More than a decade after being abolished as "unjust", a discredited form of indefinite sentencing continues to blight the lives of thousands and overwhelm Britain's prisons. Over 2,400 individuals remain incarcerated under Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) orders, a law repealed in 2012 but not retrospectively applied to those already serving.
The Kafkaesque Legacy of a Flawed Law
Introduced by the last Labour government, IPP sentences were designed for offenders deemed dangerous but whose crimes did not merit a life term. Then-Home Secretary David Blunkett intended them for a small number of exceptional cases. However, the law was applied far more widely than ever envisaged, breaking a core principle of justice: that people should be jailed for what they have done, not for what they might do.
Lord Blunkett now regards the policy as the worst mistake of his time in government. Offenders sentenced under IPP must prove to the Parole Board they are no longer a danger to secure release. Even then, they face lifelong licence conditions and can be recalled to prison for any breach, trapping them in a cycle with no definitive end.
The Human Cost of Indefinite Detention
The psychological damage inflicted by these open-ended terms is severe and well-documented. Lord John Thomas, the former Lord Chief Justice, states the psychiatric evidence is clear: locking someone up indefinitely for a non-serious offence is likely to cause profound harm.
This damage is tragically visible. Of the 2,400 IPP prisoners, 233 have been transferred to secure mental health units, often because the hopeless nature of their sentence has caused severe trauma. Some have now been imprisoned for 19 years for original crimes as minor as stealing a mobile phone or laptop.
A Cross-Party Call for Justice
The injustice has sparked condemnation across the political and legal spectrum. Prisons Minister James Timpson has called IPP terms a "stain on our justice system". Former judges have expressed deep regret for passing such sentences. Lord Thomas poses the fundamental question: "How, therefore, can we as a nation justly continue to imprison people under such a sentence?"
As shadow justice secretary five years ago, David Lammy acknowledged the system's failure, noting it was "far too broad" and trapped low-risk offenders. The Independent's campaign urges Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Justice Secretary Lammy, and Minister Timpson to show courage and end this scandal, just as justice was sought for the Post Office and infected blood victims.
Ending the IPP injustice is not about being soft on crime; it is about upholding the very foundation of justice itself. The political risk of release exists with every prisoner, a risk the government already manages through early-release schemes. Continuing to treat these 2,400 individuals differently is a profound injustice that can and must be rectified.
