Fresh proposals for panel of judges to reconsider cases of every IPP prisoner
New proposal to address indefinite jail terms
- Peers have tabled fresh proposals in the House of Lords to address the situation of almost 2,500 prisoners still serving abolished Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
- Edward Garnier KC, a former solicitor general under the Conservative government, has proposed forming a specialist panel of 12 judges to review each IPP case, considering factors like offending, time served, and risk, to decide on release on licence.
- Another amendment, tabled by John Thomas, suggests that IPP prisoners should be given a release date within two years of their next parole hearing.
- These proposals aim to rectify the injustice of IPP sentences, which were abolished in 2012 but not retrospectively, leading to indefinite detention and a significant number of suicides among prisoners.
- The government has resisted resentencing IPP prisoners, citing public protection concerns, but has proposed allowing released IPP prisoners to apply for licence termination after two years in the community, down from three.