Statement on UK Government’s landmark sentencing reforms

On 22nd May, the UK Government announced a number of reforms, including no early automatic release for badly behaved offenders and expansion in the surveillance of offenders through increased use of tagging.

One key part of the announcement stated that the Government would explore changes so some offenders are instead locked into specific ‘restriction zones’. This is something Diana Parkes, co-founder of The Joanna Simpson Foundation, has long campaigned for.

Speaking about the Government looking into inclusion zones, Diana said: “The Justice Secretary has announced that the Government will explore changes to exclusion zones whereby some offenders will be kept into specific ‘restriction zones’. Having campaigned on this for a number of years, this is an announcement I most certainly welcome.

The announcement marks a a significant step forward in putting victims first. For too long, exclusion zones have made victims feel distressed, with a lingering fear that the perpetrator might breach the conditions. Exclusion zones have made victims feel trapped as though they are the ones serving a sentence – forced to alter their routines or look over their shoulders knowing they could meet the perpetrator when leaving their exclusion zones. The victims have no knowledge of where the perpetrator will be. This is an added concern.

It is also a clear sign that the voices of victims and campaigners are being heard.”