Comment on the Justice Committee report on the IPP prison sentence

We welcome the call by the House of Commons Justice Committee for all prisoners subject to the IPP sentence to be re-sentenced, as an important first step. We now urge the government to respond promptly to the Committee's report and to establish a swift and efficient re-sentencing exercise as a matter of urgency.

We are also renewing our call for the release, without delay, of those prisoners on the IPP still in prison beyond the period originally set by the court (the so-called ‘tariff’). This would allow the re-sentencing exercise to focus on the relatively smaller group of prisoners who had not yet served their tariff.

We are also calling for adequate and prompt state reparations for those subjected to the IPP sentence, on the basis of failures to provide programmes or meet known mental health needs, and the unjustified time in confinement.

Speaking today, the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies' Director, Richard Garside, said:

The MPs on the Committee heard heart-breaking evidence of the profound and lasting impact the unjust IPP sentence has had on prisoners and their loved ones. I am glad the Committee has offered the basis for a clear path forward to end the suffering of these prisoners and their families.

This report is only the first step in resolving the intolerable situation facing prisoners under the IPP sentence. It now requires swift and sustained action by the government to bring to an end, once and for all, this shameful episode in recent sentencing history.

I would like to pay tribute to the serving and former IPP prisoners and their families, and to campaign groups such as UNGRIPP and IPP Committee in Action. They have worked tirelessly to bring an end to this dreadful sentence. Even if the government accepts all the Committee's recommendations, there will still be some way to go before prisoners under the IPP sentence get justice. But the report is an important step in the right direction.