- more than 1,800 people could see unjust, long-served
sentences end by March 2025
- reduces numbers still on licence despite being rehabilitated,
long after the end of their original sentence
- only those living safely in the community are eligible
Offenders released from prison on licence while serving
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences currently have
to wait a minimum of 10 years before they can have their licence
reviewed by the Parole Board.
The new changes will mean IPP offenders serving their sentence in
the community are referred for review 3 years after their first
release.
IPP sentences were introduced in 2005, designed to prevent
offenders who were considered dangerous from being released even
though the offence did not merit a life sentence. There is broad
consensus against the IPP sentence and the policy was scrapped in
2012 due to the inconsistent and more frequent application of
these sentences than was intended.
If a licence is not terminated at the three-year mark by the
Parole Board, it will automatically terminate after a further two
years if the offender is not recalled to prison in that time.
This is the first time these offenders will have a defined ‘end
date’ to their sentence.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, KC, said:
We are taking decisive action to curtail IPP licence periods to
give rehabilitated people the opportunity to move on with their
lives, while continuing to make sure the public are protected
from the most serious offenders.
This is a major step towards wiping away the stain of IPP
sentences from our justice system, without compromising public
protection.
The changes will be applied retrospectively, meaning licences
will immediately end for around 1,800 rehabilitated offenders
once the legislation comes into force. Offenders who have been
recalled to prison or taken into secure hospitals will not be
eligible.
The government has amended its Victims and Prisoners Bill to make
these changes which will accelerate the process of reducing the
number of people bound by IPP sentences.
Around 800 will become newly eligible for Parole Board
consideration by March 2025. The new legislation will also
introduce a presumption that the Parole Board will terminate the
licence unless it is still required to protect the public to give
offenders the best opportunity to move on from their sentence.
Since IPP sentences were scrapped in 2012, the number of
unreleased IPP prisoners has been reduced by three-quarters and
those in custody are being supported to progress towards release
through the government’s refreshed IPP Action Plan.
The legislation is expected to come into force 2 months after the
Bill receives Royal Assent.
