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Board is significantly out of date with both the modern public view and the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• The Board often relies on outdated expectations of "progress":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
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.
Yours faithfully,
Full name
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