Terminating your IPP licence: a legal guide

Downloads

Download the digital version here Download the print version here

The Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP) sentence was introduced in 2005, alongside a parallel indeterminate sentence for children, called the DPP sentence. 8,711 IPP and DPP sentences were imposed before the sentence was abolished in 2012. Abolishing the sentence meant that no new IPP sentences could be given, but everyone already sentenced under an IPP sentence remains subject to the sentence.

Having an IPP sentence means:

• Serving a tariff or minimum term in custody before applying to the Parole Board for release.
• Once released, being on an indeterminate licence, under supervision by probation and at risk of recall to custody for breach of any of the licence conditions.

Unlike other indeterminate sentences, the IPP licence can be terminated which means all the conditions are removed and cannot ever be re-imposed, and recall cannot be initiated – in effect, an individual is no longer serving a IPP sentence.

In May 2024, ground-breaking changes to the law on how IPP licences can be terminated were approved by Parliament in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. Read more about the changes here.

The changes came into force in two phases, the first on 1 November 2024 introduced an automatic termination of licence after a qualifying period. The second phase commenced on 1 February 2025 and reduced the length of the qualifying period before a licence is reviewed by the Parole Board.

The provisions are complex. To help those serving IPPs, and their family and friends understand the position for them, the Howard League, together with Dr Laura Janes, the Prison Reform Trust and Prisoners’ Advice Service, have prepared a practical ‘how-to’ guide. The legal guide explains when and how a person serving an IPP or DPP sentence can get their licence terminated.

This guide explains the law as it applies at present. Further reforms have been introduced by the Sentencing Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in January 2026; however, the provisions relating to IPP and DPP sentences have not yet been implemented and we do not at present know when the changes will come into force.

When these provisions take effect, the “qualifying period” for licence termination will be reduced from three years to two years for IPP sentences – making this the same period as for DPP sentences. There will also be a right to apply for a licence termination review for those who have had one continuous year on licence since their last annual termination review.

This guide will be updated in full once these changes have been implemented.