Select committee: Justice Committee
Conclusion 3
Third Report - IPP sentences
Published 28 Sep 2022
Paragraph 58
Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Justice Committee Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The psychological harm caused by IPP sentences is a considerable barrier to progression for some IPP prisoners. The indefinite nature of the sentence has contributed to feelings of hopelessness and despair that has resulted in high levels of self-harm and some suicides within the IPP population. In addition to this, IPP prisoners distrust the people and services that are necessary to support their progression. In identifying solutions to the IPP problem, the MoJ, HMPPS and Parole Board must acknowledge the psychological harm caused by the IPP sentence, and the challenges this presents regarding progression. The MoJ and HMPPS should also set out how they intend to improve access to mental health support for IPP prisoners, including transfers to secure hospitals and therapeutic settings.
From: Justice Committee, Third Report - IPP sentences (HC 266), paragraph 58, 28 September 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 9 February 2023 (deadline 28 November 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government accepts or partially accepts several recommendations, including a refreshed IPP Action Plan, but rejects resentencing and a shorter licence period, stating that resentencing would give rise to "an unacceptable risk to public protection".
- On the primary recommendation, the Government "has no plans to conduct a resentencing exercise", and states that the updated IPP Action Plan "remains the best option" for progression towards safe release.
- It accepts the recommendation for a new IPP Action Plan with clear performance measures, and says MoJ and HMPPS "will provide full details of the refreshed action plan and associated governance within the timeframe set out by the Committee" (by the end of Q1 2023).
- It rejects reducing the licence termination eligibility period from 10 to five years, but says it "will review the policy and practice for suspending supervision in appropriate cases".
- On recall, it partially accepts and does not accept that IPP offenders are recalled unnecessarily. It has asked the Chief Inspector of Probation to conduct a thematic inspection in 2023/24, and will share the Terms of Reference with the Committee once confirmed and agreed.