New restriction zones for domestic abusers could "unduly influence" the Government's decision on which offenders to release, a police and crime commissioner has warned. The zones are designed to limit where abusers can go, allowing survivors to live their daily lives without fear of encountering their offender.
Ministers are seeking to introduce the restriction zones as part of broader prison reforms to tackle overcrowding. Sexual and violent offenders could be restricted to certain locations and tracked with technology, facing jail time for breaching the conditions under the new proposals.
Technology tracking for offenders
Until now exclusion zones have existed to stop perpetrators from going to where their victims live. The new measure comes as the Government plans to overhaul the prison system, which could see violent and sexual offenders released from jail earlier and more criminals serving sentences in the community.
Tens of thousands of offenders would be tagged, prompting concerns from the victims' commissioner for England and Wales over the Probation Service's ability to cope with rising numbers. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said the new restriction zones were "welcome" but "caution is needed".
Early release scheme concerns
Jones added: "I'm concerned they will unduly influence the Government's decision on which offenders to release under its Early Release Scheme. I would like clarification over the length of sentence violent offenders will receive if they're recalled to prison."
She criticised the current 28 days put in place by the Government as an emergency measure to free up prison places, saying it is "clearly not a deterrent". The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment.
Mother's plea for protection
The mother of a woman killed by her estranged husband said she is praying he is given a restricted zone if he is released. Joanna Simpson, 46, was killed by her estranged husband Robert Brown in 2010 when he attacked her with a claw hammer in the family home.
Brown was sentenced to 24 years in prison for manslaughter and a further two years for obstructing a coroner. Simpson's mother, Diana Parkes, said she was "delighted" about the new plans to restrict the movement of domestic abuse perpetrators.
Parole hearing approaching
Discussing her daughter's killer, Parkes told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "He's coming up for parole in January, I just heard yesterday. So hopefully when he comes out, we pray that he will be put in a restricted zone with a tag."
Parkes, who was made a CBE for services to vulnerable children suffering from domestic abuse and domestic homicide, said it was "essential that victims of violent crimes should not live in fear when their perpetrators come out of prison on licence". She explained that current exclusion zones meant perpetrators knew exactly where victims were located.
Current system limitations
"The perpetrator knows exactly where the victims are as they have exclusion zones, which are supposedly safe areas for the victims, but of course, the perpetrators know where they are," Parkes said. She added that the minute perpetrators come out of their exclusion zone, they "could grab them or hurt them".
Brown killed his millionaire wife one week before the finalisation of their divorce. He buried her body in a pre-dug grave in Windsor Great Park and confessed to police the following day, later being cleared of murder but admitting manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.
Government funding announced
The Government has announced £700 million of funding until 2028/29 for the Probation Service to back up its reforms, as well as the recruitment of 1,300 new probation officers by March 2026. For the new restriction zones, probation officers will work with survivors to decide on banned locations for perpetrators and carry out detailed risk assessments.
Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones announced the new measure at the charity Advance in London on Friday. The victims minister said perpetrators will be GPS-monitored to have real-time data about where they are going and will be subject to "virtual boundaries" which if breached could mean they go to prison.
Davies-Jones said: "We're putting really strong safeguards attached to these so that we can give victims and survivors the confidence to carry on with their everyday lives. We're going to be outlining more details on this as well, as we're bringing in the legislation in the autumn."
(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
