Criminals face bans from pubs, clubs and football matches
Criminals will be barred from pubs, concerts and sports matches under new sentencing powers unveiled by the Government as part of its Plan for Change.
Judges will be able to restrict offenders’ freedoms with driving limits, travel bans and restriction zones keeping them within certain areas.
The changes are designed to toughen community punishments, deter reoffending and keep offenders on the straight and narrow.
As part of the reforms, offenders released from prison and supervised by the Probation Service will face similar restrictions and expanded drug testing. For the first time, mandatory testing will apply not only to those with a known history of drug misuse but also to those without.
Offenders who break the rules could be sent back to court or returned to prison, 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.”
Currently, judges can impose limited bans for specific crimes, such as football bans for offences committed inside a stadium on match day. Under the new law, bans could be issued for any offence in any circumstance.
The sentencing reforms will also expand prison capacity. More than 2,400 new places have opened since July 2024, with £7 billion invested to deliver 14,000 in total.
The Probation Service is set to receive up to £700 million more by 2028/29, in addition to its £1.6 billion annual budget. Staff numbers have risen by seven per cent over the past year, with trainee probation officers up 15 per cent. The Government has pledged to recruit 1,300 more this year, following 1,000 last year.
New technology, including artificial intelligence, will also be introduced to reduce administrative tasks and allow probation staff to focus on supervising high-risk offenders.
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