Restriction zones aimed at “locking” violent offenders – rather than their victims – into specific areas when they are released from prison are to be introduced by the government in England and Wales.
At the moment, exclusion zones are often used to keep an offender away from their victim’s home but many campaigners for women’s safety have long called for this to be flipped.
They argue a system of offender restriction zones will give victims more freedom because they can travel widely in the confidence they will not bump into their perpetrator.
Technology, such as electronic tags, would be used to make sure offenders stayed in the allocated zone and if they strayed they risked being returned to prison.
Under the plans, probation officers will conduct a risk assessment and work closely with victims on the creation of restriction zones, making sure they prevent contact while giving survivors the maximum freedom to rebuild their lives.
The plans, announced on Friday by the Ministry of Justice, were welcomed by campaigners including the Joanna Simpson Foundation, which supports children affected by domestic abuse and homicide.
In a statement the foundation co-founders, Diana Parkes and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, said: “For far too long, victims have had to reshape their lives to avoid their offenders.
“Exclusion zones have made victims feel trapped as though they are the ones serving a sentence, with the victim carrying the weight of someone else’s crime.
“This is the much-needed change that has long been called for and is a powerful step forward. By placing restrictions on offenders instead, this will now give survivors the freedom they deserve to live, move and heal without fear.
“It will also be more cost-effective for those monitoring the perpetrators as they will be locked in specific areas rather than having to monitor the exclusion zones where the victims live.”
The plans are designed to restrict the movements of the most serious sexual and violent offenders.
Rhianon Bragg, who was stalked and held hostage at gunpoint by her ex-partner Gareth Wyn Jones in north Wales, welcomed the government’s announcement. A wide exclusion zone was placed around her home when Jones was released but Bragg said she felt trapped in this area, and when she travelled out of it she felt at risk.
Emma King, whose sister Julie Butcher was killed in Wiltshire in 2005, said: “This is a vital and significant step forward in shifting the burden of control away from victims and placing it where it belongs – on offenders.
“For the first time, the justice system is taking a decisive stand: instead of victims being forced to uproot their lives to stay safe, the most serious sexual and violent offenders will now face strict boundaries that limit their freedom.”
Alex Davies-Jones, the minister for victims and tackling violence against women and girls, said: “We’re putting victims first. This move will strengthen safeguards for victims.”
Bringing in restriction zones will require primary legislation, which the government will introduce in parliament when time allows.
The Ministry of Justice said wider changes throughout the probation system would also result in tens of thousands more offenders being tagged and at least 1,300 new trainee probation officers brought in next year to increase capacity.
Further planned changes include:
Increased tagging for domestic perpetrators.
Requiring judges to flag domestic abuse at sentencing so prisons, probation and police can better identify and manage abusers.
Expanding specialist domestic abuse courts.
Bolstering transparency for victims at sentencing – including the provision of free copies of judges’ sentencing remarks for victims of rape and other sexual offences.
