The UK government has unveiled sweeping new proposals to tighten restrictions on the movements of serious sexual and violent offenders in England and Wales, marking a significant shift in how authorities aim to protect victims and bolster public safety. Under these plans, announced on August 8, 2025, by the Ministry of Justice, offenders will be confined to designated geographical "restriction zones" after serving their prison sentences, with their movements closely monitored by advanced technology and an expanded probation workforce.
This new approach represents a fundamental change from the current system of "exclusion zones," which simply bar offenders from entering certain areas—often where their victims live. Instead, the new system flips the script: offenders will be pinned down to agreed-upon areas, allowing victims the freedom to travel wherever they wish without the fear of running into their attacker. According to the Ministry of Justice, probation officers will conduct detailed risk assessments and collaborate directly with survivors to create these zones, ensuring that contact is prevented and that victims are empowered to rebuild their lives.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones, speaking after a visit to the charity Advance, which supports women and girls affected by domestic abuse, underscored the government’s commitment to putting victims first. "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," she said, as reported by the Ministry of Justice.
The proposals come amid ongoing debate about how best to protect survivors and reduce the risk of reoffending. Diana Parkes CBE and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, co-founders of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, have been at the forefront of campaigning for reforms. Their advocacy is deeply personal: Parkes’s daughter, Joanna Simpson, was killed by her estranged husband, Robert Brown, in 2010. Brown, a former British Airways pilot, was sentenced to 26 years for manslaughter and lost a bid in 2024 to overturn a decision blocking his early release. Parkes, who has campaigned tirelessly since her daughter’s death, shared her relief with BBC Radio 4, stating, "I feel passionately that victims can now begin to live a normal life instead of looking over their shoulder wondering where their perpetrator is."
In a joint statement published by the government, Parkes and Barkworth-Nanton celebrated the announcement as "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."
The government’s plan is part of a broader "Plan for Change" designed to boost protection for victims and make streets safer. The Ministry of Justice has pledged up to £700 million in funding through 2028/29 to support these reforms, which include the introduction of tougher monitoring technology, an expansion of electronic tagging, and a significant recruitment drive for probation officers. At least 1,300 new trainee probation officers will be brought on in 2026, a move aimed at relieving pressure on a service that has struggled with increased workloads—especially after the early release of thousands of inmates in 2024 to address prison overcrowding.
The new restriction zones are not just about geography—they carry real consequences. Offenders who breach the boundaries of their assigned zones face the prospect of being recalled to prison. The Ministry of Justice emphasizes that these zones will be tailored to each offender, developed in consultation with victims to maximize safety and freedom for survivors. According to BBC News, the Ministry says this approach will "give victims greater peace of mind" and allow them to "travel free of worry about meeting their attacker."
However, not everyone is convinced the reforms will be smooth sailing. Probation officers have voiced concerns that the new system will add to their already heavy workloads. One probation officer told BBC News, "It's like they just keep adding to our workload without actually telling us they're going to be doing that. And we just get more stressed and put under pressure. These zones will mean more monitoring and more responsibility for us in probation." The government, for its part, hopes that increased staffing and the use of advanced technology will help alleviate these pressures, but acknowledges that training new probation officers can take between 12 and 24 months.
The upcoming legislation, expected to be introduced to Parliament in September 2025, will likely be attached to a wider sentencing bill. This bill is also anticipated to include controversial proposals to reduce the minimum time less serious offenders must serve to a third of their sentence—a measure aimed at further easing prison overcrowding, but one that has drawn criticism from victims' charities and probation staff.
Alongside the restriction zones, the government is rolling out a suite of reforms to further protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable. These include increasing the use of tagging for domestic abusers, requiring judges to flag domestic abuse at sentencing, expanding Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts, and providing free copies of judges’ sentencing remarks to victims of rape and other sexual offenses. The government has also invested £13.1 million in a National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection, nearly £20 million in specialist VAWG services, and £53 million in The Drive Project, which targets high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators.
Other recent measures include criminalising spiking, launching new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in select police forces and courts, and introducing new tools to tackle stalking—such as giving police the authority to reveal the identity of online stalkers and expanding the use of Stalking Protection Orders. There are also new laws in the works to criminalise pornography depicting acts of strangulation, all part of a concerted effort to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
For survivors like Leanne, a domestic abuse victim who spoke to the PA news agency, the changes couldn’t come soon enough. She described feeling "ecstatic" about the move, noting that even with restraining orders in place, "there were places where I was confronted." She added, "If I knew I could go to those places safely, happy days, I'm protected."
As the government prepares to publish the bill this autumn, the eyes of campaigners, victims, probation officers, and the public will be firmly fixed on how these reforms are implemented. The hope is that by shifting the burden from victims to offenders, and by investing in technology and people, the UK can set a new standard in victim protection and offender management—one that gives survivors the freedom and peace of mind they have long been denied.
