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AT PRESENT, SOME RELEASED PRISONERS ARE GIVEN 'EXCLUSION ZONES' WHICH BAN THEM FROM ENTERING A DESIGNATED AREA AROUND THE HOMES OR WORKPLACES OF THEIR VICTIMS OR FAMILIES 07:00, 01

Jun 2025Updated 14:43, 02 Jun 2025 Convicted killers and stalkers could soon be forced to live within ‘restriction zones’ when they leave prison, as part of the Lord Chancellor’s major new

review of the justice system. Presently, certain released prisoners are given ‘exclusion zones’ banning them from entering a designated area around the homes or workplaces of their victims

or families, during their licence period. The zones can just cover a few streets, but mean they receive information about their victims and their families’ whereabouts - although they are

not automatically given similar details about released prisoners. And victims claim they live in fear of bumping into the offenders when they leave the immediate vicinity of their homes.

They also claim the restrictions - monitored by probation officers - are practically impossible to enforce. Last month (May) Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood told parliament that exclusion

zones “place greater limits on victims than on offenders” adding: “I want to change that, locking offenders down to specific locations so that victims know they are safe wherever else they

want to go.” READ MORE: Body of missing Brit found in Italy after he vanished on New Year's Day Article continues below She supports campaigners’ calls for these released prisoners to

be electronically tagged during their licence period, so the authorities are alerted if they leave their restriction zones - a suggestion which looks likely to be accepted by the government.

Campaigners include Rhianon Bragg, whose former partner, Gareth Wyn Jones, was released on licence after serving four-and-a-half years for holding her hostage at gunpoint for eight hours in

2019, after she ended the relationship. Rhianon, who lives in Rhosgadfan, Gwynedd, with her children, said the prospect of his release was ‘terrifying’ for her and had a ripple effect for

her family and neighbours. “It felt as though our imprisonment began when his ended,” she explained. “The situation is just so incredibly unjust. There was concern that his human rights were

being breached, but nobody cared about the right of my children and I to feel safe. “A human boundary like a probation officer is useless when you’re dealing with people like Jones. The

probation service is over-stretched and underfunded, and there would be nothing stopping him from coming back here if he had wanted to. “My children and I were living in fear of him coming

back, and so were our neighbours.” It was only when she was informed that Jones had died earlier this year that Rhianon finally felt free. “Every time I drove over the border of the

exclusion zone, I’d feel my heart drop. I’d start imagining what would happen if I bumped into him at this motorway services. What would he do? How would I escape? “It was only when I found

out earlier this year that he was dead that I suddenly realised the relief that I felt, the stress and anxiety I had been carrying around with me all those years. “We need to see these

dangerous criminals out on licence being tagged, which immediately alerts authorities if they set foot out of a pre-agreed zone.” Diana Parkes, 85, who won a Pride of Britain special

recognition award for her work helping families of victims of domestic violence, agrees. Her daughter Joanna Simpson was bludgeoned to death by her estranged husband, BA airline pilot Robert

Brown in October 2010, while their two young children cowered in the playroom next door, before her body was hidden in a pre-dug grave, yards from a woodland where he took his kids to play.

After he was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in May 2011, Diana raised her grandchildren at her home on the Isle of Man. She successfully campaigned to

block his automatic release from prison after serving half his 26-year sentence in November 2023. But the parole board can now decide to release him at any time if they are satisfied he no

longer poses a threat to the public. Meanwhile, Diana said if he is released: “The only way I’ll truly feel safe is if the first thing he does is kill me, then I’ll know he’ll go back to

prison for the rest of his life and my grandchildren will be safe from him. “When his original release date approached, we had extra security lights and cameras put up around the house. “The

prospect that he could just turn up, quite frankly, is terrifying. “He’s said openly before that he wants to speak to his children to explain why he killed their mum. The prospect of him

turning up once he’s out of prison is very real. “My grandchildren are now in their 20s, and have done a wonderful job rebuilding their lives. I can’t bear to see them go through having to

deal with knowing he is out there somewhere, but they don’t know where. “People have to know about how unjust the current system is and we have to flip it on its head. “I’ll fight this until

my dying day.” Despite high-profile support for the campaign, critics argue that the new proposals would threaten the human rights of released prisoners. Hannah Costley, Associate solicitor

in the Crime and Regulatory team at Law Firm Slater Heelis, said: "As with any sort of bail or licence conditions, there always has to be a careful balance between the needs of the

complainant and the defendant. "Supporting the rehabilitation of offenders should always be at the heart of the criminal justice system, and their right to liberty and freedom of

movement has to be considered. "This needs to be proportionate to the offence committed, while still protecting the rights of the victim. "Excessively harsh exclusion zones could

prohibit the defendant's integration back into society, which of course is the ultimate aim. "The support of a probation officer is often what stops them from reoffending. An

electronic tag alone is not likely to help them stick to bail conditions." HOW EXCLUSION ZONES WORK More than 62,000 people were either on licence or subject to post-release supervision

in September 2024, according to the Ministry of Justice. A risk assessment is carried out on individual offenders as they are released on licence or bail, taking into account the severity

of the offence and the likelihood of reoffending. The parole board assesses the need for an exclusion zone to be placed on their bail conditions. Article continues below Sometimes, victims

or their immediate families can request exclusion zones to be included in licence conditions, which are determined at the parole board’s discretion. Exclusion zones can vary from a single

street to a whole county or region. Victims must be informed of ‘relevant’ details of the perpetrator’s licence conditions, if they meet qualifying criteria. But there’s no requirement for

them to be given all details, or to be told an area where the perpetrator will be living.