SPOTLIGHTS: The IPP sentence

• Date: 25 Apr 2024

• Location: Online

The IPP sentence was abolished more than 11 years ago, but not retrospectively. It continues to devastate the lives of almost 3,000 people still in prison today, and their loved ones.  

When the sentence was introduced in 2005, the Howard League warned that it created a bureaucratic nightmare that would haunt successive governments. Today, about half of all people on IPP sentences have never been released; the rest have been recalled, mostly for administrative breaches. 

We know that IPP sentences can cause acute harm to mental health. Figures obtained by Sky News and UNGRIPP indicate that more people on IPP sentences have died by suicide in prison than have been convicted of serious further offences after release.  

As the Victims and Prisoners Bill moves closer to receiving Royal Assent, potentially bringing changes to the length of time people on IPP sentences must spend on licence after release, we look at what must happen next to end this scandal once and for all. 

This online event will be hosted by our Chief Executive Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.). The panel will include: 

• Andrew Morris, Expert by Experience, Board of Trustees at Raphael Rowe Foundation. 
• Donna Mooney, Co-Founder of UNGRIPP. 

This event will take the form of a panel discussion, so please be ready to share your ideas and ask questions. 

Bookings through the website for this event have now closed. To book a place, please email Katie Logue.

About the Howard League Spotlights series 

Howard League Spotlights is a series of events aimed at lifting the lid on prisons and finding more effective ways to reduce crime and keep communities safe. Each event will focus on a particular theme and bring together experts to approach the issue from different perspectives. Spotlights events are free of charge, but if you would like to support our work, please consider becoming a Howard League member.