People convicted of crimes in England and Wales could soon be barred from going to pubs, concerts, and football matches under sweeping sentencing reforms due next month.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the new legislation will give courts power to impose travel and leisure bans on offenders receiving community sentences, in a bid to deter crime and ease pressure on overcrowded prisons.
At present, such restrictions are limited to specific offences — such as banning violent offenders from football grounds — but the new rules would allow judges and magistrates to impose them across a wider range of crimes.
The sentencing bill is also expected to restrict short prison terms, expand community-based punishments, and introduce a new early-release scheme for well-behaved inmates. Under the plan, some prisoners could leave jail after serving a third of their sentence, though those convicted of the most serious crimes, including terrorism, will be excluded.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the reforms are designed to “make streets safer and ensure prisons have space for the most dangerous criminals.”
The proposals follow recommendations from former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, whose independent sentencing review earlier this year urged Britain to learn from reforms in Texas, where inmates can earn early release through good behaviour.
But the plan has drawn criticism from hospitality leaders and legal experts. Former Old Bailey judge Wendy Joseph KC warned the measures could prove difficult to enforce. “The idea you can keep people out of pubs might be putting a lot of weight on people who run pubs,” she said, stressing the need for proper funding and enforcement.
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, echoed concerns, urging ministers to ensure the scheme “does not unfairly burden venues that are already struggling to survive.”
The MoJ said the reforms would be backed by new technology to monitor offenders, £700m in extra funding for probation services by 2028, and the recruitment of at least 1,300 trainee probation officers this year.
Officials insist the shake-up will reduce reoffending and give victims “greater peace of mind” by placing serious criminals under stricter probation controls, including geographical restrictions and enhanced tagging.
