Almost 2,000 ex-convicts' 'life licenses' will be terminated - but campaigners want IPP sentences to 'go away'

With the new reforms coming into force, around 2,000 ex-convicts serving indefinite sentences outside prison will no longer be subject to “lifetime licence”.

Changes to public protection prison terms (IPP) mean that around 1,800 people who were sentenced to this sentence but were released from prison five years ago will have their licenses revoked, provided they have not been detained again recently. two years.

reforms, Announced by former Conservative justice minister Alex ChalkIt is being enacted by the government as of today in order to find solutions to the ongoing problems. IPP scandal This resulted in thousands of prisoners languishing in prison indefinitely.

What are IPP sentences?

IPP sentences were a type of penalty that courts could impose from 2005 until they were abolished in 2012.

These were aimed at serious violent and sexual offenders who posed a serious risk of harm to the public but whose crimes did not warrant life imprisonment.

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While the government’s stated aim is to protect the public, concerns have rapidly grown that IPP sentences are being applied too broadly and more minor offenders are being caught. they often had to serve for years beyond their initial term of office.

The coalition government abolished the penalty in 2012, but the change was not applied retroactively; This means nearly 3,000 prisoners remain behind bars; of these, approximately 1,200 were never released.

in the light Overcrowding crisis gripping UK prisonsThe Ministry of Justice has faced pressure from campaigners to consider a resentencing exercise for IPP prisoners who remain behind bars; This may result in them being given a release date for the first time.

Anyone imprisoned for IPP is just They are released after they have served their minimum terms or rates and the Parole Board determines that they no longer pose a risk to the public.

Those released are released on license subject to strict conditions.

If they violate these conditions, they may be recalled to prison at any time; Lord Blunkett, the former home secretary who imposed the IPP sentence, likened it to a “revolving door”.

Until now, IPP offenders released from prison had to wait at least 10 years after their initial release before the Parole Board would consider terminating their license.

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Beginning February 1, 2025, the eligibility period for the Parole Board to consider terminating licenses will be reduced from 10 years to three years after initial release; It’s a move that could lead to the expiration of licenses for another 600 ex-offenders.

If the Parole Board does not terminate the license after three years, the license will automatically expire after two years unless the offender is recalled to prison within that time, giving people a defined end date for their sentences for the first time.

‘We hope people can rebuild their lives’

Prisons minister Lord Timpson said it was “absolutely right to abolish the IPP sentence” and said it “leaves many ex-convicts on indefinite probation long after they have turned their backs on crime”.

“IPP offenders who have spent years in prison and are living safely in the community should not be subject to a lifetime licence, and today we have taken an important step in addressing this issue.”

Ungripp, a group campaigning for the sentencing of current IPP prisoners, welcomed the changes but called on the government to go further, angering offenders who remain in prison.

“This change will impact a large number of people living in the community,” a spokesman said.

“We hope that people affected by these changes will now be able to rebuild their lives and finally feel the true sense of freedom.

“However, there are still thousands of people living under IPP penalties who will not be affected by these changes.

“We want these people to know that Ungripp, along with many others, will continue the work we are all doing until the IPP is finally over.

“We will continue to share what happened to them and push for what should have happened a long time ago.”

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