Judges will be able to dish out driving limits, travel bans and restriction zones for any offence, in any circumstance, irrespective of where the offence took place
Criminals will be barred from pubs, concerts and sports matches under new sentencing powers unveiled by the Government.
Judges will be able to dish out driving limits, travel bans and restriction zones confining them into specific areas, for any offence, in any circumstance. Ministers hope by toughening up community punishments, they can deter reoffending and force offenders to change their ways.
Currently, judges are able to give out limited bans for specific crimes, for example football bans for crimes committed inside a stadium on match day. The Government will change the law shortly so such bans can be handed down as a form of punishment for any offence in any circumstance.
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It forms part of wider reforms, which will also see offenders coming out of prison and supervised by the Probation Service facing expanded mandatory drugs testing, regardless of whether they have a history of substance abuse. Investment in the Probation Service will also receive a huge boost with an increase of up to £700 million by 2028/29, up from the annual budget of around £1.6 billion today.
Those who break the rules face being hauled back to court or returned to prison as punishment depending on the sentence they are serving. Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Widening the range of punishments available to judges is part of our Plan for Change to cut crime and make streets safer.
“When criminals break society’s rules, they must be punished. Those serving their sentences in the community must have their freedom restricted there too. These new punishments should remind all offenders that, under this Government, crime does not pay. Rightly, the public expect the government to do everything in its power to keep Britain safe, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Over 2,400 prison places have opened since July 2024 with the Government investing £7 billion to create a total of 14,000 as the prison population increases. This week it was revealed the number of Probation Officers has increased by 7% in the last 12 months, with trainee probation officer numbers also seeing a surge of 15%.
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