Response to the Justice Committee’s Call for Evidence about Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences

“The IPP sentence has always been wrong in principle and unworkable in practice. The criminal justice system is now faced with the difficult task of retrospectively fixing a sentence which should never have been passed into law. The Howard League proposes several options for addressing the injustices of the IPP sentence.

“The IPP licence should be reformed so that it automatically expires after two years. Probation should not recall people unless they pose an imminent risk of harm and the Secretary of State should have the power to executively release people who have been recalled on IPPs and meet the test for release.

“The 1,700 people who have been stuck in prison since receiving their IPP sentence must be supported to work towards release. There should be a new approach which does not leave people trapped in prison because they have severe unmet mental health needs, or because they are unable to progress in their sentence without additional support.”

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