UK government rejects call to resentence prisoners detained indefinitely

Imprisonment for public protection sentences were designed to indefinitely detain serious offenders who were perceived to be a risk to the public. Photograph: Jeff Morgan/Alamy

The UK government has rejected a call for prisoners detained indefinitely to be resentenced, in a move criticised by the chair of the justice committee as a “missed opportunity to right a wrong”.

A report by the cross-party justice committee published last year said people stuck in prison under the now abolished imprisonment for public protection (IPP) scheme should be resentenced.