Coverage and Attendees so far:
The amount attending 216 people, according the links below. The amount does not include the Mps attending or media other who may not have added there name.
The amount attending 216 people, according the links below. The amount does not include the Mps attending or media other who may not have added there name.
*There is usually a TV crew there everyday so could help get coverage of your fight.
* Inside Times News paper will be attending covering the IPP Lobby.
* BBC 1 will for the documentryOana Andreea Marocicworking on a BBC 1 documentary about IPPs. oana.marocico01@bbc.co.uk / 07454 769 094. Or PM me on FB, if that's easier.
* BBC 4
Coverage and MP,s:
*There is usually a TV crew there every day so could help get coverage of your fight.
* Inside Times Newspaper will be attending, covering the IPP Lobby.
* BBC 1 ,will be there for the documentarydocumentryOana Andreea Marocicworking on a BBC 1 documentary about IPPs. oana.marocico01@bbc.co.uk / 07454 769 094. Or PM me on FB, if that's easier.
* In progress BBC 4
.
MP,s
* Gavin Shuker Labour and Cooperative MP for Luton South.
* David Evennett Conservative MP, Bexleyheath and Crayford .
* David Ramsbotham MP
* Andrew Smith MP
* Richard Fuller MP
* Oliver letwin Conservite Mp for Dorchester
* Daniel Zeichner Mp for Cambridge
* Stephen MC Portland MP
* Michael MC Nestry
*Frances Crook, the Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform
We know ahead of time that Daniel Zeichner MP will submit the following Parliamentary Questions for the IPP
*There is usually a TV crew there every day so could help get coverage of your fight.
* Inside Times Newspaper will be attending, covering the IPP Lobby.
* BBC 1 ,will be there for the documentarydocumentryOana Andreea Marocicworking on a BBC 1 documentary about IPPs. oana.marocico01@bbc.co.uk / 07454 769 094. Or PM me on FB, if that's easier.
* In progress BBC 4
.
MP,s
* Gavin Shuker Labour and Cooperative MP for Luton South.
* David Evennett Conservative MP, Bexleyheath and Crayford .
* David Ramsbotham MP
* Andrew Smith MP
* Richard Fuller MP
* Oliver letwin Conservite Mp for Dorchester
* Daniel Zeichner Mp for Cambridge
* Stephen MC Portland MP
* Michael MC Nestry
*Frances Crook, the Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform
We know ahead of time that Daniel Zeichner MP will submit the following Parliamentary Questions for the IPP
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide quarterly data from 2012-2016, on the number of IPP prisoners on recall and the average period of time spent in prison on recall before release/transfer to open conditions.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide financial, activity and outcome data in relation to the additional resources provided since 2012 to enable IPP prisoners to meet the release test.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the resources provided to enable those detained to meet the current test for release.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will commission an independent review into the IPP sentencing regime involving criminal justice agencies managing the sentence and incorporating the experiences of prisoners and their families.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he plans to use the statutory power granted to him by Parliament to change the Parole Board release test.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will consider legislating for those serving IPP sentences to be re-sentenced on defined principles specially enacted by Parliament.
Yours sincerely
Daniel Zeichner
Office of Member of Parliament for Cambridge
daniel@danielzeichner.co.uk
We Lobby from
1) 11.30 to 1pm
2) Toilet & coffee break
3) Leaving AT 2PM from parliment square to March to the Ministery of justice from 3 onward.....
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the resources provided to enable those detained to meet the current test for release.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will commission an independent review into the IPP sentencing regime involving criminal justice agencies managing the sentence and incorporating the experiences of prisoners and their families.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he plans to use the statutory power granted to him by Parliament to change the Parole Board release test.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will consider legislating for those serving IPP sentences to be re-sentenced on defined principles specially enacted by Parliament.
Yours sincerely
Daniel Zeichner
Office of Member of Parliament for Cambridge
daniel@danielzeichner.co.uk
We Lobby from
1) 11.30 to 1pm
2) Toilet & coffee break
3) Leaving AT 2PM from parliment square to March to the Ministery of justice from 3 onward.....
WHAT ARE WE REQUESTING?
We are asking for both
1. Put pressure on the MoJ / government to change the release test for IPP prisoners, in accordance with section 128 of LASPO 2012. 1. Persuade the MoJ / government to convert IPP sentences into extended sentences . (including all IPP prisoners released, now out on licence).
(it is no good ONLY asking for the release test to be changed, as this might not get rid of the problem of “life-licence.”)
*Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012
Extended sentences:-
The judge decides how long the offender should stay in prison and also fixes the extended licence period up to a maximum of eight years. The offender will either be entitled to automatic release at the two thirds point of the custodial sentence or be entitled to apply for parole at that point.
If parole is refused the offender will be released at the expiry of the prison term. Following release, the offender will be subject to the licence where he will remain under the supervision of the National Offender Management Service until the expiry of the extended period.
KEY DIFFERENCES FROM THE IPP:-
* Automatic release at expiry of prison term, if not released sooner.
* Maximum 8 years licence period
The Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 2003 introduced the sentence
of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP). Under the Legal Aid Sentencing and
Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012 the IPP was abolished. The government
confirmed the situation as unsatisfactory and more recently Mr. David Blunkett
stated that the Labour Government “got the implementation wrong”. However, to
date nothing has been implemented for those prisoners who are already serving
this sentence.
It is your right to ask your MP to lobby for your IPP...in
parliament! I have enclosed is a Template and info to send to your MP and
additionally Invite your MP to meet with you on the day of the Demonstration
/March. If unable for good reason to support your ipp on the day you can still
ask your Mp to Lobby for you ,just weak the template . It is likely he will be
in the commons on this day with a mass of MPs as this is the day they go
in to the chambers on important issues like ours.
Template letter to lobby your MP “VERY IMPORTANT”
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
NAME
ADDRESS
POSTCODE
PHONE NUMBER & MOBILE
E-MAIL
Dear .........................................MP
As one of your constituents I will be coming to Parliament to lobby you about the injustice of IPP sentences. I hope to talk to you in person and I would be happy to talk to you further about my concerns, so I wanted to give you some notice and ask that you arrange a time to meet me.
I will be in central lobby between 11.15 and 2pm on the 25 May 2016 and would be pleased to meet you at any time whilst I am there.
I really care about this issue because ADD PERSONAL STORY HERE or add the line “this issue has deeply affected my family”.
I am looking forward to meeting you, and I await your confirmation.
Yours sincerely,
Then do the following beforehand to get the most MPS:-
1. send out all MP letters
2. call all the MPs who have had letters
3. call the local radio stations to tell them and to say if your MP has agreed to meet you.
4. call again - to get them to commit to a time
5. MOST IMPORTANT - REMEMBER TO ASK FOR EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT. MAKE IT REASONABLE / ACHIEVABLE AND CLEAR. On the day important! Call the MPs to say how much you are looking forward to seeing them and remind them where you a are.
Most important
1. Put pressure on the MoJ / government to change the release test for IPP prisoners, in accordance with section 128 of LASPO 2012*.
2. Persuade the MoJ / government to convert IPP sentences into extended sentences**.
(it is no good ONLY asking for the release test to be changed, as this might not get rid of the problem of “life-licence.”)
*Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012
**Extended sentences:-
The judge decides how long the offender should stay in prison and also fixes the extended licence period up to a maximum of eight years. The offender will either be entitled to automatic release at the two thirds point of the custodial sentence or be entitled to apply for parole at that point.
If parole is refused the offender will be released at the expiry of the prison term. Following release, the offender will be subject to the licence where he will remain under the supervision of the National Offender Management Service until the expiry of the extended period.
KEY DIFFERENCES FROM THE IPP:-
* Automatic release at expiry of prison term, if not released sooner.
* Maximum 8 years licence period
Government counter arguments against releasing IPP prisoners
The MoJ’s 3 main arguments against releasing post-tariff IPP prisoners are always:-
(A) The sentences were legal at the time they were imposed, so the MoJ “can’t” do anything about them.
(B) To release IPP prisoners would release dangerous prisoners into the community without any supervision
(C) “All” that IPP prisoners have to do is to meet the requirements for their release.
(A) is incorrect, because the government does have the power to change the sentences – under section 128 of LASPO 2012.
(B) can be dealt with (as the flyer states) by converting the IPP sentences into the current sentence type for “dangerous” prisoners: the extended sentence, which provides for supervision.
* However, it may also be worth pointing out that the increased stress and high incidence of mental health issues experienced by IPP prisoners mean that they are less likely to be able to stay calm and keep out of trouble. They will then get a bad report, which means that they will be refused parole, and will then be stuck in a vicious circle of “no release = more stress = poor behaviour = no release.”
* Determinate sentence prisoners can get away with quite a lot of bad behaviour. IPP prisoners cannot afford even one black mark against them. This is unjust.
* The fact that IPP prisoners can be on licence for life also needs to be raised here, because they have to meet those requirements as well, which means they can never really make a new start.
The recent judgement on the appeals against the IPP sentence
On March 18th 2016, the Lord Chief Justice dismissed 13 appeals against the
IPP sentence, which was bad news.
However, he also commented on the problem presented by the IPP, in the paragraph below.
* Points 2 & 3 are exactly the same as our action points 2 & 3 at the beginning of this document, and point 1 is dealt with in the flyer, so it may be worth pointing out to your
useful reports or articles
“The Government sees no need to reduce the number of prisoners, even though
it is now at record levels and the highest in Western Europe…..
….The prison system consumes vast amounts of taxpayers' money without delivering enough rehabilitation….
It is time we looked more closely at why we have so many more men in custody than any of our European neighbours with similar crime rates. Mandatory sentences, IPPs, sentencing guidelines, recall from licence, political rhetoric and media misreporting have all played a part. We need to develop other ways of asserting that we take crime seriously than simply adding expensive additional years of custody to a sentence.”
Lord Beith (Liberal Democrat peer and former chair of the House of Commons Justice Committee)
24.3.16
Trouble in prisons has reached epidemic levels, with recorded incidents of “concerted indiscipline” rising by more than 200 per cent in the last three years, figures seen by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal today (24 March). Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics show that prisons in England and Wales recorded 282 incidents during 2015 – more than five a week – as they struggled to cope with growing numbers of prisoners, chronic overcrowding and deep staff cuts.
Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said:
“The Prime Minister has recognised that prisons are failing and that wholesale reform is needed. But simply trying to build a way out of the problem will not work and would mean years of disorder, violence and people dying while we wait for new prisons to be built. Evidence shows that building additional prisons only compounds overcrowding and its consequent problems as the courts send more people to prison every day. We cannot go on cramming more people into jails without any thought for the safety of staff, prisoners and the public.”
Howard League for Penal Reform: media release 24th March 2016 .
So is anything being done about this?
The government abolished the IPP sentence on December 3rd 2012, so no more could be imposed after that. However, it did nothing at all about the 5-6000 prisoners still serving IPP sentences, and has consistently refused to tackle the problem, saying that more and more IPP prisoners are now being released. Unfortunately, the Parole Board has such a backlog of cases to be heard that according to the MOJ’s own figures, it will take about 9 years at the present rate, for all IPP prisoners to be released (currently around 4,700 in all) – by then all will be over their tariff. In 2012 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that indeterminate sentences breached prisoners’ human rights, because of the fact that rehabilitative courses were not being made available even after the tariff had been served, yet still the situation has not improved. What are the alternatives? Allow those already over their tariff to be released. The law already provides for long licence periods for ordinary prisoners who need close monitoring on release, by “extended” sentences. These could be applied to IPP prisoners.
GIVE IPP PRISONERS A DEFINITE RELEASE DATE. END THE INJUSTICE.
THE IPP SENTENCE: WHY PROTEST?
What is the IPP? IPP stands for Imprisonment for Public Protection. This type of sentence was first used in 2005. They were designed to protect the public from serious offenders whose crimes did not merit a life sentence. IPP offenders have to serve a minimum term (tariff) which is set by the court, and then they have to appear before a Parole Board to prove that they are no longer dangerous, before they can be released. That’s a good thing, right?
* WRONG! Why is that?
* Firstly, many prisoners on IPPs have not committed the kind of crimes for which IPPs were designed, but less serious ones.
* Secondly, there was inconsistency in sentencing even for serious crimes – some prisoners who have committed identical crimes are IPP prisoners, some are not. This is clearly unjust.
* Thirdly, IPP prisoners have “indeterminate” sentences, which means that they never know exactly when they will be released, unlike normal prisoners. The effect of living under this level of stress and uncertainty means that IPP prisoners are significantly more likely to suffer mental health issues than other prisoners. Research indicates that they may be twice as likely to suffer such issues.
* Fourthly, many of the courses which IPP prisoners are required to complete before they have any chance of being released, are not easily available. Not all prisons provide them, and / or there is a long waiting list for many courses. Through no fault of their own, therefore, many IPP prisoners are unable to “prove” that they are no longer a danger.
* Fifthly, IPP prisoners, even if released, are on licence for at least 10 years, and can be recalled to prison at any time for even minor offences. They are never allowed to put their crime behind them, because their licence can be extended indefinitely.
So is anything being done about this? The government abolished the IPP sentence on December 3rd 2012, so no more could be imposed after that. However, it did nothing at all about the 5-6000 prisoners still serving IPP sentences, and has consistently refused to tackle the problem, saying that more and more IPP prisoners are now being released.
Unfortunately, the Parole Board has such a backlog of cases to be heard that according to the MOJ’s own figures, it will take about 9 years at the present rate, for all IPP prisoners to be released (currently around 4,700 in all) – by then all will be over their tariff. In 2012 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that indeterminate sentences breached prisoners’ human rights, because of the fact that rehabilitative courses were not being made available even after the tariff had been served, yet still the situation has not improved.
What are the alternatives? Allow those already over their tariff to be released. The law already provides for long licence periods for ordinary prisoners who need close monitoring on release, by “extended” sentences. These could be applied to IPP prisoners.
GIVE IPP PRISONERS A DEFINITE RELEASE DATE. END THE INJUSTICE.
WHY
PROTEST?
What
is the IPP?
IPP stands for Imprisonment for
Public Protection.
This type of
sentence was first used in 2005. They were designed to protect the public from
serious offenders whose crimes did not merit a life sentence. IPP offenders
have to serve a minimum term (tariff) which is set by the court, and then they
have to appear before a Parole Board to prove that they are no longer
dangerous, before they can be released.
That’s a good thing,
right?
·
WRONG!
Why is that?
·
Firstly, many prisoners on IPPs have not committed
the kind of crimes for which IPPs were designed, but less serious ones.
·
Secondly, there was inconsistency in sentencing
even for serious crimes – some prisoners who have committed identical crimes
are IPP prisoners, some are not. This is clearly unjust.
·
Thirdly, IPP prisoners have “indeterminate”
sentences, which mean that they never know exactly when they will be released,
unlike normal prisoners. The effect of living under this level of stress and
uncertainty means that IPP prisoners are significantly more likely to suffer
mental health issues than other prisoners. Research indicates that they may be
twice as likely to suffer such issues.
·
Fourthly, many of the courses which IPP prisoners
are required to complete before they have any chance of being released, are not
easily available. Not all prisons provide them, and / or there is a long
waiting list for many courses. Through no fault of their own, therefore, many
IPP prisoners are unable to “prove” that they are no longer a danger.
·
Fifthly, IPP prisoners, even if released, are on
licence for at least 10 years, and can be recalled to prison for something as
small as dropping litter. They are never allowed to put their crime behind
them, because their licence can be extended indefinitely.
So is anything being
done about this?
The government abolished the IPP
sentence on December 3rd 2012, so no more could be imposed after
that. However, it did nothing at all about the 5-6000 prisoners still serving
IPP sentences, and has consistently refused to tackle the problem,
saying that more and more IPP prisoners are now being released.
Unfortunately, the
Parole Board has such a backlog of cases to be heard that according to the
MOJ’s own figures, it will take about 9 years
at the present rate, for all IPP prisoners to be released (currently around
4,700 in all) – by then all will be over their tariff.
In 2012 the European
Court of Human Rights ruled that indeterminate sentences breached prisoners’
human rights, because of the fact that rehabilitative courses were not being
made available even after the tariff had been served, yet still the situation
has not improved.
What are the
alternatives?
Allow those already over
their tariff to be released. The law already provides for long licence periods
for ordinary prisoners who need close monitoring on release, by “extended”
sentences. These could be applied to IPP
prisoners.
Press Release
PROTEST AT WESTMINSTER TO SUPPORT THE RELEASE OF IPP PRISONERS
For Immediate release / release on __________________
Wed. 25th May 2016 11.00 a.m.
I will be lobbing parliament with my MP………………………. The families, friends and supporters of the 4000 to 5000 IPP prisoners still in jail, will be meeting at 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday 25th May 2016 in the Central Lobby of the Palace of Westminster, to lobby MPs to change the law so that IPP prisoners have a definite release date.
The IPP was first used in 2005, designed to protect the public from serious offenders whose crimes did not merit a life sentence. IPP offenders have to serve a minimum term (tariff) which is set by the court, and then they have to appear before a Parole Board to prove that they are no longer dangerous, before they can be released. In theory this should have been a good idea. However, it became clear that there were a number of problems with this sentence (not least the fact that IPP prisoners even when released are on a 99-year licence – a life sentence, in other words), so in December 2012, the government abolished it.
Although no more IPP sentences can be imposed, the government did not make this retrospective, and those lobbying will draw attention to the injustice of those IPP prisoners still in prison. Many are years over their tariff and suffer additional mental health problems because of the stress and uncertainty of their situation. Their families too suffer extra stress, because they can never know exactly when their loved ones will be released, and thus are unable to plan effectively for the future.
Once we have lobbied our MPs, we will march to the Ministry of Justice for 3.00p.m to make similar representations there.
For further information, please contact
Name
Email
(Google Maps Parliament London SW1A, UK to Minatory of Justice 102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ, United Kingdom,----Tothill St - via Great George St/A3214 and Birdcage Walk - Queen Anne's Gate, 10 min
How to get to parliament.https://www.google.com/maps/place/Parliament+St,+London+SW1A,+UK/@51.4994794,-0.1248092,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x487604c5aaa7da5b:0xf13a2197d7e7dd26
Find out more about the IPP sentence:-
https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/legislation/bills-acts/legal-aid-sentencing/ipp-factsheet.pdF
INPORTANT!
Please do put your name as attending if you have already added your name to the Facebook demonstration /March . "Please do not double book your attending in both links because we need to know the correct amount attending, thank you.
links
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/events/ipp-prisonrs-demonstration-march-release-all-serving-ipp-post-tariff-join-us . https://www.facebook.com/events/468743383313747/
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