The government needs to help prisoners serving indefinite jail terms – not prolong their suffering
Trending News
1 week, 4 days ago

The government needs to help prisoners serving indefinite jail terms – not prolong their suffering

The Independent  

The government has blocked 128 inmates trapped by cruel indefinite jail terms from moving to open prisons in the past year. This is only the latest injustice suffered by prisoners who are still serving indefinite sentences 12 years after imprisonment for public protection jail terms were abolished in 2012. After an adverse ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, the coalition government abolished the sentence – but not for about 3,000 prisoners still serving them. As Lord Woodley said: “The government seem happy to hide behind the Parole Board when it suits them, but to ignore their advice when it doesn’t.” At a time when David Gauke, the former Conservative justice secretary, says that more use should be made of open prisons, it seems perverse to refuse this modest easing of conditions for one group of prisoners who have been treated so unfairly by the criminal justice system.

Prison Indefinite Sentences  suffering  jail  serving  parole  help  terms  sentence  secretary  prolong  board  prisoners  needs  prison  indefinite  sentences

History of this topic

Father who set himself alight on indefinite IPP sentence refused hospital care as family loses hope
5 days, 15 hours ago

Father who set himself alight on indefinite IPP sentence refused hospital care as family loses hope

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Two medical reports shared with The Independent last summer …

Why have a Parole Board if its recommendations are rejected?
1 week, 3 days ago

Why have a Parole Board if its recommendations are rejected?

The Independent  

Regardless of whether prisoners held under a now-defunct law are worthy of release or less stringent imprisonment, the interference of the government smacks of a Big Brother scenario. Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood ought to revisit this gross and inhumane injustice and accept the Parole Board’s decision. If Starmer genuinely wants to put the country first, he needs to make good …

Jailed without hope: Ministers block 128 prisoners on indefinite jail terms from moving to open conditions
1 week, 4 days ago

Jailed without hope: Ministers block 128 prisoners on indefinite jail terms from moving to open conditions

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Shocking injustices facing IPP prisoners …

More criminals will be spared jail to cope with shortfall of 12,400 prison spaces: Offenders will live under house arrest and wear tags - with Labour's early release scheme set to continues for years
1 month ago

More criminals will be spared jail to cope with shortfall of 12,400 prison spaces: Offenders will live under house arrest and wear tags - with Labour's early release scheme set to continues for years

Daily Mail  

More criminals will be spared jail after a damning report revealed the full scale of the overcrowding crisis. The current expansion plans are 'insufficient to meet projected future demand', with the MoJ 'relying' on measures like the sentencing review announced in October to 'reduce demand for prison places and close the gap between demand and capacity' and 'address a projected …

Resentencing of prisoners trapped under indefinite IPP jail terms not ‘adequately explored’, justice committee warns
1 month, 1 week ago

Resentencing of prisoners trapped under indefinite IPP jail terms not ‘adequately explored’, justice committee warns

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery The justice committee has urged …

‘Last person matters most’: SC on freeing eligible undertrial prisoners
1 month, 2 weeks ago

‘Last person matters most’: SC on freeing eligible undertrial prisoners

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday underscored the urgency of implementing provisions for the release of first-time offenders from prisons, emphasising that justice must extend to the “last person” standing unheard and unseen in the system. A bench of justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti said that ensuring the release of all eligible undertrial prisoners is a critical step toward addressing …

Is there any hope that IPP prisoners will be released by this government?
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Is there any hope that IPP prisoners will be released by this government?

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ludford also highlighted the case of Thomas White, who set himself alight in prison after …

‘Don’t be on the wrong side of history’: Indefinite IPP jail terms compared to Post Office and Infected Blood scandals
1 month, 3 weeks ago

‘Don’t be on the wrong side of history’: Indefinite IPP jail terms compared to Post Office and Infected Blood scandals

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “History is being written right now, and my plea …

Marc Conway: Fishmongers’ Hall hero warns of more IPP prisoner suicides as he is finally freed from indefinite jail term
2 months ago

Marc Conway: Fishmongers’ Hall hero warns of more IPP prisoner suicides as he is finally freed from indefinite jail term

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. However he has called for …

‘Torturous’ indefinite jail term robbed son of whole adult life before he died in a cell at 34, mother says
2 months ago

‘Torturous’ indefinite jail term robbed son of whole adult life before he died in a cell at 34, mother says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “When he didn’t get parole …

‘He’s been punished enough’: Family’s plea for IPP prisoner who set himself alight
2 months, 1 week ago

‘He’s been punished enough’: Family’s plea for IPP prisoner who set himself alight

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. I asked him why he stopped taking his medication …

Indefinite jail terms excluded from flagship sentencing review to end prison overcrowding crisis
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Indefinite jail terms excluded from flagship sentencing review to end prison overcrowding crisis

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

More prisoners to leave jail early in next phase of bid to free up cell space
2 months, 2 weeks ago

More prisoners to leave jail early in next phase of bid to free up cell space

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

If our prisons are at breaking point, why are prisoners sentenced to one year still there 19 years later?
2 months, 2 weeks ago

If our prisons are at breaking point, why are prisoners sentenced to one year still there 19 years later?

The Independent  

When any royal visits a prison, the governor inevitably chooses only the most trusted residents to take part in any meet-and-greet. James Lawrence, handed an eight-month minimum tariff in 2006 by a judge as part of an IPP sentence for threatening someone with an imitation pistol, is still inside more than 18 years later. But that doesn’t mean that I …

IPP sentence: Top judge demands help for prisoners ‘left to rot’ under ‘morally wrong’ indefinite jail terms
2 months, 2 weeks ago

IPP sentence: Top judge demands help for prisoners ‘left to rot’ under ‘morally wrong’ indefinite jail terms

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Britain’s former top judge has …

‘I’m never coming home’: Fears for IPP prisoner Nicholas Bidar denied parole in landmark public hearing over indefinite jail term
3 months ago

‘I’m never coming home’: Fears for IPP prisoner Nicholas Bidar denied parole in landmark public hearing over indefinite jail term

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Britain’s first IPP prisoner to …

IPP sentences are a stain on the UK – it’s time we did something about them
3 months, 1 week ago

IPP sentences are a stain on the UK – it’s time we did something about them

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. As such, there are still 2,734 …

IPP scandal: Teenager jailed for 18 months after fight in McDonald’s still in prison 18 years later under indefinite jail term
3 months, 2 weeks ago

IPP scandal: Teenager jailed for 18 months after fight in McDonald’s still in prison 18 years later under indefinite jail term

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Luke Ings, now 36, has …

Early release scheme a ‘slap in face’ to forgotten prisoners languishing on indefinite jail terms
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Early release scheme a ‘slap in face’ to forgotten prisoners languishing on indefinite jail terms

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The government’s decision to release …

IPP scandal: Call for free vote on bill to end ‘living nightmare’ of indefinite jail terms
3 months, 4 weeks ago

IPP scandal: Call for free vote on bill to end ‘living nightmare’ of indefinite jail terms

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

‘Do the right thing’: Pressure mounts on government to resentence prisoners with indefinite terms
4 months, 2 weeks ago

‘Do the right thing’: Pressure mounts on government to resentence prisoners with indefinite terms

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Former chairman of the justice …

‘He saw no chance of being released’: Indefinite prison inmate took own life after government rejected resentencing plans
4 months, 2 weeks ago

‘He saw no chance of being released’: Indefinite prison inmate took own life after government rejected resentencing plans

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A coroner has revealed a …

UN torture tsar calls on Starmer to review sentences of IPP prisoners trapped indefinitely behind bars
4 months, 2 weeks ago

UN torture tsar calls on Starmer to review sentences of IPP prisoners trapped indefinitely behind bars

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The UK justice system is meant to be an exemplar …

It will be a long stretch until our jails are fit for purpose
4 months, 2 weeks ago

It will be a long stretch until our jails are fit for purpose

The Independent  

After years of underfunding and neglect, it should come as no surprise that the British prison system has broken down, even before it has had to cope with an influx of many hundreds of inmates to be detained at His Majesty’s pleasure following the recent riots. So it has proved – and in what the prisons minister James Timpson calls …

Britain's soft justice scandal: Career criminals with more than 100 previous convictions are being SPARED jail - with the number almost tripling in 16 years as the nation's overcrowded prisons reach '
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Britain's soft justice scandal: Career criminals with more than 100 previous convictions are being SPARED jail - with the number almost tripling in 16 years as the nation's overcrowded prisons reach '

Daily Mail  

Hardened criminals with more than 100 previous convictions are being spared jail as Britain's overcrowded prisons reach 'breaking point'. HMP Wandsworth is one of the most overcrowded prisons in the country, running at more than 150% capacity Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a series of measures designed to ease overcrowding in jails and avert a 'total breakdown of law and …

IPP scandal: Father languishing in jail 19 years after laptop robbery under ‘scandalous’ indeterminate sentence
5 months, 1 week ago

IPP scandal: Father languishing in jail 19 years after laptop robbery under ‘scandalous’ indeterminate sentence

The Independent  

A father trapped under an indefinite jail term for a laptop robbery almost 20 years ago still has no release date after he was recalled to prison for missing a hospital appointment. Sir Bob urged the new government to have the courage to follow the committee’s recommendation to resentence almost 3,000 prisoners still trapped under the sentence, warning: “It needs …

Prisoners trapped on indeterminate jail terms not included in Labour government’s sentencing review
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Prisoners trapped on indeterminate jail terms not included in Labour government’s sentencing review

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Prisoners facing indefinite sentences will …

Free up probation officers ahead of wave of prisoner releases, say experts
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Free up probation officers ahead of wave of prisoner releases, say experts

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. While justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged to hire 1,000 new trainee probation officers …

Labour reveals 5,500 prisoners will be freed early amid overcrowding in jails
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Labour reveals 5,500 prisoners will be freed early amid overcrowding in jails

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thousands of prisoners will be released early in a bid …

Calls to end injustice of indefinite jail terms as Keir Starmer to release prisoners early
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Calls to end injustice of indefinite jail terms as Keir Starmer to release prisoners early

The Independent  

Sir Keir Starmer is facing demands to end the injustice of almost 3,000 prisoners being trapped under abolished indefinite jail terms as he prepares to oversee the mass early release of inmates to ease overcrowding. The architect of the flawed sentences, former New Labour home secretary Lord Blunkett, told The Independent he backed demands for urgent action from the new …

Starmer has no option but to reduce prisoner sentences or risk justice system collapse, unions warn
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Starmer has no option but to reduce prisoner sentences or risk justice system collapse, unions warn

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Keir Starmer’s new government has “no other alternative” but to …

Desperate prisoner trapped under indefinite jail term driven to hunger strike
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Desperate prisoner trapped under indefinite jail term driven to hunger strike

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. After almost 60 days on …

Dad trapped under indefinite jail term ‘failed and forgotten’ as he’s transferred 12 times in 12 years
7 months, 1 week ago

Dad trapped under indefinite jail term ‘failed and forgotten’ as he’s transferred 12 times in 12 years

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Thomas’ sister Clara White told The Independent: “It’s shocking …

Failure to address ‘ludicrous’ injustice of indefinite jail terms is ‘political cowardice’, peer warns
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Failure to address ‘ludicrous’ injustice of indefinite jail terms is ‘political cowardice’, peer warns

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy MPs have been accused of …

Calls to end the ‘living nightmare’ of indefinite jail terms ahead of crunch Lords debate
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Calls to end the ‘living nightmare’ of indefinite jail terms ahead of crunch Lords debate

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A cross-party group of peers, …

Vulnerable prisoner serving indefinite jail term held in isolation for 800 days
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Vulnerable prisoner serving indefinite jail term held in isolation for 800 days

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Prisoners with mental health needs …

Postponing sentences to relieve prisons "undermines justice"
1 year ago

Postponing sentences to relieve prisons "undermines justice"

Dutch News  

Plans to ease pressure on prisons by postponing hundreds of sentences for newly convicted criminals risk undermining the justice system, the council for the judiciary has warned. The chairman of the Raad voor de rechtspraak, Henk Naves, criticised legal protection minister Franc Weerwind for changing the guidelines in the face of staff shortages. Weerwind responded by delaying sentences for around …

Postponing sentences to relieve prisons "undermines justice"
1 year ago

Postponing sentences to relieve prisons "undermines justice"

Dutch News  

Plans to ease pressure on prisons by postponing hundreds of sentences for newly convicted criminals risk undermining the justice system, the council for the judiciary has warned. The chairman of the Raad voor de rechtspraak, Henk Naves, criticised legal protection minister Franc Weerwind for changing the guidelines in the face of staff shortages. Weerwind responded by delaying sentences for around …

IPP prisoners need resentencing – before even more lives are lost
1 year, 1 month ago

IPP prisoners need resentencing – before even more lives are lost

The Independent  

The justice secretary, Alex Chalk, a relative newcomer to the cabinet table, has distinguished himself, if only by comparison, as one of the more rational and pragmatic members of Rishi Sunak’s team. As far as the balance of power at the top of government goes, over the past six months or so, the departures of Dominic Raab and Suella Braverman, …

Government blasted for refusing to resentence inmates trapped in jail under IPP sentences
1 year, 1 month ago

Government blasted for refusing to resentence inmates trapped in jail under IPP sentences

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But families whose loved ones …

Criminals released from prison could be left free to kill as overstretched probation service in crisis
1 year, 1 month ago

Criminals released from prison could be left free to kill as overstretched probation service in crisis

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Zara Aleena was murdered in June 2022 after multiple failings …

Justice Secretary to take ‘decisive action’ over indefinite prison sentences
1 year, 2 months ago

Justice Secretary to take ‘decisive action’ over indefinite prison sentences

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Justice Secretary has said he will take “decisive action” …

Low-level offenders to be spared jail to free up space in overcrowded prisons
1 year, 2 months ago

Low-level offenders to be spared jail to free up space in overcrowded prisons

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Mr Chalk accepted that the custodial system was “under …

Prison sentences under a year to be scrapped for most criminals
1 year, 2 months ago

Prison sentences under a year to be scrapped for most criminals

The Telegraph  

Prison sentences of less than a year will be scrapped for most criminals under government plans to tackle the prison overcrowding crisis. Alex Chalk, the Justice Secretary, announced on Monday there will be a new legal presumption that offenders facing jail sentences of under 12 months will instead be “punished” in the community by doing unpaid work such as “cleaning …

‘Inevitable’ prison spaces will run out as judges ‘delay sentencings’ to avoid overwhelming system
1 year, 2 months ago

‘Inevitable’ prison spaces will run out as judges ‘delay sentencings’ to avoid overwhelming system

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But the Prison Governors Association told The Independent it believed “without a shadow of …

MPs call for an overhaul of IPP jail sentences
2 years, 3 months ago

MPs call for an overhaul of IPP jail sentences

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Commons Justice Committee said …

Courts should take charge in commuting life sentences, not Cabinet ministers: Council
2 years, 8 months ago

Courts should take charge in commuting life sentences, not Cabinet ministers: Council

NL Times  

The Council for Criminal Justice and Youth Protection wants judges to take the lead in re-evaluating the release of prisoners who were sentenced to life behind bars. "This procedure is sensitive to political influences," the RSJ said in an advisory statement issued Monday. "An assessment by the court offers better guarantees for an impartial and independent judgment than a pardon …

The tragedy behind the highly controversial IPP prison sentences
3 years, 4 months ago

The tragedy behind the highly controversial IPP prison sentences

The Independent  

Marc Conway looked on with concern at his fellow inmate at HMP Grendon. “Lots of people serving IPP prison sentences have severe mental health issues now. Self-harm and suicide rates are so much higher for the IPP cohort because they don’t have certainty that every other sentence has.” Mooney feels there needs to be highly trained mental health support introduced …

SC Orders Release of Prisoners to Decongest Jails Amid Covid-19 Second Wave
3 years, 8 months ago

SC Orders Release of Prisoners to Decongest Jails Amid Covid-19 Second Wave

News 18  

Taking note of an “unprecedented surge” in Covid-19 cases in the country, the Supreme Court on Saturday passed directions for decongestion of prisons and ordered forthwith release of all those prisoners who were granted bail or parole last year in view of the pandemic. A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices L Nageswara Rao and Surya Kant …

Discover Related