The Justice and Home Affairs (Reform and Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025 completed its passage through Tynwald.
The Bill updates and corrects elements of the Justice Reform Act 2021, which could not be fully implemented due to technical and operational issues.
One of the key reforms in the 2021 Act was the plan to extend the jurisdiction of Juvenile Courts to under‑18s and rename them Youth Courts, but flaws in how sentencing powers were allocated meant the changes could not be brought into force.
Justice Reform Bill
The new Bill resolves those issues, ensuring the youth justice reforms can proceed while maintaining the original policy intent.
It also introduces a series of wider technical amendments across criminal justice legislation, including measures to improve efficiency, extend certain sentencing powers and help speed up court processes.
The reforms are expected to benefit victims, including those affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Justice and Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole‑Wilson MHK welcomed the Bill’s completion through Tynwald and paid tribute to those involved in progressing it.
She said: “This has been a very complex and detailed piece of work, building on earlier legislation that amended a range of other Acts.
“I want to recognise the considerable hard work and persistence of officers, legal drafters and members who have been involved in identifying the issues and carefully working through the solutions.
“This Bill is important not only because it fixes technical problems, but because it enables meaningful, long‑awaited reforms across our justice system.”
The Bill now awaits Royal Assent before becoming law. Implementation planning is under way, with further updates to follow once the timetable for bringing individual reforms into force is confirmed.
