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Metro
4 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
Domestic abusers to be 'locked in' to restriction zones to safeguard victims
Domestic abusers and sex offenders will be 'locked in' to specific restrictions zones to keep them away from victims when they are released from prison, under a new law. Until now, exclusion zones have prevented offenders from going where their victims live. But many survivors – and their families – have been left feeling like prisoners in their own home, limiting themselves to that small area through fear of bumping into perpetrators. The new plans shifting that responsibility onto perpetrators by placing more restrictions on their movements have been welcomed by campaigners. Diana Parkes CBE and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, co-founders of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, 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 announcement from the Ministry of Justice 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 perpetuators as they will be locked in specific areas rather than having to monitor the exclusion zones where the victims live.' Emma King, whose sister Julie Butcher was murdered by her ex-husband in 2005, said her family has been 'directly impacted by the current system'. While the change has come 'too late for us — and for many other victims, survivors, and families', she welcomed the 'long overdue change'. '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,' Ms King said. '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. 'This change empowers survivors to reclaim their lives, rebuild with dignity, and feel safer in their own communities. 'It also sends a clear message: protection and justice are for victims – not a privilege for those who have caused harm.' For the new restriction zones, probation officers will work with survivors to decide on banned locations for perpetrators, and will carry out detailed risk assessments. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, you are not alone. And whether you are currently coping with or have made the decision to leave, you do have options. If you are thinking about leaving, domestic abuse charity Refuge suggests starting a record of abusive incidents, which might include saving pictures or messages, or making notes of times, dates and details of incidents. The next step is to make copies of important documents such as court orders, marriage certificates, National Insurance Numbers and your driving licence. In the meantime, identify the safer areas of your home so that you know where to go if your abuser becomes aggravated. Ideally, this should be a room with a phone and a door or window to the outside. If you feel ready to leave, start by making a plan for a safe, reliable route out. If you feel safe to do so, pack an emergency bag so that you leave in a hurry if needed. You can access a local refuge, either with or without children, for as long as you need to stay. The address is confidential. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) is open 24-hours a day and has all the details of refuges in your area. In an emergency situation, ring 999 and ask for the police. If you aren't able to talk, try the Silent Solution: after dialling 999, listen to the questions from the operator and respond by coughing or tapping your device, if possible. If prompted, press 55 to let the operator know it's an emergency – you'll be put through to the police. Read more here. Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones announced the new measure at 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. She 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.' Speaking at one of Advance's women's centres, director Amy Glover said the domestic abuse charity wants to see what the monitoring processes are, and how quickly a probation officer would intervene if a perpetrator was breaching conditions or doing something unsafe. More Trending 'What we can sometimes find when new safety measures are introduced for victim survivors, if they don't work all the time, then they can actually create a false sense of security,' she said. 'So we're just really interested to hear a bit more about how they will be rolled out and how we can ensure they're working effectively.' But of the measure, she added the reaction is 'largely positive' as it flips the current responsibility on survivors to perpetrators. 'The aim of these restriction zones, which we really welcome, is to flip that so now he may have a smaller area of movement. She is able to go about her daily life more,' she added. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Moment McDonald's customer climbs over counter and starts fighting staff MORE: Man who raped and murdered ex-fiancee at luxury hotel jailed for 28 years MORE: Mum of Harvey Willgoose found out son was stabbed to death on social media
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
Released violent offenders to be ‘locked' in restriction zones in England and Wales
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.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Telegraph
Sex offenders to be banned from leaving ‘restriction zones'
Sex offenders will be 'locked in' to new restriction zones to prevent them approaching their victims, under a new law. Those who commit violent or sexual crimes will be ordered to remain in a certain area after they have been released from prison, for the remainder of their sentence. The Ministry of Justice has announced plans to change the law to introduce 'restriction zones' designed to limit the freedoms of the most serious offenders. They will differ from current 'exclusion zones', which are designed to stop an offender from going to an area where a victim lives. The broader restriction zones will curb an offender's movements, meaning they will be confined to a predetermined area until the end of their sentence. Hetti Barkworth-Nanton and Diana Parkes, of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, which supports domestic abuse victims and has campaigned for the change, called it 'a powerful step forward'. In a statement, they said: '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.' Diana Parkes' daughter, Joanna Simpson, was bludgeoned to death by her husband with a claw hammer in their family home in October 2010 as their two young children cowered in a playroom. The zones will be devised based on conversations with the affected victims, and on the assessment of risk as deemed by probation officers. Offenders will be monitored through the use of geotagging and tracking technology, keeping them in a specific limited area. One domestic abuse survivor, known as Leanne, said that the change was a 'long time coming'. The mother-of-two, 54, said that she would have asked for a restriction zone to cover the school where she would take her children, her local supermarket or near her family's homes. 'These are places where I was confronted, even when he had restraining orders,' she said. 'If I could say those places, and I knew I could go to those places safely, happy days, I'm protected. I've been listened to.' Georgia Harrison, a reality TV star who campaigns on violence against women and girls after becoming a victim of revenge porn, also supported the proposal. 'Why on earth should a survivor have to pick an area and stay there for the rest of their life?' the Refuge ambassador said. 'It makes so much more sense that a perpetrator will be subjected to a restriction zone and a survivor can go wherever they want and feel safe.'
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Violent abusers set to be forced to stay inside ‘restriction zones' under tough new laws
New laws mean victims won't have to reshape their lives to avoid their offenders 'STRENGTHEN SAFEGUARDS' Violent abusers set to be forced to stay inside 'restriction zones' under tough new laws Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) VIOLENT abusers are to be made to stay inside 'restriction zones' for the first time under new laws. They must remain in certain areas, monitored by GPS tags, with potential jail time for a breach. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Victims' minister Alex Davies-Jones said the new laws 'will strengthen safeguards' Credit: Facebook @Alex Davies-Jones MP Current laws ban thugs from an area — normally around a victim's home. Campaigners say that restricts victims' freedoms, as they feel safe only when they stay in their exclusion zones — and not when elsewhere. Probation services will enlist victims to draw up a list of locations offenders are allowed to visit. The Ministry of Justice move came after lobbying from campaigners. It may be introduced as part of the Sentencing Bill going through Parliament. Victims' minister Alex Davies-Jones said it 'will strengthen safeguards'. Announcing the change, Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Alex Davies-Jones said: 'Through our Plan for Change, we're putting victims first. 'This move will strengthen safeguards for victims. "I've heard firsthand how this innovative approach will give them the peace of mind they deserve and rebuild their lives without fear.' Diana Parkes CBE and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, who are co-founders of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, 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 announcement from the Ministry of Justice 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. "
