MP calls for review of 2,300 prisoners serving IPP sentences

• Labour MP Kim Johnson has urged the government to appoint a specialist panel of judges to review the cases of almost 2,300 prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
• The proposal suggests a panel of 12 serving and former High Court judges to evaluate prisoner risk and suitability for release on licence to address prison overcrowding and long-term injustice.
• Although IPP sentences were abolished in 2012, the change was not applied retroactively, leaving thousands of inmates serving open-ended jail terms without a release date.
• The UN has criticised the ongoing impact of IPP sentences, finding that some prisoners are being arbitrarily detained and suffering severe psychological deterioration.
• Justice Secretary Alex Norris is currently reviewing potential reforms to IPP sentences, with a plan expected to be presented to Parliament in September.

IN FULL

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