Nine years after receiving a ten-month sentence for robbery, Thomas White remains trapped within the system - not in a prison cell, but in a mental health facility, becoming another tragic case study of Britain's controversial Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
The Sentence That Never Ends
Back in 2015, when White was originally sentenced, few could have predicted he would still be detained nearly a decade later. The IPP scheme, designed for serious offenders deemed dangerous to the public, was abolished in 2012 after widespread criticism. Yet thousands, including White, remain caught in its web.
"It's a living nightmare," explains his mother, Sharon White. "He's served his original sentence nine times over. The system has failed him completely."
From Prison to Psychiatric Care
White's journey through the justice system took a dramatic turn when he was transferred from prison to a mental health hospital in 2020. While this move acknowledged his deteriorating psychological state, it created a new set of challenges.
Hospital staff have repeatedly recommended his transfer back to prison, arguing his mental health needs no longer require hospital-level care. Yet the system appears gridlocked, leaving White in a bureaucratic limbo that satisfies neither therapeutic nor correctional objectives.
The Parole Board Dilemma
The Parole Board faces an impossible decision. While they've determined White doesn't meet the threshold for continued hospital detention, his release requires appropriate accommodation and supervision - resources that have proven elusive.
This catch-22 situation highlights the fundamental flaws in how IPP prisoners are managed years after the sentence type was officially scrapped.
The Human Cost
- Over 1,800 IPP prisoners remain incarcerated
- Nearly 90% have served beyond their original tariff
- Self-harm and suicide rates remain alarmingly high
- Families describe devastating psychological impacts
A System in Crisis
Campaigners and justice reform advocates point to White's case as emblematic of a broader crisis. "These sentences were a stain on our justice system when they existed," says a representative from the UNGRIPP campaign group. "The fact that people remain trapped under them today is nothing short of scandalous."
With the government facing increasing pressure to resolve the IPP legacy, cases like Thomas White's serve as powerful reminders of the human beings behind the statistics - and the urgent need for meaningful reform.
