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.
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. “
