Probation services in England and Wales planned to confine some serious sexual and violent offenders to tightly defined "restriction zones" a few miles wide after release from prison, the Ministry of Justice said in a 26 August 2026 announcement. The ministry described the measure, planned to launch in October 2026, as the first of its kind worldwide and said it would be a stricter version of existing exclusion zones, which bar offenders from specific places such as a victim's home or workplace.

According to the announcement, victims would help shape individual zones, and offenders under GPS monitoring could have movements tracked continuously so probation could identify breaches and recall them to prison. Zones could last as long as needed to manage risk, with reviews at least every three months. Eligibility details were to be announced later.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris said offenders should carry the consequences of their crimes rather than victims. The ministry also cited a £700 million investment in probation and community services by 2028/29, recruitment of 1,300 probation officers this year on top of 2,300 over the previous two years, and plans for a parliamentary update in early September.