Criminals face pub and soccer match bans under new UK plans

LONDON (Reuters) -Convicted criminals could face being banned from going to the pub, music concerts and sports events such as soccer matches under new plans by the British government as it seeks ways to address the country's overflowing prison crisis.

Under the new sentencing powers, judges would be able to limit offenders' freedoms with a range of measures such as driving limits, travel bans and confining them to certain zones, moves which the government says will help force them "back onto the straight-and-narrow".

"When criminals break society's rules, they must be punished. Those serving their sentences in the community must have their freedom restricted there too," Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.

Britain, which has western Europe's highest rate of incarceration according to the World Prison Brief database, has been forced to bring in measures such as releasing prisoners early to tackle chronic overcrowding in jails.

The government said the new steps to be unveiled on Sunday were part of wider reforms to cut crime while ensuring there were enough places for the most dangerous offenders.

Under existing rules, judges can issue soccer match bans to those who commit crimes inside stadiums but the law will be changed to allow such bans to be given for any offence in any circumstance, the government said.

Additionally, all prisoners leaving jail at the end of their sentence and supervised by the Probation Service could face similar restrictions as well as mandatory drug testing, rather than just those with a history of substance misuse.

Anyone who breaks the rules risks being taken back to court or put back in prison, the government said.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)