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

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 prisons minister Lord Timpson to look again their proposals for IPP prisoners The intervention comes after the justice committee first urged the then-Tory government to resentence IPP prisoners in 2022, arguing it is the “only way to address the unique injustice” of the jail terms, which were abolished in 2012. “To summarise, the Justice Committee’s recommendation deliberately refrained from prescribing the precise terms of any resentencing exercise or the legislation that would enable it to take place,” he said. “Instead, the Committee suggested that an expert committee be appointed to devise a scheme for resentencing that respects certain core principles, including the protection of the public.” open image in gallery Shocking injustices facing IPP prisoners Thomas White, James Lawrence, Abdullahi Suleman and Yusuf Ali have been highlighted by The Independent If accepted, the committee’s recommendation would require several stages and resentencing would only occur once the expert panel has drafted a scheme that the Government is willing to support. “We would therefore encourage the Government to consider again the establishment of an expert committee to explore the options for resentencing those serving IPP sentences, as recommended by our predecessor committee.” The indefinite jail terms, which saw offenders handed a minimum term but no maximum, were introduced by New Labour in 2005 in a bid to be tough on crime.