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Tuesday, 1 July 2025

It is now 2025, and yet we are still here still fighting for the same justice that should have been delivered long ago. The IPP sentence, abolished for new cases more than a decade ago, continues to destroy lives. Rather than being treated as individuals capable of rehabilitation, IPP prisoners have been cast aside political casualties of a system more concerned with optics than fairness. I struggle to understand how such a sentence was ever permitted, let alone allowed to persist for nearly two decades. Over a hundred people have died as a direct result of this injustice many by suicide, driven by despair and hopelessness. These are not just numbers. They are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters human beings who were promised justice, but condemned to endless punishment instead. What have we truly achieved, if not the institutionalisation of suffering? I know that writing letters may not lead to an immediate reply or change. But I still believe it is worth trying. Sometimes, you have to speak up, even when you’re not sure anyone will listen because if we don’t try, we’ll never know. And if we remain silent, nothing will ever change.


Your Full Name
Your Address 
Your Email – optional
Date

To: (MP’s Full Name
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Email: MP’s official email ,RE: Urgent Action on the Ongoing Injustice of IPP Sentencing

Dear (MP’s Name),

I write this with deep frustration, sadness, and disbelief that in the year 2025, we are still confronting the lasting damage of the IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentence  a failed and inhumane policy that has cost hundreds of lives and destroyed countless more.

Even though IPP sentences were abolished for new cases in 2012, thousands remain imprisoned under their weight. Many have served far beyond their original tariffs and remain detained or recalled  not for new crimes, but for perceived risks or minor breaches. This is, in effect, indefinite punishment.

The government has treated IPP prisoners not as individuals with the capacity for rehabilitation, but as political pawns  casualties of a justice system more focused on appearing “tough” than delivering fairness. Over 100 people have died under IPP, many by suicide, driven by hopelessness and despair. These are not just statistics. They are sons, daughters, parents  human beings whose lives could have been saved with justice and compassion.

We are now 13 years on from the abolition of new IPP sentences, and yet we are still here, asking the same questions and witnessing the same suffering. What has truly changed, if those affected remain abandoned  if the same retraumatisation through recall continues unchecked?

I respectfully urge you to act on this matter. Specifically, I ask you to on behalf

  • Raise this matter directly with the Secretary of State for Justice

  • Submit a Written Parliamentary Question or speak on the issue during relevant debates

  • Support or initiate a full review of all existing IPP sentences, with a pathway to proper resentencing and release

  • Write to the Secretary of State for Justice on your behalf

  • Submit Written Questions in Parliament

  • Request a debate or speak during relevant debates

  • Work with the Justice Committee or APPGs (All-Party Parliamentary Groups)

  • Push for urgent reform and hold the government to account

You are in a position of authority and responsibility  and your action could help save lives. Please do not treat this simply as a logged concern. I am asking you, as my representative, to take this further in Parliament.

This is a national scandal. Justice delayed is justice denied. The IPP sentence is one of the most shameful legacies of our justice system and history will remember how long it took to end it.

As my MP's your role is to represent the interests and concerns of their constituents, not just their personal views. 

While I understand that individual MPs may hold personal views about particular justice policies, this matter goes beyond individual belief. This is about upholding the rights, voices, and concerns of your constituents  of which I am one.

As my elected representative, I am asking you not to dismiss this based on personal conviction, but to act in your public duty to advocate for justice, fairness, and accountability.

Whether or not you personally agree with reforming IPP, the facts are clear: lives are being lost, families are being broken, and the system is failing. The voices of people affected by IPP deserve to be heard in Parliament  and I am asking you to be that voice.

I would be grateful for confirmation of what steps you are willing to take.

Your Sincerely

Name ......

Sign...........

I  am a constituent. 



 Template Letter from a Serving Prisoner (Adaptable) 


(Your Full Name)
(Prison Number)
(Prison Name and Address)
(Date)(MP’s Name)
House of Commons

London SW1A 0AA

Dear (MP’s Name),

I am writing to you as one of your constituents currently serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence. I hope you will take a moment to read my letter and consider the reality faced by those of us caught in this broken system.

I have already served well beyond my original tariff, and yet I remain detained indefinitely, not for new crimes but because of the IPP sentence’s harsh and indefinite nature. The uncertainty and constant risk of recall have taken a devastating toll on my mental health and hope for the future. Every day feels like a battle to survive in a system that does not seem to want to help me rehabilitate or reintegrate.

The government treats IPP prisoners as statistics or political tools rather than human beings capable of change. Over 100 prisoners have died under IPP sentences, many by suicide a tragedy that haunts us all.

If you or other MPs do not personally believe in the IPP system or its reform, I ask you to remember that representing your constituents means standing up for those in dire straits  even when it is difficult or unpopular. This is not about political belief; it is about justice and humanity for people trapped in a system that continues to fail us.

I urge you, as my representative, to raise this issue urgently with the Secretary of State for Justice and in Parliament. I ask you to push for a full review and resentencing of IPP prisoners to end this injustice and offer a fair chance of release and rehabilitation.

I respectfully urge you to act on this matter. Specifically, I ask you to on behalf

  • Raise this matter directly with the Secretary of State for Justice

  • Submit a Written Parliamentary Question or speak on the issue during relevant debates

  • Support or initiate a full review of all existing IPP sentences, with a pathway to proper resentencing and release

  • Write to the Secretary of State for Justice on your behalf

  • Submit Written Questions in Parliament

  • Request a debate or speak during relevant debates

  • Work with the Justice Committee or APPGs (All-Party Parliamentary Groups)

  • Push for urgent reform and hold the government to account

You are in a position of authority and responsibility  and your action could help save lives. Please do not treat this simply as a logged concern. I am asking you, as my representative, to take this further in Parliament.

I appreciate the many demands on your time and responsibilities, but please remember that behind these sentences are lives waiting for justice. Your voice could make a real difference.

Thank you for your attention.

(Your Full Name)
(Your Full Name)

I  am a constituent. 

(Prison Number)
(Prison Name and Address)
[Date]

Follow-up template letter if the MP does not reply. This follow-up captures the imates frustration and reminds the MP of their duty.

If you’re a constituent  for example Luton (your home address is in Luton), your official MP is the one who represents your home constituency so you write to your Luton MP, even if you’re currently in prison in Birmingham or anywhere else,  explain the situation  why you have a different  different address ,different city. if say imprisoned in Manchester Your representation is tied to where you  last lived), not where you are physically detained.



(MP’s Name)
House of Commons

London SW1A 0AA

Dear (MP’s Name),

I am writing as one of your constituents currently serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence. I hope you will consider my situation and the injustice faced by many caught in this system.

I have served well beyond my original tariff and remain detained indefinitely, often for minor breaches or perceived risks, not new crimes. This has taken a heavy toll on my mental health and my hope for a future outside prison walls.

If you or others do not personally support IPP reform, please remember that your role as an MP is to represent and stand up for all your constituents — including those who are vulnerable and trapped in unjust circumstances.

I respectfully ask you to raise this issue with the Secretary of State for Justice and in Parliament, to push for a full review and proper resentencing of IPP prisoners.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Yours sincerely,
(Your Full Name)

I  am a constituent. 

Your address

(Your Prison number)

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


When writing to His Majesty The King, especially for formal  request for mercy or royal pardon (even symbolic), the tone must be respectful, .The actual power to pardon is exercised on the advice of government ministers (especially the Secretary of State for Justice), people still write to the Sovereign to make moral appeals, symbolic requests, or to ask for royal attention on matters of national concern. Below is a formal letter to the King concerning the IPP prisoners’ campaign and a plea for intervention or royal mercy.





His Majesty The King
Buckingham Palace
London
SW1A 1AA

(Date)A Humble Petition for Mercy and Attention to the Crisis of IPP Sentencing

Your Majesty,

I write to you with the deepest respect, humility, and desperation, as a concerned citizen and on behalf of those still suffering under the cruel and inhumane burden of the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence  a policy that continues to claim lives, despite having been abolished more than a decade ago.

Thousands of individuals, many of whom committed minor offences, remain trapped in prison under indeterminate sentences that offer no clear path to release. Some have served more than 15 years for offences that originally carried tariffs of two years or less. Many suffer from severe mental health deterioration; over one hundred deaths have occurred, including suicides, in a system that has stripped people of hope, dignity, and any sense of justice.

While I understand that the exercise of royal pardon is a constitutional formality subject to ministerial advice, I write to Your Majesty not only in hope of compassion, but as a moral appeal to the conscience of the nation. Your Majesty has long stood as a symbol of continuity, duty, and humanity  and it is in that spirit I ask you to acknowledge the plight of IPP prisoners, many of whom are among the most forgotten and voiceless in our society.

This is a stain on our justice system that cannot be justified by public protection alone. It is prolonged punishment without end. Families are suffering, lives are being lost, and yet still there is delay, denial, and silence.

Your Majesty, I humbly ask you to use your position  symbolically or practically to urge reflection, reform, and above all, mercy.History will remember how long this injustice was allowed to continue. I pray that your voice might help hasten its end.

History will remember how long this injustice was allowed to continue. I pray that your voice might help hasten its end.

I have included a few links below which offer further insight into the IPP sentence, its human impact, and the ongoing campaign to bring this national scandal to a close: 

With the highest respect and hope,

Your humble and obedient servant,
(Your Full Name)
(Your Address – 
(Your Email – optional)




Template letter to His Holiness Pope Francis, appealing for compassion and attention to the ongoing suffering of IPP prisoners. The tone is respectful, for leader of the Catholic Church. 

The address the church of England: The Most Reverend Justin WelbyArchbishop of CanterburyLambeth PalaceLondon SE1 7JU (Date) you could start with letter with : Your Grace,.....

.Please feel free to adapt this letter to reflect your own experiences or views. Everyone’s story matters  and the more voices, the stronger our call for justice. Try to keep your message focused and heartfelt. Avoid unnecessary detail or repetition, and speak plainly. The most powerful letters are often the simplest and most sincere.



His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City
(Date)

A Humble Appeal for Compassion and Justice for IPP Prisoners in the United Kingdom

Your Holiness,

I write to Your Holiness with the deepest respect and humility, as a concerned member of the public and as one who believes in the sanctity, dignity, and redemptive potential of every human soul  especially those who are forgotten by society.

I wish to draw Your Holiness's attention to a grave and ongoing injustice in the United Kingdom: the continued incarceration of individuals under the now-abolished Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence.

This policy, introduced in 2005 and officially abolished in 2012, has left more than 2,800 people trapped in prison with no fixed release date. Many of these individuals were originally sentenced to short minimum terms  sometimes as little as 12 months  but remain incarcerated 10, 15, even 20 years later, not for new crimes, but for perceived “risk” or administrative recall. Some have never been released at all.

The psychological torment this system causes is profound. Many of those still held are among society’s most vulnerable living with learning difficulties, neurodivergence, trauma, and severe mental illness. Over 100 individuals have died while serving IPP sentences, many by suicide. These are not just statistics. These are lives lost to hopelessness and despair, families shattered, and communities scarred.

Although the sentence has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights, by UN experts, and by cross-party parliamentary committees, meaningful reform has been painfully slow. Political fear has outweighed mercy. The result is a form of indefinite punishment that serves neither public protection nor justice.

Your Holiness, I understand that the exercise of justice in each country is complex and that the Holy See does not intervene in secular legal processes. However, I humbly ask you to consider lending your moral voice and prayers to the many men and women still suffering under this unjust regime. A single word of compassion from Your Holiness could reignite public conscience, encourage leaders to act, and offer dignity to those who feel utterly forgotten.

Your lifelong advocacy for the poor, the excluded, and the imprisoned inspires hope in many. You have shown us again and again that no one is beyond God’s mercy. I ask, with all sincerity, that you consider acknowledging this suffering and urging those in positions of power to seek mercy and justice for the IPP prisoners.

I have included several links below which offer further context and testimony about the IPP sentence and its devastating impact: May your voice continue to uplift the downtrodden and remind us that no one is beyond redemption



 Your faithful servant 


(Your Full Name)

(Your Address )


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

PAS on X: "Six recommendations have been put forward to end the #detention of people on #IPP sentences – including that the Parole Board give IPP #prisoners a certain #releasedate - within a two-year window - and set out the required action to achieve it safely." / X

PAS
@PrisonersAdvice
Six recommendations have been put forward to end the #detention of people on #IPP sentences – including that the Parole Board give IPP #prisoners a certain #releasedate - within a two-year window - and set out the required action to achieve it safely.
Quote
The Howard League
@TheHowardLeague
“Although 12 years have passed since the IPP sentence was abolished, it continues to cause despair to those serving it, and to their family and friends. We must now deliver justice for those who were left behind in 2012." howardleague.org/news/expert-wo
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