IPP SOS. In the vain hope that they could appeal for someone to rescue them from their plight.

The HMP Titanic


         

Having read Inside Time for many years, I noticed a mailbag recently from a bitter-sounding IPP in the December issue. This was titled ‘Some IPPs more equal than others’. I felt quite moved by this because I saw it for what it was, simply one poor soul trying to stamp out another poor soul’s hopes to be released, because one of them had a tariff of under 2 years. In my opinion this group of IPPs would obviously be the first ones out under Nick Hardwick’s ‘Reverse the Risk Test’ idea, and good luck to them.

 

“Right now, every one of us is deciding with our attitudes and our behaviour, who we are on that ship”

 

I see some striking parallels, for all of us who received IPP, 2-strikes and life, with the case of the Titanic disaster of 1912. Some of those passengers fought each other for seats on the few remaining lifeboats, whilst others voluntarily gave up their seats. Then there were those who sent up flares or telegrammed SOS in the vain hope that they could appeal for someone to rescue them from their plight. Others prayed or committed suicide in their cabins. Right now, every one of us is deciding with our attitudes and our behaviour, who we are on that ship. I know who I am. I am the one that has accepted that if they ever do go for Kenneth Clarke’s ‘Release 500’ or Nick Hardwick’s ‘Reverse the Risk Test’, there is never going to be enough seats on the ‘lifeboat’ to go around.

 

Captain Liz Truss may very well soon be forced to start bailing out the engine rooms, and not just with an egg-cup as her predecessors have been doing. So, while she is doing this, I invite all of us that know we won’t fit the criteria to reach the upper-decks to display the courage, mercy and selflessness that those who rule over us and maintain these abolished and mediaeval sentences are completely devoid of. Don’t resent any survivors. And don’t hit any ‘spice-bergs’.

Brackenbury

 

Sadly he's absolutely spot on! But feel it's important to keep exposing the extreme downfalls in the system, the heartache it causes and families it ruin, not to mention the lives it's cost, it's got to stop!!..... Here's another example on the flip side of the coin, because prison staff are human and have families too, they're trying their best with the little resources they do have and it's costing them their lives too these people running the mother ships. Should hang their heads in shame. https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-7734-Suicidal-prison-staff-at-the-end-of-their-tether#.WJSzq49viUl

And no doubt hearing, how can they keep me locked up for something I might do rather than have done! Coz essentially that's what they are doing isn't it!    Owen

The system is broken, you have to fight for anything. The human cost is catastrophic and only the strong will currently survive it. That's why family and friends are critical to ipps. They need support. Persecution hurts and causes enormous emotional damage. The ipp campaign helps all of us, we must stay strong for them. Public opinion is changing. Change will come.

 

Mcluckie

 

Just been talking to my Son i asked him him a couple of questions am I just knew each answer b 4 he told me now put in mind his been in prison on this poxy ipp sentence for 10 long lonely yrs now I say lonely cos that is just that, question 1, have u ever had an oral hearing, answer no mum NEVER, Question 2, how many parole have u had, answer 4 maby 5,
Question 3 how many times over the past 7 yrs have u met with your solicitor, answer NONE wouldn't even begin to tell u wot he looks like,
Question 4, so u r telling me that every parole you have sat on he has NEVER been there, answer mum I've NEVER sat in front of a parole board all my parole have been on paper.

Can someone PLZ answer this is this allowed to happen when he has been in for 10 yrs 6 of those being over his tariff date. Does he not have   opportunity to go an sit in front if a parole board is it NOT their own choice to do so I know. NOT having that choice I think this is so cruel and out of order. My son like many others r sitting in a prison not knowing when or even IF they will ever b released. Dean I never even knew about oral hearings I have heard of them don't get me wrong but never knew how they worked an who could go for them I ha e tried an tried so bloody hard over the past mainly 5/6 yrs to get someone to help wit my son to help him move forward but everytime im hitting a brick wall I feel to give up but his my son an as no one else wishes to help im the only one that can but I can only do so much Wots it going to take wit this poxy ipp someone else to take their own life once again makes me so frigging mad.

Kingham You have to apply for an oral hearing when you receive the parole dossier. If you don't and you have no lawyer it's highly likely the Board will not give you a hearing


McSherry More chit chat.... Remember this everyday we are out here talking and talking.... Ipps are degrading mentally and physically.... Suicide and self harm increasing....there is only one way to achieve results and that is by taking a hard action... Strikes and protests.... I suggest a mass organised hunger strike....all ipps under 4 years immediate re sentence and release.... Those demands would be met in months! All this talking and emails....theyll have you doing that the next ten years.... Ipp been going 13 years how much mire talking you gona do?

Owen . I hope he hang's on in there. Ms Truss is dribbling on about building bigger prisons and recruiting more officers but neither address the big issue for the government. Obviously they don't care about prisoners but the numbers don't stack up. The prison estate is at 98% capacity and its bursting apart. They hate bad press and they are getting alot at the moment. They really have no choice now but to change the test for release. I'm hopeful this year the test will be changed.  I hope I'm right, I don't want to see another IPP suicide. Please tell those to hold on.
The government say they will defend former Chris Graylings decision to cut legal aid in this area because the prisoner has OTHER means of getting the problem resolved. Other means! Mmm. They wouldn't be refering to the prison complaints system would they? Because that just isn't funny! I do so hope the Howard League win this legal challenge but those government lawyers are really tough cookie's to beat. My fingers are crossed. The government need to feel real pressure from all angles. IPP must go!


Grant  my lovely brother was 9 years over his tariff, he was also diagnosed with terminal cancer whilst in there, 2014, we didn't stop fighting until eventually they released him due to him dying and sadly we only had 6 weeks with him before he passed away, it makes me sick to my stomach that his last years were robbed from us all. Good , I really hope that your voice is heard


valon Our prison service is well and truely broken . As an aside when I left the prison service i became a magistrate for 5 years . I'm not now. The cuts to legal aid have made the whole court system so biased. It's become a revenue raising exercise designed to take in money through fines
Our prison service is well and truely broken . As an aside when I left the prison service i became a magistrate for 5 years . I'm not now. The cuts to legal aid have made the whole court system so biased. It's become a revenue raising exercise designed to take in money through fines.when I was an officer. " Guv I don't mind being banged up for an offence I did commit but recalling me for something that is not an offence for any person on tbe street is justice piss puss take ".


Horton It will be good for the public to hear the viewpoint of someone who has worked on the frontline, so to speak. As an ex-prison officer, you can confirm what families have been saying about the effect of this awful sentence. And I totally agree with you about the prison service in general. 

Zing 5% reoffending rate, oasys doesn't change with time but lowest reoffending is larger sentences how can the risk assessment be unaffected? Parole board are asked to make future predictions based on information with inflated risk its resulting in self harm rate of almost 2/3rds massively high suicide and development of psychiatric and psychological trauma (its torture, and its two tier system ipps ate far more persecuted than others around them

Murphy Probation can't cope so its better they stay in jail so they don't have to deal with them .they move goal posts all the time .my son has done every thing even got job to come out to .up for parole in Feb let's see what excuses this time 8yrs over tariff



Kelly Well how about listening to people with experience both sides and come up with a honest answer because the money's thats wasted around 70 grand per prisoner per year would be better in your NHS for the poor soles that have been mentally tortured because of this unjust sentence and there family's you put all that money into TICK BOX courses and if the prisoners dont fit in O well guess what there not going home . Then if you do get released with around 50 quid and then thrown to the wolf's because you have to sign with probation that many time's a day its a joke what you be doing today?? Running to get here on time running home {if your lucky enough to be allowed home more likely a nice hostel still miles from your family's for a cup of tea then back on with your running shoes that your families have had to buy and the same clothes that you went to prison in that dont no longer fit to sign on as funding was CUT so no bus pass for you mate good luck with signing on as after 45 minutes on phone{not yours no phone unless you FIND 1 in the street !!! Or got lucky some kind person has lent you there's but you have p----sed someone off because you've now use all there credit up
You explain your situation about sighing 4 times a day so guess what you cannot claim because your not actively looking for work !!!
Perhaps if you supply them with a broom to put up there bottoms they could be paid to sweep the roads while running back and forth. No sorry to give them any encouragment as its the council a CRB check ??? No does anyone know if someone with ipp has manage to get employment with them or any other big employees i would like to know ??
Carnt go on because i just wind people up sorry but thanks for the counselling session to all that have read and big thanks to Katherine Gleeson and again Adam to all others keep strong

 Horton I feel like someone ought to graffiti the MoJ with a quotation from Magna Carta (clause 40): 800 years ago, they got it right! "TO NO ONE WILL WE SELL, TO NO ONE DELAY RIGHT OR JUSTICE". This clause is still supposed to be valid in English law today. It clearly isn't  
Dee

Hi ,today after husband was placed in open conditions and in less than  3 weeks my husband was moved with the  clothes he stands in .The  local police and probation wrote to the governor to ask my husband   be moved to closed conditions as he is still high risk, legibly.

Though the  parole board  said he can move to  open conditions PLUS all the reports  such as the Barrister and  probations have my husband down as  medium risk!! My heart breaks for him and I'm ready for a mental institution . What can I do to help him , I am alone in this country no friends or family .

 

REQUEST OF ASSISTANCE

We need your assistance from solicitors and barrister,  you may know of other,s who could  assist with pro-bono work for IPP Prisoners. I look forward to hearing from you.

Contacted  katherinegleeson@aol.com


Thank you

Katherine Gleeson               

 

 

http://www.insidetime.org/the-hmp-titanic/