The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Attorney General Dominic Raab followed their recommendation to review the status of some 3,000 prisoners held under the Incarceration for Public Protection (IPP) system. He said he was “really surprised” by the refusal.
In September, the Commission recommended that all 2,926 cases in England and Wales be reconsidered, saying the IPPs were “irrevocably flawed”.
But on Thursday, Raab declined to review all IPP rulings, stating: These criminals can move towards safe release. ”
He added: “The government has no plans to hold a retrial.”
In September the Commission report He said the IPP’s system of managing and releasing prisoners was “insufficient.”
After hearing Raab’s decision, the chairman of the committee, Conservative MP Sir Bob Neill, said: I am not only disappointed with this government response, I am truly surprised. ”
“The Commission recognized that it would not be easy to deal with this issue, and therefore recommended the establishment of a small, time-limited panel of experts to advise on the conduct of the resentencement. bottom.”
IPP statement (pdf) In 2005 the Labor government introduced it to prevent the release of people deemed dangerous to the public.
They were abolished in 2012 by a coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, but about 3,000 remain in prison, many of them for relatively minor crimes.
For example, a man convicted of robbing his parents was jailed for two years in 2006 and is still in prison.
The man’s attorney, Andrew Sperling, wrote on Twitter: “He has autism. His behavior is challenging, but that doesn’t mean he’s dangerous.”
Criminals serving time in IPP are no longer considered a danger to the public and will only be released after successful reintegration.
Bernadette Emerson’s partner, Abdullahi Sleman, was sentenced by the IPP in 2005 for robbery and was sentenced to two years of customs duties.
Emerson told the Epoch Times in September: I haven’t been home since 2017. He misses his children growing up.
The Government has accepted some of the Commission’s recommendations, including a review of the Ministry of Justice and the Prisons and Probation Service’s IPP Action Plan and improved mental health support for IPP inmates.
However, it did not concede the full resentencing of the 3,000 individuals subject to the terms of the IPP. He also rejected a recommendation that the period of parole (the period of time subject to a prison recall after release) should be reduced from 10 years to 5 years.
Mr Neal said:
‘Government is not listening’
He said: “Governments are not listening. Nettles are not being grasped and as a result these people will be left unsustainably marginalized.”
Lord Blanket, who was Home Secretary when the IPP judgment was introduced, said: A period of 10 to 5 years. ”
“Giving people hope and turning current threats into support should be the best way to avoid violations or a return to criminal activity. It’s also for the happiness of my family.”
“The government should be thoroughly ashamed of this wholly inadequate response to a serious bipartisan attempt to correct a horrific historical wrong,” said Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust.
he said:
A Justice Department spokesperson said:
“Our current approach has already cut the number of unreleased IPP inmates by three-quarters since 2012, and the new law means their sentences will be reviewed 10 years after their release. We are also currently changing the rules so that IPP offenders who have had five years of good behavior in the community will be automatically reviewed for continued supervision,” he added.
PA Media contributed to this report.