯必须承担后果。”
"Refusing to turn up to sentencing is an insult to victims and their families, and offenders must face the consequences", she added.
新措施意味着，罪犯可能被单独关押在牢房长达三周，社会探视可能被禁止近一个月，任何监狱特权可能被取消更长时间。
The new measures mean offenders could be confined to cells for up to three weeks, social visits could be banned for nearly a month and any prison privileges revoked for longer.
法官还将能进一步限制社会探视，对拒绝出席宣判的罪犯，可将探视频率限制为每四周一次，持续近三个月。
Judges will also being able to restrict social visits further to once every four weeks for almost three months for criminals who refuse to attend sentencing.
司法部表示，对于18至20岁的罪犯，法官将能实施类似限制，但期限较短。不过，罪犯子女的探视将豁免于新制裁之外。
For criminals aged 18-20, judges will be able to impose similar restrictions but for shorter periods of time, the MoJ said. However, visits from prisoners' children will be exempt from the new sanctions.
但监狱改革信托基金会（Prison Reform Trust）首席执行官皮娅·辛哈（Pia Sinha）呼吁提供证据证明制裁能提高出庭率，并警告称这些措施将惩罚“本身并未犯罪”的囚犯亲属。
But Pia Sinha, the CEO of Prison Reform Trust, has called for evidence that sanctions will increase attendance and warned the measures will punish relatives of prisoners who "have committed no offence themselves".
此前，被害小学教师萨比娜·内萨（Sabina Nessa）、法学毕业生扎拉·阿利纳（Zara Aleena）以及三个孩子的母亲简·穆斯塔法（Jan Mustafa）的家属曾倡导修改相关法律。所有受害者亲属的凶手均未出席其量刑听证会。
The families of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, law graduate Zara Aleena and mother-of-three Jan Mustafa have previously advocated for changes to the laws. All of their loved ones' killers did not attend their sentencing hearings.
枪杀9岁女童奥利维亚·普拉特-科贝尔的凶手托马斯·卡什曼，以及使用弩箭和刀具杀害三人的凯尔·克利福德，同样拒绝在法庭上面对惩罚。
Thomas Cashman, the gunman who murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, and triple crossbow and knife killer Kyle Clifford, also refused to face their punishment in court.
英格兰和威尔士受害者专员克莱尔·瓦克斯曼（Claire Waxman，OBE）表示，该宣布是在受害者家属“不懈努力”下作出的，他们不接受罪犯仅仅“选择退出面对正义”。
Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman OBE, said the announcement follows "tireless efforts of victims' families" not accepting offenders simply "opting out of facing justice".
她表示，“至关重要的是”法院和监狱“始终如一地行使”这些权力，“以便家属获得他们应得的正义与问责”。
She said it was "essential" the powers were used "consistently by courts and prisons, so families receive the justice and accountability they deserve".