Discussions on the IPP prisoners with Nick Hardwick on LBC Radio Saturday Jan 14th apox 9;30..

Many may ask what is an IPP ? An IPP is what the government named public protection  indefinite detention  though  they committed comparatively minor offenders. 

The IPP sentence  lacked coherent sentencing policy and the failure to allocate resources so that the most appropriate and effective sentence can be given to each offender. The Inquiries did not include past regulatory failures.   Many prisoners have served more than five times their tariff terms. Prisoners still remaining after that scheme was abolished by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 3 December 2012, Serving  up to ten years beyond.

 

Elizabeth Truss I

seemingly trying to justify poor figures as a comparison to recent figures -as good figures.  Defending poor performance and management by saying they have been working for year to improve? 2016 June  figures 3,859, march  4,133, 2016.

 

The solution 

  

The solution to change the release test Laspo for all IPPs, as she has the power to do so. Prisoners should be assumed to be safe to be released unless there are very strong grounds for believing otherwise. Surely, the solution is to make use of Section 128 of LASPO, the Act to cater to the needs of the backlog of these prisoners still in jail—namely, by changing the test whereby they can finally regain their freedom. At the moment, they have to satisfy the Parole Board that they can safely be released; the Parole Board, perhaps unsurprisingly, has a defensive and risk-averse mindset, conscious that it might be blamed if people then reoffend.

 

We want all IPPs released Now

 

but the first point would make a big difference - innocent until proven guilty, not the other way round. We have to remember IPP prisoners have severed in many cases FIVE times there sentence handed down by the judge. Besides ending the basic injustice of imprisonment, we would end the nightmare of uncertainty and hopelessness suffered not just by these prisoners—many of whom over the years, alas, have committed suicide but their families, too. We would free up places in our already grossly overcrowded prisons and save countless millions of pounds which could then be devoted instead to some of the many other calls for prison reform.

 

A well as reintegrating released prisoners into society is helping them to get a job. 80% are in prison for non-violent offences. Prisoners should not be locked up in their cells for most of the night and day, yet about one-fifth of prisoners spend 22 hours out of 24 in their cells.

According to Ofsted “Inadequate” standard and in  education provision 2 five require improvement, skills in 74% of prisons were found inadequate That surely raises the question of whether it is not high time for more joint working to promote good practice.

 

Mental health 

 

There are grave concerns from of the health and safety of those with an IPP; First, It is well known that IPPs are suffering from mental health issues as a direct result of the hopelessness and injustice of the sentence.

 

Vice reported

 

16 IPP prisoners killed themselves not including the population of other prisoners at its highest ever.Mental health often going without diagnosis treatment or support leaving those with now hope.

 

The Families Overlooked 

  

2500 letter sent to Elizabeth Truss from IPP prisoners families they emphasized their fears and observation in there Letters sent via 38degrees and delivered to Elizabeth with no reply . Elizabeth Truss may feel all too often the safe thing for the public point of view is keep prisoners locked up. The only trouble with that is that if you return a prisoner untouched by of rehabilitation your likely get the same person back. Prison should be a social dumping ground.

 

Michael Gove quoted in 2010

 

”we should not compel those who have made mistakes to live forever defined by those mistakes. "He did not understand 2 strike IPP lifers are forced to live defined by their mistakes." 

 

IPPs Trapped in the revolving door.

 

 privatising the probation service is making more people subject to licence conditions and has sped up the revolving door returning people to prison and putting more pressure on a system that fails everyone.“ In the majority of cases the initial decision to recall to custody is made by a single probation officer often for non-offences related and invariably rubber-stamped by the Secretary of State for Justice. Who likely never got to know you. Recalled for the same injustice for the rest of their life, trapped by the 99year license and the clutches of probation 7 years after their release as each prisoner becomes a wage. There is no incentive or hurry to move prisoners on that would be a loss. 

  

The lack of urgency

 

Failing to address the central problem identified with the 2012 act. We feel there has been a covering of secrecy and an inability to get to the truth. I fear lesson have not been learned and those being held on indeterminate sentences still don’t know when they will be released causing the mental health issues and hope-less-ness. 

 

IPP has long been debated  by government now it is time to act

 

Elizabeth Truss was give the options by professor Nick Hardwick the  chair of the  parole board. Its time to act . Prisons are overcrowded and understaffed, which has led to safety issues with  4 riots in 2 months.

 

 

 

The numbers of IPPs in prison on recall I was  increasing significantly. On 31 March 2016 there were 565 people on recall in addition to the 4133 prisoners not yet released. - There is currently no data on how long IPP prisoners spend on recall. - In 2015 whilst 512 IPPs were released from prison a total of 344 were recalled back to prison. - In 2015, the MoJ has started to include Foreign National releases/deportations in its statistics. These prisoners do not go before a Parole Board and are released automatically at the end of their tariff if they are suitable for immediate deportation.    

                              

We must  understand  

 

 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. 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. Their official sentence length is 99 years. 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. 

 

The submission states: “Recent figures from the Ministry of Justice show that IPP prisoners are much more likely and have been self-harm than other prisoners, including those serving life sentences. The prison reform, unsurprisingly the report found that more than half of all IPP prisoners have ‘emotional wellbeing’ problems, and had ‘relatively high suicide rates’, as well as finding themselves stuck in a ‘vicious circle’

 

Branding the IPP ‘absolutely inhumane and unfair’, he said that the sentence ‘totally undermined the fundamental principle of fairness.

 

 

 

Eion mcLennan Murray who said at his annual conference of his association ipp was a blunt injustice release them, unless there is a clear evidence a prisoner is not safe. Lord chief justice it seems to have all the faults, but no one seems to be fighting for them to be dealt with justly.

 

 Lord brown called to postdate Gove top end the terrible scourge. Its a preventative detention, alien to our traditional criminal justice approach.

 

Lord Dholakia the government should be serious about their pledge to tackle the issue. what steps are we talking to end this injustice.

 

“Michael Gove I remember your words we should not compel those who have made mistakes to live forever defined by those mistakes. 2 strike ipp system for lifers are forced to live defined by their mistakes. 

 

IPP prisoner wrote to the inside times if I had a gun I put to my head and pull the trigger, the only way to end it all.

 

Zing, Surely continuing to impose life recall on ipp which is an evil draconian sentence, is a continuation of that same evil, and an unwillingness to stop this is actually an unwillingness to prevent further human rights abuse, the UK government has not ratified article 1 or 13 of European convention human rights (they do not agree to promote human rights nor do they give people the right to a remedy) in hra1998 uk domestic law, they are right wing totalitarian (they believe themselves to be godlike and infallible and should therefore not be challenged in anything other than a circus)