"I genuinely think that IPP prisoners continue to be failed by the system as a whole. He said the government faces a stark choice of leaving such prisoners to languish which he fears will inevitably result in many dying in prison or taking action to put right what has long-been described as a stain on justice system. The jail term, described as psychological torture by the UN, was scrapped in 2012, but not retrospectively, leaving those already jailed incarcerated indefinitely."
"Victims of the scandal, whose tragic cases have been highlighted by The Independent, include: Leroy Douglas, who has served almost 20 years for robbing a mobile phone; Thomas White, 42, who set himself alight in his cell and has served 13 years for stealing a phone; and Abdullahi Suleman, 41, who is still inside 19 years after he was jailed for a laptop robbery."
"At current release rates, the number trapped in prison under the open-ended punishment is decreasing by less than 10 per cent a year despite some prisoners having served up to 22 times longer than their original sentence."
Nearly 2,500 prisoners remain detained under Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) terms that were abolished in 2012 but not applied retroactively, leaving earlier inmates incarcerated indefinitely. The system has produced severe harm, with some prisoners serving decades beyond original terms and cases including self-harm and long-term confinement. Release rates under current procedures fall by less than 10% annually, prolonging incarceration for many. Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, called for ministers to consider proposals from the Howard League and Lord John Thomas to resentence or release affected prisoners while ensuring safeguards for a small minority with serious original offences.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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