Prime Minister Andy Burnham has committed to introducing legislation before the end of the current parliamentary term to officially end Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
IPP sentences—which set a minimum jail tariff but no maximum term were introduced in 2005 for offenders perceived as a public risk.
Though they were outlawed in 2012, the decision was not retrospective, leaving thousands trapped indefinitely or living under perpetual licence supervision.
Ministry of Justice data indicates that hundreds of IPP prisoners remain behind bars as a vast majority having already served years past their minimum tariffs while thousands more have faced license recalls.
The government intends to establish a cross-party oversight group to carefully manage sentence terminations, balancing a “common-sense” approach to clear a long-standing legal injustice while evaluating any ongoing community risk.
Campaign groups and families of affected prisoners have widely praised the announcement as a historic, albeit long-overdue, step toward closure and justice, while emphasizing that swift and compassionate execution is vital.
