Call on the Chair of the Justice Committee and the Lord Chancellor: Deliver Structural Reform, Redirect Funding Reallocation, and End the Harm of IPPs

Many who work in or advocate around the criminal justice system, including MPs, peers in the House of Lords, academics, and former inspectors, have echoed the same concern: there is no effective accountability, no proper mechanism for reform, and IPPs (Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection) are one of the starkest examples of that failure. Our prisons are in a state of crisis : Our prisons are in a state of crisis.

There is a lack of Real Accountability. HMIP can only make recommendations  it has no enforcement powers.Prison governors and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are under no legal obligation to implement them.There’s no independent body with power to sanction failures.

Data is Outdated or Obscured

Performance data is inconsistent, poorly analysed, and often lacks transparency. Key issues like mental health, self-harm, IPP prisoner progress are not tracked meaningfully. MoJ tends to control the narrative with selective or delayed release of data.

IPP Prisoners: A Systemic Failure. IPP sentences continue to trap people long past their tariff.Parole Board decisions are opaque, inconsistent, and deeply risk-averse.There is no pathway for release that prisoners or families can clearly understand or work towards.Politicians pass the blame, citing public parole independence.

So What Needs to Change?

Here’s a focused set of reforms practical but powerful that could form the backbone of advocacy:

Give HMIP Legal Power to Enforce Change. Make HMIP’s recommendations binding like the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in health.Enable follow-up inspections with real consequences if changes aren’t made (e.g., fines, leadership changes, court challenges).

Create a Prisons Accountability 

Commission An independent statutory body with oversight powers across prisons, parole, probation, and re offending. It should include representatives from affected groups (e.g. former prisoners, families, prison staff).Power to summon data, hold public inquiries, and initiate legal proceedings for human rights abuses.

Modernise Prison Data Systems

Mandate real-time data reporting on key indicators: violence, segregation, self-harm, mental health needs, progression. Disaggregate data by sentence type (e.g. IPP vs determinate), race, disability, etc.Create an open public dashboard, updated monthly, as used in education and healthcare.

IPP-Specific Action

Immediate re sentencing or statutory release framework for all remaining IPP prisoners.Parole reform: shift the burden of proof back to the state  i.e. presume release unless risk is proven.Create a dedicated IPP release unit with legal, psychological and housing support  independent of the MoJ. The government’s previous attempts to deal with the IPP crisis have failed. Prisoners remain stuck, over-tariff, with worsening mental health. The evidence is clear: Current  action plans and policies are not working.

Bureaucracy and institutional delay are smothering real action. That image of things being “drenched in red tape”

Previous government efforts to address the IPP crisis have been slow, fragmented, and ineffective. Reforms have become entangled in bureaucracy, with responsibility passed from one department to another, and meaningful progress lost in layers of red tape. Meanwhile, IPP prisoners remain over-tariff, their mental health deteriorating, with no pathway out.

The current performance system is based on security and budget not rehabilitation or humanity.Prisons should be judged on:Progression to release.Family engagement.Educational outcomes.Staff-to-prisoner ratio.Independent complaints resolution.Tie governor pay and contracts to actual improvement in these metrics.

Ensure Lived Experience Voices at Every Level.Formal involvement of families, ex-prisoners, and community groups in oversight, design, and reform not as an afterthought. IPP families especially must be included in parole policy, sentence reviews, and release planning.The current performance system is based on security and budget not rehabilitation or humanity.Prisons should be judged on:Progression to release.Family engagement.Educational outcomes. Staff-to-prisoner ratio.Independent complaints resolution.Tie governor pay and contracts to actual improvement in these metrics. improvements on mental health and outcomes.

Ensure Lived Experience Voices at Every Level

Formal involvement of families, ex-prisoners, and community groups in oversight, design, and reform  not as an after thought .IPP families especially must be included in parole policy, sentence reviews, and release planning with advocates if required.

The Truth?

The current system is not broken it was built this way: fragmented, secretive, risk-averse, and lacking any real democratic oversight. That’s why reform has to be systemic, not just incremental. 

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Re: Call for Parliamentary Inquiry into Prison Oversight Failures and the IPP Crisis

Dear [MP's Name],

I am writing to you with deep concern about the systemic failure of prison oversight mechanisms in England and Wales, and the ongoing injustice of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences  a crisis that continues to cause irreparable harm to thousands of individuals and families.

Our current prison accountability framework is not functioning. Oversight bodies such as His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs) are under powered and increasingly ineffective. While HMIP continues to conduct inspections and publish important findings, their recommendations carry no legal force. IMBs, once intended to provide a direct line of community scrutiny, have seen their authority and resources diminish. Complaints go unresolved. Conditions deteriorate. Rehabilitation is forgotten.

This failure of accountability is compounded by a broken and outdated data infrastructure. Key performance information on mental health, use of force, segregation, IPP progression, and rehabilitation outcomes is often limited, delayed, or hidden entirely. There is no transparent or up-to-date prison performance framework accessible to Parliament, professionals, or the public. We cannot fix what we do not measure, and what we do not hold to account.

The IPP sentence regime remains a particularly urgent and shameful example of this failure. Over 1,200 people remain in prison beyond their original tariffs, often by many years. Many of them have no clear route to release, no pathway to progression, and face a Parole Board system that is opaque and excessively risk-averse. Families are left in limbo, and mental health deterioration is common. This is not justice it is indefinite punishment without recourse.

Despite clear awareness in Parliament  including from cross-party members of the House of Lords  we still have no effective mechanism for reform. Oversight bodies raise concerns, but they are powerless. The Ministry of Justice resists systemic scrutiny. Public confidence continues to erode. We urgently need a new model of accountability

 

Template 

Your Name

Your Address or Organisation Name, optional
Email / Contact Info
Date

MP's Name
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Re: Call for Parliamentary Inquiry into Prison Oversight Failures and the IPP Crisis

Dear MP's Name,

I am writing to you with deep concern about the systemic failure of prison oversight mechanisms in England and Wales, and the ongoing injustice of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences  a crisis that continues to cause irreparable harm to thousands of individuals and families.

Our current prison accountability framework is not functioning. Oversight bodies such as His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs) are underpowered and increasingly ineffective. While HMIP continues to conduct inspections and publish important findings, their recommendations carry no legal force. IMBs, once intended to provide a direct line of community scrutiny, have seen their authority and resources diminish. Complaints go unresolved. Conditions deteriorate. 

Rehabilitation is forgotten.This failure of accountability is compounded by a broken and outdated data infrastructure. Key performance information on mental health, use of force, segregation, IPP progression, and rehabilitation outcomes is often limited, delayed, or hidden entirely. There is no transparent or up-to-date prison performance framework accessible to Parliament, professionals, or the public. We cannot fix what we do not measure, and what we do not hold to account.

The IPP sentence regime remains a particularly urgent and shameful example of this failure. Over 1,200 people remain in prison beyond their original tariffs, often by many years. Many of them have no clear route to release, no pathway to progression, and face a Parole Board system that is opaque and excessively risk-averse. Families are left in limbo, and mental health deterioration is common. This is not justice  it is indefinite punishment without recourse.

Despite clear awareness in Parliament  including from cross-party members of the House of Lords  we still have no effective mechanism for reform. Oversight bodies raise concerns, but they are powerless. The Ministry of Justice resists systemic scrutiny. Public confidence continues to erode. We urgently need a new model of accountability.

I therefore ask that you:Support a full Parliamentary Inquiry into the failure of prison oversight mechanisms and the continued injustice of IPP sentencing.

1. Write to the Chair of the Justice Committee and the Lord Chancellor supporting this call.

2. Raise the issue in Parliament through a debate, oral question, or Early Day Motion.

3. Meet with affected families and campaigners to hear lived experiences and support solutions. enough still is not been done.

4. Push for structural reform to prison inspection and release systems, including:Giving HMIP statutory powers to enforce recommendations, similar to the Care Quality Commission;Creating a new, independent Prisons Accountability Commission with power to summon data, enforce action, and investigate failings;

5. Reforming the Parole Board framework for IPPs, including presumptive release and statutory time-served review;Mandating the regular publication of realtime prison performance data, including on progression, safety, and mental health;Supporting a process of re sentencing or statutory release for IPP prisoners still held beyond tariff.

6. The government says we don’t have money for IPP reform, for proper prison mental health services, or rehabilitation. Yet money is being spent in areas that demonstrate political priority, not public safety urgency. The resources are there  they’re just misdirected.

7. On Government Priorities and Resources. I recognise that reform comes with a financial cost  but this government is already spending large amounts of public money on other politically sensitive issues,  housing illegal aliens costing millions at our safety while those IPP with low risk are kept over tariff. little support in mental health doctors or facility even food.  housing asylum seekers in hotels and addressing their health and legal needs, yet many of those still serving IPP sentences have been asking for basic mental health support, progression pathways, and clarity on their sentence for over a decade and continue to be ignored.

   This is not about turning one vulnerable group against another. It's about misaligned priorities. We have the money  it’s just not reaching the parts of the justice system where lives are being lost, trauma is deepening, and the long-term damage to society is growing. Public protection is not served by holding thousands of people indefinitely without meaningful rehabilitation, progression, or hope.

These changes are not abstract. They will save lives. They will restore faith in our justice system. And they will correct a long-standing and widely acknowledged injustice  one that no civilised society should tolerate.

I am part of a growing community of families, legal professionals, campaigners, and former prisoners who are asking you and your colleagues to act. We are not asking for political point-scoring  we are asking for courage, leadership, and meaningful reform.

Please let me know if you would be willing to meet to discuss this further. I am happy to provide additional evidence, case studies, or connect you with those directly affected.

Thank you for your time and for your commitment to justice.

Yours sincerely,
Your Full Name

Article Our prisons are in a state of crisis : Our prisons are in a state of crisis.

 

If we all stand together and each of us makes a formal complaint to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about the inhumane, an indefinite nature of the IPP sentence, the UK's failure to reform and the tragic death that continued to occur in custody, they will have no choice but to take it seriously. The more voices they hear, the louder the case becomes. We've waited too long for domestic reform. Now it's time for international pressure. Together, we are stronger.

I and many experts, campaigners, families, and even former prison staff believe that the Parole Board is significantly out of date with both the modern public view and the realities inside the prison system especially in complex cases like IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) prisoners, long-term mental health issues, and rehabilitative progress.
Here’s a breakdown of why:

Stuck in a Risk-Averse, Punitive Model
• The Parole Board often makes ultra-cautious decisions, prioritising "public protection" to the point of blocking release even when risk is low or manageable.
• This may no longer reflect public opinion, which is shifting toward rehabilitation, justice reform, and the trauma caused by indefinite sentences (like IPPs).

Mental Health and Trauma Often Ignored
• Many prisoners, particularly IPPs, have developed or worsened complex PTSD, depression, or psychosis due to prolonged imprisonment.
• Yet parole panels frequently fail to properly weigh the impact of the sentence itself on someone's risk, or the effect of long-term institutionalisation.

Poor Understanding of Prison Conditions
• The Board often relies on outdated expectations of "progress":
• Courses that aren’t available
• Behaviour standards that ignore the impact of trauma
• Unrealistic release plans or “proofs” of change in understaffed and broken systems
• Parole decisions can demand things the prison system can't actually deliver, setting people up to fail.

Disconnected from the Public Mood
 The public is becoming more aware of injustice in the prison system, especially after media reports on IPP prisoners, wrongful convictions, or excessive delays.
 There’s growing concern about:

Mental health deterioration in prison

The use of indeterminate sentencing

People being kept inside long after their original tariff
 Parole Board are slow, opaque, and out of step with this changing view.

Delays and Bureaucracy
• Parole hearings are repeatedly delayed, years.
• Prisoners may be kept inside simply because reports or beds aren’t ready, not because of actual risk. This undermines fairness and confidence in the justice system.

Lack of External Scrutiny or Modern Reform
While some reforms have been discussed, the Parole Board still:

Operates with limited accountability.

Keeps many hearings and reasons private.

Are behind in paroles oral hearings.

Is largely self-regulating, with few challenges to its decisions.
This contrasts with the push for transparency and oversight in other public bodies. Doesn’t fully grasp today’s prison conditions. Undervalues rehabilitation and mental health and is falling behind a public that increasingly sees the need for compassion, reform, and justice over indefinite punishment.

Fails in reasonable adjustments or quick enough
This lack of openness makes it hard to understand or challenge decisions. Reasons for decisions are often vague or not fully explained, leaving prisoners and families confused. Different panels can make very different decisions on similar cases. There’s often no clear, consistent criteria or standards. Psychological assessments outdated or incomplete.

Over reliance on Paperwork and Reports
• Decisions often depend heavily on written reports from prison staff, probation officers, or psychologists.
• These reports may be biased or incomplete, especially if the prison environment is hostile or resources are limited.
• The Board rarely visits prisoners or engages directly beyond the hearing.

Failure to Recognise Progress
• The Parole Board sometimes demands proof of progress that’s impossible within prison constraints.
• If a prisoner has missed courses due to prison shortages, that can be held against them unfairly.
• Long sentences and institutionalisation themselves may cause behaviours seen as “risky,” yet the Board may not adjust for this.

Long Delays and Backlogs

• Cases can be delayed for months or years.
• Important decisions about release are postponed, extending imprisonment unnecessarily.
• This causes huge stress and uncertainty for prisoners and families.

Systemic failure by the prison and probation services to provide the necessary support and opportunities for release.

The original idea behind IPP was that prisoners would serve a minimum tariff, then demonstrate reduced risk through rehabilitation and progress before release. Many IPP Prisoners Have Served Far 

Beyond Their Tariff Without Release
The excessive time spent beyond tariff  often years or decades  is not due to lack of eligibility or risk alone, but to systemic barriers preventing progression.
Many IPP prisoners have been denied access to accredited rehabilitation courses required for parole or recall clearance.

Overcrowding, funding cuts, or institutional failures meant courses were unavailable or waitlists too long.

This lack of access is a failure of the prison system to provide the “service” essential for prisoners to demonstrate readiness for release. The excessive over-tariff times are less about the individual prisoner’s risk and more about the system’s failure to offer necessary rehabilitation pathways and timely parole hearings.

Consequences Are Unjust and Counterproductive

• Unnecessary prolonged imprisonment is a human rights issue.
• It wastes public resources.
• It undermines public safety by not facilitating successful rehabilitation and reintegration.
The over-tariff incarceration of IPP prisoners reveals a profound failure by the criminal justice system to provide the essential rehabilitative services and fair parole processes necessary for release. This systemic failure has trapped many individuals indefinitely, exacerbating harm rather than promoting public protection.

Government’s 2012 Human Rights Defence vs. Ongoing Failures

Government’s 2012 Position
Following human rights challenges, the government argued it was taking steps to reform the IPP system and related sentencing issues. They claimed progress was underway, and therefore they should not be held liable for ongoing harms.

Reality: 

Continued Failures and Harm. Despite promises, systemic problems persist:IPP prisoners remain trapped beyond tariff.Rehabilitation services remain insufficient or inaccessible.Mental health crises and suicides have increased.Structural reforms have either been slow, piecemeal, or ineffective.

Switching Around But Not Solving

The government has made some procedural changes but failed to address core issues like course availability, parole delays, and long-term trauma. This amounts to rearranging deck chairs, not fundamentally fixing the system.

Consequences Demand Renewed Accountability

The continuing harm, avoidable deaths, and human rights breaches mean the government’s previous claims of “making changes” no longer shield it from accountability. The human rights duty to protect life and prevent inhuman treatment remains unmet.

Legal and Moral Imperative for Action Now

The government should be held to account for these ongoing breaches. Independent investigations, effective reforms, and reparations are overdue. Public and parliamentary pressure must insist on genuine, measurable improvements — not just promises.

Lack of Focus on Rehabilitation and Reintegration

 The Board may focus more on risk avoidance than on supporting successful release and reintegration.
 This can result in revolving door cases, where prisoners are released then recalled quickly.

Limited Accountability and Oversight

 There’s minimal external oversight or appeal mechanism. The Parole Board’s decisions are difficult to challenge.This limits checks and balances on their power.

Limited Feedback from Prisoners and Families
The Board rarely gets honest, detailed feedback from those most affected (prisoners and families), so they miss out on important perspectives.

To Risk Adverse Mindset on IPP prisoner than other prisoners
The priority is seen as protecting the public, so the Board may be reluctant to admit mistakes for fear of public backlash or political pressure.

Changing an institution like the Parole Board
Means asking for clear, practical reforms that help break the cycle of “not knowing”:

Regular Independent Audits and Reviews
Request that an independent body regularly audits the Parole Board’s decisions, processes, and outcomes reporting publicly on problems and improvements needed.Mandatory Training on Mental Health, Trauma, and Disability .Ask that all Board members undergo continuous training to understand neurological disabilities, trauma, and mental health issues so decisions better reflect prisoners’ realities.

Inclusion of Prisoners and Families in Feedback and Policy Development
Suggest creating formal channels for prisoners and families to give feedback which the Board must consider seriously and publish responses to.

Consistency in Decision-Making
Demand the development and publication of clear guidelines and standards to reduce inconsistent decisions.

Stronger Accountability Mechanisms
Recommend setting up an independent oversight committee with the power to investigate complaints and in quick time, challenge decisions, and enforce “changes required.”

Timely Hearings and Reduced Delays
Push for guaranteed maximum waiting times for parole hearings to reduce unnecessary prolonged imprisonment.

Better Integration with Prison Rehabilitation Services
Ask that the Parole Board coordinates more closely with rehabilitation programs and education, to realistically assess prisoners’ progress and release readiness.

Can the Parole Board to clarify what specific changes they are making and not the ones they have done, especially given ongoing concerns that decades long over tariff incarceration continues.

 It’s reasonable to expect transparency about concrete reforms, measurable progress, and how they are addressing systemic failures.

If you believe the government has failed in its obligations despite promises of reform to the UDHR raising the issue with international human rights bodies can be a powerful way to seek accountability and pressure for change. i feel now its time to ague with the UDHR promises of reform and assurances  there is still oversight in its decisions, contributing to prolonged and unexplained detentions.

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                                                                     Template letter 

 

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Petitions Section
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Submitted Name: ..........................
Address:........................ 
Date:.....................

To Whom It May Concern,

Formal Complaint ; to the United Nations Human Rights Committee / International Human Rights Body. Complaints of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

Ongoing Violations of Human Rights in the UK through the Continued Use and Mismanagement of Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPP)

I am submitting this complaint as a concerned, advocate, friend, Family of am IPP Prisoner, affected by the UK’s continued failure to resolve the human rights crisis surrounding IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentences. Despite repeated promises of reform and assurances made by the UK Government as far back as 2012, the reality in 2025 is that hundreds of individuals remain imprisoned years or even decades beyond their original tariffs. The continued deaths i fear my love one will be one of the statistics as the State has failed in its legal, moral, and human rights duties.

Background and Government Assurances
In 2012, following criticism and legal challenges under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the UK Government claimed it was making necessary reforms to the IPP regime. These assurances were used to deflect greater legal scrutiny and international accountability. Yet, more than a decade later, those promised changes have either stalled, been diluted, or proven ineffective,trial or error.

Current Human Rights Violations

Arbitrary Detention
Thousands of IPP prisoners have served well beyond their minimum tariffs, some for over 10 or 15 years longer. This constitutes arbitrary detention under Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Inhuman and Degrading Treatment
The mental health crisis among IPP prisoners is worsening. Many suffer from complex PTSD, suicidal ideation, and institutional trauma. Continued incarceration without access to necessary rehabilitation programs or timely parole hearings constitutes a violation of Article 5 of the ECHR and Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Denial of Fair Process and Rehabilitation
Access to rehabilitation programs is often unavailable due to overcrowding and systemic failure, yet prisoners are denied release for failing to complete them. This amounts to punishment without opportunity for remedy.

Lack of Accountability and Transparency
The Parole Board operates with limited oversight and often lacks transparency in its decisions, contributing to prolonged and unexplained detentions.

Urgent Request for International Scrutiny I respectfully request that the Human Rights Committee:

Urgently review the UK's ongoing handling of IPP prisoners.

Investigate breaches of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ICCPR.

Recommend that the UK Government immediately adopt time-limited and trauma-informed pathways to release.

Call for reparations and official recognition of the harm caused by the IPP regime.

Conclusion The UK Government has had over a decade to rectify this injustice. Instead, lives have been lost, families traumatised, and international standards of justice undermined. I ask that your office take immediate steps to investigate and intervene.

 Thank you for your attention on this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Full name

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Complaints about human rights violations | OHCHR

A courageous mother is leading a March not in anger, but in love.She refuses to let her son and others become another number, another silent victim of the Sentence (IPP) sentence .

Families is leading a March not in anger, but in love.One mother refuses to let her son others become another number, another silent victim of the Sentence (IPP) sentence .

 A Sentence Led by a courageous  families and public are coming together to drive a vital campaign. With strength and determination,  fellow families are leading the charge for change. End Time for Justice

The IPP sentence is widely recognised as unjust, inhumane, and unworkable. But more than a decade later, thousands of us remain imprisoned under its broken legacy many for minor offences though abolished, and most having served well beyond their original tariffs.

Asked to prove our readiness for release inside a system that denies us the very tools to demonstrate that readiness.old  to reduce any risk but can't access the courses or have done them . They are told to progress but there is nowhere to progress to. they are being failed, then blamed for that failure.

Some have now served 15 years or more. Many committed minor or non-violent crimes.

All have no clear pathway out. Rehabilitation plans are broken. Support is inconsistent or missing altogether. Punished not for what they done but for what the state says we might do. This disproportionately from other non IPP Inmates. “This is not justice it’s detention without cause. Even when they done everything asked of them, the system still holds them back.

That is not justice. That is indefinite punishment, based not on who we are now, but on outdated risk assessments from long ago. Many of us have done everything asked of us: education, rehabilitation, work, mentoring others. And still, we wait.

kidnapped by a system meant to protect society, yet abandoned by it.The door to your freedom stays closed, but no one tells you when or if it will ever open.  plead for help, for guidance, for a chance to prove you’ve changed  but your captors don’t give you the tools or the keys. Trapped inside your own story, while outside, time keeps moving without you. you erode under the weight of endless uncertainty.It’s not just imprisonment  it’s a slow, soul-crushing captivity where justice feels forgotten, and your humanity is held hostage.

The pathway to release, is just waiting for the system to fix itself, while years of our lives disappear? Some were given two-year tariffs and have now served 10, 15, even 17 years  effecting there mental health . Over 100 deaths, many by suicide because of a sentence with no release. 

Worse, the mental health toll is devastating. Over 100 IPP prisoners have died  many by suicide. This sentence has stripped people of hope, family life, and any clear future. It’s not just unjust, they themselves risk peoples life’s.

Failure has blocked there ability to progress. If the system cannot provide the conditions for rehabilitation and release, then the burden must no longer fall on them to prove what cannot be proven under impossible circumstances.This is indefinite detention without cause. People who have done their time, taken steps to change, and are still waiting for a system to catch up.

Parliament has condemned the IPP sentence. The public knows it’s wrong. Experience proves it's unfix able. Now, it must be condemned in action  by creating a real, lawful route to release.

What more do you need to see that you haven’t already seen?

Please don’t pass this to the next government, the next decade, or the next tragedy. The time to act is now support the March . Follow the campaign. Share the stories. Write to your MP. Be the voice for those still unheard.Every year spent over-tariff is another year stolen. Every day without action is another family broken.

Do ask people from all walks of life, from every corner of the UK to come together as one.Please lend your support, raise your voice, and help shine a light on the suffering caused by the IPP sentence. Together, we are stronger and together, we demand change. 

Campaign flyer 

Clearly and persuasively. It keeps the focus on action while directing people to the QR code for resources and history.

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“I Am Still Here”

A poem for every life still trapped under IPP

They told me I'd serve two years.
But that was over a decade ago.
Time keeps moving outside these walls
In here, it doesn’t flow.

I am still here.
No breaches. No fresh crime.
Just a label. A shadow.
A system that refuses to count time.

I’ve done their courses.
I’ve followed their rules.
I’ve watched others walk
while I’m still trapped in this cruel loop

They say I’m a prove
but they won’t define it.
then fail to provide it.

My sentence was short.
But this punishment is endless.
This isn’t protection.
It’s a life stolen relentless.

I've seen hope collapse in men’s eyes.
I've seen suicide notes passed like prayers.
I've watched families fade on prison visits,
asking if we’re still there.

We are still here.
Still waiting.
Still screaming in silence for someone to hear.

We are not forgotten.
We are people.
Broken, but not rotten.

What more do we need to prove?
How many years over must we serve
before you admit the system is the broken?

Don’t wait for another death
to make this real. So listen now.
Not next year. Not next term. Not next tragedy.

End it. Release us.
Let justice finally mean something.

Welcome! I’ve put together some templates and guidance materials for people affected by IPP sentences—whether you’re currently inside, a family member, or a supporter. These templates are designed to help you express your experience clearly and powerfully, whether you’re writing to the Parole Board, MPs, or others involved in the justice system. I know how hard it can be to find the right words or even know where to start. That’s why I’ve created these resources to give you a solid base you can adapt to your own story, your own voice, and your own needs.

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GUIDANCE FOR IPP PRISONERS AND SUPPORTERS

Please remember: These templates and tips are tools to help you make them your own. If you’re submitting anything officially, always share it with your legal representative first so they can ensure your words work in your favour.

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1. Note to IPP Prisoners and Supporters

This letter template is designed to support IPP prisoners, family members, and survivors in telling their truth, explaining the injustice they’re facing, and calling for change.

• Please adapt it to reflect your personal experience, your sentence, your efforts to progress, and your concerns. It’s your voice that matters. 

• If you're currently in prison and wish to submit this to the Parole Board, Probation, or any other decision-maker, it is strongly recommended that you send it through your legal representative or solicitor first.

• Unfortunately, it’s a reality that in some cases, probation or decision-makers may misinterpret or twist words to justify continued detention. Having your solicitor review your submission is a way to protect yourself and ensure your voice is heard clearly and not selectively.

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2. How to Personalise Your Letter

• Make it your own: Use your own words wherever possible. Explain your IPP sentence, your tariff, and your personal experience with the IPP system.

• Be honest and respectful: The Parole Board and legal professionals respect honesty and sincerity. Avoid exaggeration or aggression.

• Highlight your efforts: Mention any courses, work, or rehabilitation you have completed or attempted, even if you were unable to access them due to system failures.

• Explain the barriers: If courses or programs were unavailable or delayed, say so clearly. This provides important context.

• Ask clear questions: For example: “What more do I need to do to be released?” or “When can I expect a fair decision?”

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3. Top Things to Avoid Saying in Parole Submissions

• Do not admit to risk or dangerousness you do not believe you pose. Focus on your progress and readiness.

• Avoid blaming or attacking individual staff members or departments. This can be seen as uncooperative.

• Do not make threats or ultimatums. This can damage your case.

• Be cautious when discussing other prisoners or incidents. Only mention them if directly relevant and factual.

• Avoid emotional outbursts. Stay calm and focused on your key points.

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4. Legal Routes and Points of Appeal

• Seek legal advice: Always discuss your written letters or submissions with a solicitor or legal representative before sending them.

• Judicial Review: If you believe your detention is unlawful or the Parole Board has acted unfairly, legal action may be possible.

• Resentencing Applications: Some IPP prisoners may be eligible to apply for resentencing, which could reduce or fix the length of their sentence.

• Complaints: If you feel your treatment breaches your rights, formal complaints through the prison or Probation may helpbut get legal advice first.

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5. Important Tips Before Submitting Your Letter

• Send through your solicitor: They can advise on how to present your letter and protect you from misuse of your words.

• Even honest statements can be misinterpreted. Keep your tone respectful and avoid anything that could be seen as hostile or aggressive.

• Ask for confirmation: Request that your solicitor confirms when your submission has been received and added to your parole dossier.

• Be patient but persistent: The parole process can be slow. If there is no response in the expected time, you or your solicitor should follow up.

• Protect yourself: Legal oversight can prevent misrepresentation.

• Keep copies: Always save a copy of what you send for future reference.

• Know your rights: You are entitled to a fair hearing. If you believe the process is being mishandled, ask your solicitor about possible legal remedies.

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6. Find Your Voice and Keep Fighting

No one knows your story better than you. These templates and tips are here to help you find the words and the confidence to speak up and demand the justice you deserve.

You are not alone. Thousands are facing the same struggle, and more voices are rising every day to call for fairness, release, and respect for those living under the IPP sentence.

Every letter you send, every question you ask, every step you take puts more pressure on the system to change. Your voice matters.

Take this tool, make it your own, and use it to be heard. Stay strong, stay hopeful, and remember: You deserve to be free.

Your fight for freedom matters to all of us.

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Template Letter From IPP Prisoner to the Parole Board

Your Name
Prison Number
Prison Name
Date

To the Members of the Parole Board,

Re: My Continued Detention Under the IPP Sentence – Request for Clarity and Release

I write this letter out of deep frustration and with a desperate need for clarity. I have now served well beyond my original tariff, and I remain indefinitely detained under the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence. I have done my time and more. What I now seek is a clear and honest answer:

1.      What more must I do to be released? And when, realistically, will that happen?

I understand the Parole Board must assess risk. I do not question that responsibility. But I must respectfully highlight that the conditions for progression, as set out by the system, are simply not possible to meet within the current state of the prison estate.

Rehabilitation courses that I am told I “Must complete" are either unavailable, oversubscribed, or simply not running. Staff shortages mean that even legal visits and basic support are falling through. Court hearings are being delayed because prisoners cannot even meet with their solicitors in time.

We are being asked to prove readiness for release within a system that has no means to provide the very tools we need to demonstrate that readiness.

Organisations such as UNGRIP and the Howard League for Penal Reform have made it clear: the government cannot continue to blame individuals when it is the state itself that is failing to meet its own duties.

I know the Parole Board is independent. I respect that. But I must ask again:

• What are you waiting to see that you haven’t already seen?
• Is there a real pathway to release for someone like me, or am I just waiting for a system to fix itself around me, while I lose more years of my life?

I do not pose a risk to the public. I simply want a chance to rebuild my life after this long and traumatic chapter. My continued detention is not protecting the public it is compounding the damage already done by this unjust sentence.

The government’s rhetoric that we are all unsafe does not match the reality. The vast majority of IPP prisoners have served far beyond their tariff and are trapped in a cycle of impossible expectations and system failure.

So I ask you plainly and respectfully:

If I cannot progress through courses that do not exist, what is the actual basis for my continued detention? When will I be released?

Please consider this letter not only as a personal plea but as a demand for fairness, realism, and justice. The IPP sentence has already been condemned by Parliament, by public opinion, and by experience. Now, it must be condemned in action too by giving us a route out.

Yours sincerely,
Your Name
Prison Number

Prison address

DATE

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Key Points 

Proposed Two-Year Parole Deadline: Parole Board must commit to release within two years. Places onus on the system, not just the individual, to prove readiness.

Systemic Failure in Prisons: No capacity for mandated courses or rehabilitation. Legal visits disrupted, court hearings delayed clear breach of due process and access to justice.

IPP Prisoners Over Tariff: Around 99% are over tariff continued incarceration is punitive, not protective. Government narrative about "dangerousness" is misleading and unsustainable.

Trauma and Harm: Ongoing imprisonment is causing psychological damage.Most just want a fair route to rebuild their lives.

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How to Advocate

Keep the Human Story Front and Center: “that a Everyday over tariff is a day of unjust punishment.” “This isn’t justice it’s indefinite detention without cause.”

Parliamentary Pressure: MPs and Lords should be pushed to ask the government:
“How can you claim to protect the public when the system can't even run basic legal visits or rehabilitation?”

Use the System’s Own Failures: The fact that prisons can't deliver courses undermines the government’s excuse for continued IPP detention. Call for automatic release or resentencing where state failure prevents progression.

Support for William’s Bill, Even though it’s in early stages, public and parliamentary support must be visible to force concessions. Encourage people to write to Lords and MPs to support the reform even in its amended form.

pressure remains, and that’s no small thing. Every debate, every report, every visit refused, every court delay it all paints the same picture: a broken, indefensible policy kept alive by political cowardice. Let’s turn that pressure into momentum.

William’s Bill is now in the Committee Stage

• Lord Wigley = Dafydd Wynne Wigley William’s Bill = Bill introduced by Lord Woodley, also known as the Imprisonment for Public Protection (Re-sentencing) Bill. The Bill has now entered Committee Stage, where proposed amendments are examined in detail (e.g., changes proposed by Lord Blunkett, Lord Woodley, and others) commonslibrary.parliament.uk+8crimeandjustice.org.uk+8researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk+8.

• It's still in the Lords, awaiting completion of Committee deliberations and any Report Stage debates. After that, it would move to the Commons. 

 genealogy.com+3members.parliament.uk+3en.wikipedia.org+3.

*To note that William’s Bill and Lord Woodley are one and the same. The Imprisonment for Public Protection (Re-sentencing) Bill was introduced by Lord Woodley (a variant spelling of his title), officially titled “Imprisonment for Public Protection (Re-sentencing)”, and is focused squarely on resolving injustices affecting IPP prisoners 

publications.parliament.uk+2bills.parliament.uk+2lordslibrary.parliament.uk+2.

Why Buckingham Matters Now

• • Committee Stage is a pivotal phase where additions, improvements, or government-resisted changes (like restrictions on resentencing or changes to licence recall powers) are negotiated.

  • If a version acceptable to both Houses is agreed, the Bill will move on to the House of Commons for debate and votes.

  • Though government resistance remains (with rhetoric focused on public safety), the Bill does have cross-party support and backing from high-profile advocates (e.g., Lord Blunkett and the Centre for Crime and JusticeStudies) scrole down in link 2nd section

  • researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk+2parallelparliament.co.uk+2commonslibrary.parliament.uk+2researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk+4theguardian.com+4thetimes.co.uk+4thetimes.co.uk+2crimeandjustice.org.uk+2researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk+2.

 In summary:William’s Bill (Lord Woodley’s IPP Resentencing Bill) is currently active in Parliament, in the House of Lords Committee Stage.

• • • Its next steps:

      • Final amendments and debates in the Lords.

      • Potential passage to the Commons.

      • If successful, it will receive Royal Assent and initiate a precedent-setting resentencing exercise for IPP prisoners.

Amendments Under Consideration at Committee Stage (Lords)

The Imprisonment for Public Protection (Re‑sentencing) Bill [HL]—sponsored by Lord Woodley (William’s Bill)—is currently in Committee Stage in the House of Lords. Here are key amendments being debated

(as of March 2025) prisonreformtrust.org.uk+2theguardian.com+2theguardian.com+2theguardian.com+12bills.parliament.uk+12researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk+12:

* (Re-sentencing) Bill [HL]Imprisonment for Public Protection (Re-sentencing) Bill [HL]

Amendment	Proposed Change
Amendment 1	Change “must” to “may” for establishing the expert advisory committee—shifting it from mandatory to permissive.
Amendment 2	Limit resentencing to those on licence, excluding prisoners still in custody.
Amendment 3	Restrict the remit to IPP prisoners who are 10+ years over tariff (Baroness Burt).
Amendment 4	Specify that designated Crown Courts must handle resentencing to judicially reviewed standards.
Amendment 5	Allow the court to confirm an IPP only if the offense meets current life-sentence threshold and the individual is considered high-risk.
Amendment 6	Permit the court to impose an extended licence on release.
Amendment 7 (Baroness Fox)	Option for substituting an IPP with a hospital order for mentally disordered offenders.
Amendments 8–10	Include clauses to: report on the Act’s impact; remove licence restrictions if recall is invalid; clarify definitions for juvenile IPP sentences.

These amendments are being carefully examined—some seek to tighten the bill’s scope, others aim to strengthen safeguards for both prisoners and the public.

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2. Expected Timelines in Parliament

• Committee Stage (Lords) – Currently underway; includes line-by-line scrutiny of the amendments.

• Report Stage & Third Reading (Lords) – Likely to follow once Committee Stage concludes; no public date yet, but may occur in summer 2025.

• Commons Stages – If passed in the Lords, the Bill will move to the Commons: First Reading, Second Reading, Committee, Report, Third Reading.

• Royal Assent – Assuming passage in both Houses, the Bill could reach Royal Assent by autumn 2025, triggering the required 24‑month resentencing period.

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Summary up

• Bill stage: House of Lords Committee Stage—critical period for shaping its impact.

• Key amendments: Range from procedural tweaks to significant scope definitions and safeguards.

• Timeline: Likely to progress to Report Stage and Commons in the coming months, with potential Royal Assent by late 2025.

• Your action: Contact MPs and Peers, support or propose amendments that preserve universal resentencing, prevent re-sentencing inflation, and include appropriate safeguards.Your voice can make a real difference at this vital stage.

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Contributions for Lord Woodley , ) in link where it states  keywords type in  IPP Prisoner and scroll down  Woodley https://hansard.parliament.uk/search/MemberContributions?memberId=4897&utm_source=chatgpt.com  

Imprisonment for Public Protection (Re-sentencing) Bill [HL]

https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/lord/lord-woodley?utm_source=chatgpt.com

*For the attention of Lord Woodley” in your subject line. This mailbox is specifically designed to forward messages to Lords based on their instructions use contactholmember@parliament.uk, and include. 

Template Letter – Strategic and Emotional Appeal for IPP Reform

The Rt Hon The Lord Woodley 
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
United Kingdom

contactholmember@parliament.uk,

"Dear Lord Woodley "

I’m writing to you not just as a member of the public, but as someone who can no longer stay silent about the inhumanity of the IPP sentence and the way it continues to destroy lives, long after it was abolished.

Thousands of men and women remain in prison today, trapped under a sentence that Parliament itself has condemned. These are people who have served their time, some more than twice or three times their original tariff, and yet still have no guarantee of release. The system tells them they must show they are "safe" but fails to provide the tools, courses, or support to do so. That’s not justice. That’s entrapment.

The passage of William’s Bill offers one of the few glimmers of hope in this bleak landscape. It doesn’t call for blanket releases or reckless shortcuts it proposes a structured and responsible route out for those who have already paid their debt, by putting the onus on the Parole Board and system to act fairly and clearly.

Many of these prisoners are not dangerous. They are damaged. Damaged by the sentence. Damaged by years of indefinite imprisonment. Damaged by the very system that was meant to rehabilitate them. And yet they are still being punished for the state’s failure to fix the conditions of their release.

We must stop pretending this is working. The government’s rhetoric that these individuals remain too risky to release is out of touch with the reality inside our prisons:

• Prisons are at breaking point, operating at nearly full capacity.

• Basic legal visits are now being cancelled due to staff shortages.

• Rehabilitation courses often a condition of release are unavailable or backlogged by years.

• The trauma of indefinite imprisonment has caused a mental health crisis behind bars. Some have taken their own lives. Others live in constant fear that they may never leave.

So I ask you, with urgency and conviction:

• Support William’s Bill and work to strengthen its provisions where needed.

• Challenge the government’s narrative that these people are beyond help when it’s the system that has failed them.

• Push for legal redress and resentencing options, so that no one is left serving a life sentence for a fixed-term offence.

These prisoners are not forgotten by their families, by campaigners, or by growing numbers of legal professionals. They are remembered, grieved for, and fought for every single day.

They deserve justice. They deserve hope. And above all, they deserve a release date.

Please don’t let this issue be passed to the next government, the next decade, or the next tragedy. The time to act is now.

Yours sincerely,
Your Full Name If applicable: Campaigner / Family member of IPP prisoner / Supporter of penal reform
Add your  Contact Information or prison number and address

.

If posting send by registered post.

........................................................................................................

* (Just include "For the attention of Prison Minister ) Lord Timpson" in the subject or body.)By email:   contactholmember@parliament.uk  

If posting send by registered post.

Template Letter  – Strategic and Emotional Appeal for IPP Reform

The Rt Hon The Lord Timpson OBE DL , .

House of Lords

London
SW1A 0PW
United Kingdom

Dear lord Timpson 

I’m writing to you not just as a member of the public, but as someone who can no longer stay silent about the inhumanity of the IPP sentence and the way it continues to destroy lives, long after it was abolished.

Thousands of men and women remain in prison today, trapped under a sentence that Parliament itself has condemned. These are people who have served their time, some more than twice or three times their original tariff, and yet still have no guarantee of release. The system tells them they must show they are "safe" but fails to provide the tools, courses, or support to do so. That’s not justice. That’s entrapment.

The passage of William’s Bill offers one of the few glimmers of hope in this bleak landscape. It doesn’t call for blanket releases or reckless shortcuts it proposes a structured and responsible route out for those who have already paid their debt, by putting the onus on the Parole Board and system to act fairly and clearly.

Many of these prisoners are not dangerous. They are damaged. Damaged by the sentence. Damaged by years of indefinite imprisonment. Damaged by the very system that was meant to rehabilitate them. And yet they are still being punished for the state’s failure to fix the conditions of their release.

We must stop pretending this is working. The government’s rhetoric that these individuals remain too risky to release is out of touch with the reality inside our prisons:

• Prisons are at breaking point, operating at nearly full capacity.

• Basic legal visits are now being cancelled due to staff shortages.

• Rehabilitation courses often a condition of release are unavailable or backlogged by years.

• The trauma of indefinite imprisonment has caused a mental health crisis behind bars. Some have taken their own lives. Others live in constant fear that they may never leave.

So I ask you, with urgency and conviction:

• Support William’s Bill and work to strengthen its provisions where needed.

• Challenge the government’s narrative that these people are beyond help when it’s the system that has failed them.

• Push for legal redress and resentencing options, so that no one is left serving a life sentence for a fixed-term offence.

These prisoners are not forgotten by their families, by campaigners, or by growing numbers of legal professionals. They are remembered, grieved for, and fought for every single day.

They deserve justice. They deserve hope. And above all, they deserve a release date.

Please don’t let this issue be passed to the next government, the next decade, or the next tragedy. The time to act is now.

Yours sincerely,
Your Full Name If applicable: Campaigner / Family member of IPP prisoner / Supporter of penal reform
Add your  Contact Information

If posting send by registered post.

........................................................................................................................................

Template from a Family Member of an IPP Prisoner

Prison Number
Prison Name
Date

Mp name 

Address 

Dear MP’s Name / Peer’s Name,

I am writing to you as a family member of someone still imprisoned under the abolished IPP sentence. I live every day knowing that someone I love has no idea when or if they will ever come home.

They have served well beyond their original tariff. In any just system, they would have been released years ago. But instead, they are trapped in a sentence that was condemned as unjust over a decade ago, and yet somehow continues to punish people in the shadows.

I’m asking you to support William’s Bill, and to stand up against a government narrative that has left thousands in a cruel limbo. These are not monsters. These are people fathers, sons, daughters, mothers many of whom were sentenced for minor offences, and most of whom have now served two, three, even five times their original tariff.

They are told they must prove they are safe for release. But how can they, when the very system that makes the rules is the same system that withholds the tools? Prisons are overflowing. Courses aren’t running. Staff are stretched to breaking point. Solicitors can’t even visit their clients before hearings. And still, the Parole Board is told to wait for evidence of rehabilitation that the system itself has no capacity to deliver.

This is not justice. It is institutional cruelty. It is abandonment. And it is trauma for them, and for every family who waits in silence and fear.

William’s Bill offers a measured and principled path forward. It doesn't promise to release everyone. It simply requires that if the system cannot show how a person will be released within two years, then they must be. It gives a deadline to the endlessness. It forces the system to take responsibility.

Please, help us end this. Help bring our loved ones home.

With respect and urgency,
Your Full Name
Relationship, e.g. "Sister of an IPP prisoner serving 14 years beyond tariff OR OTHER ….."
Your address/ Email

*If posting, send letter by registered post. Ask your MP for your letter to be forwarded  to  lord Timpson, prison Minister,  and  Lord Woodley.

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Template Support the progression of William’s Bill

Your Name
Prison Number
Prison Name
Date

 MP’s Name,

Address 

Dear MP......

I am writing to ask that you actively support the progression of William’s Bill, currently at the Committee Stage in the House of Lords, and call for an urgent change in the Government’s approach to IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentences. The continued incarceration of thousands of individuals well beyond their original tariff is not only unjust but entirely unworkable under current conditions.

The IPP sentence was rightly abolished for new cases in 2012, yet thousands remain indefinitely imprisoned under its legacy many for minor offences, most having served far beyond their tariff, and with no clear route out. The system continues to punish people indefinitely for historic risk, not current behaviour, and places release conditions on them that the prison estate itself cannot meet.

Why William’s Bill Matters

William’s Bill proposes a fair and pragmatic approach: that the Parole Board should identify when an IPP prisoner is likely to be released within two years, and if they cannot be, clear and reasonable steps must be taken to progress them or else they must be released.

This approach:

• Respects public protection, by using the Parole Board’s discretion.
• Acknowledges the trauma and damage of prolonged, indefinite detention.
• Challenges the current hypocrisy, where release is blocked by rehabilitation courses that either don’t exist or are impossible to access.
• Restores confidence in justice by ensuring the state does not continue to hold people unfairly.
• A System at Breaking Point

The reality is that most prisons are operating at or near 100% capacity. Staff shortages are so severe that legal visits are being denied, hearings delayed, and rehabilitation programmes suspended. Yet IPP prisoners are still told that they must complete these unreachable goals to be considered safe for release. This is not a matter of personal risk it is a systemic failure.

Over 99% of IPP prisoners are now over-tariff. This is no longer about punishment or risk management it is about fear, inertia, and political avoidance.

 The Moral and Legal Imperative

The public understands this injustice. The families live with its consequences every day. The Parole Board, the Sentencing Council, and countless independent voices have called for change. Now Parliament must act.

I ask you to:

1. Support William’s Bill in principle and in detail.
2. Challenge the Ministry of Justice to explain how they can continue to detain people without the means to support their progression.
3. Push for proper investment in parole reform and resettlement, to ensure people are not just released, but supported to reintegrate.

This is not about being soft on crime. It is about being honest about justice, risk, and responsibility. It is time for the government to drop the failing rhetoric of “dangerousness” and replace it with fact-based, trauma-informed, and legally sound solutions.

Every day an IPP prisoner remains locked up beyond their tariff is another day that justice is denied.

Sincerely,
Your Full Name
Your Address / Email

*If posting, send letter by registered post. Ask your MP for your letter to be forwarded to  lord Timpson, prison Minister,  and  Lord Woodley.

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*Disclaimer:
The template letters and guidance provided here are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Please adapt them to your personal situation and consult a qualified legal professional before submitting any documents to the Parole Board or other authorities.