Tag: punishment

England’s criminals to face football, travel, club and pub bans

  • Judges given new powers to punish offenders with bans that curtail freedom 
  • Mandatory drug testing expanded to keep offenders on straight-and-narrow 
  • Part of the Government’s Plan for Change to make sure punishment cuts crime and keep streets safe

Criminals will be barred from pubs, concerts and sports matches under new sentencing powers unveiled by the UK Government today (Sunday 24 August) as part of its Plan for Change. 

Judges will be able to curtail offenders’ freedoms with driving limits, travel bans and restriction zones confining them into specific areas.  

The changes will toughen up community punishments to deter reoffending and force offenders back onto the straight-and-narrow.  

As part of the Government’s work to do everything in its power to keep Britain safe, offenders coming out of prison and supervised by the Probation Service will also face similar restrictions and an expanded mandatory drug testing regime.  

In future, criminals without known drug habits will face this scrutiny, not just those with a history of substance misuse.

Offenders who break the rules face being brought back to court or hauled back 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.”

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, to prevent further antisocial behaviour.  

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.

It will form part of wider reforms to sentencing to ensure punishments cut crime and prisons never again run out of places for dangerous offenders. 

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. 

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.

This week it was revealed the number of Probation Officers has increased by seven per cent in the last 12 months, with trainee probation officer numbers also seeing a surge of 15 per cent. This follows the Government’s commitment to recruit a further 1,300 this year, in addition to the 1,000 trainee probation officers recruited last year.

New technology, including artificial intelligence, will lighten the administrative burden and free up time for probation staff to increase supervision of the most dangerous offenders and keep the public safe.

No under 18s in Scotland’s Young Offenders Institutions

All under 18s who were previously detained in YOI Polmont have now been moved into secure care settings. New regulations came into force on 28 August and as of that date, there will be no new admissions of children under 18 to Young Offender Institutions.

Funding of up to £7 million is being made available by the Scottish Government to cover the costs of placements this financial year. This is in addition to £500,000 funding which has been offered to secure accommodation providers to support their preparations for the movement of the children, ensuring their wellbeing and safety is the top priority.

As part of wider work to embed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and to Keep the Promise, the 2024 Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act’s provisions aim to improve children’s experiences of the care and justice systems, whether victims, witnesses or children who have caused harm.

Minister for The Promise Natalie Don-Innes said: “We have been moving at pace since the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill received Royal Assent in June to implement this reform and ensure no under 18s will be detained in a Young Offenders Institution from now on, moving to suitable settings such as secure care.

“This move will ensure children in conflict with the law are placed in safe suitable accommodation which will ensure their wellbeing and rehabilitation is at the heart of their care, while also keeping communities safe.

“I value and appreciate the work the providers will undertake to make the young people feel settled. Implementing this reform has been an enormous collaborative effort.

“I am very grateful to the secure accommodation providers, the Scottish Prison Service, Social Work Scotland, Crown Office, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service and the Care Inspectorate.

“The success of their combined effort demonstrates our commitment to ‘Keep the Promise’, further protect children’s rights and keep communities safe.”