UK MPs urge government to repeal ‘irrevocably flawed’ IPP ruling

The House Judiciary Committee called on the government to review the status of approximately 3,000 prisoners imprisoned under the “irrevocably flawed” Incarceration for Public Protection (IPP) system.

of the committee report All 2,926 prisoners in England and Wales said their prison sentences should be reviewed and replaced, with the IPP’s system of managing and releasing prisoners “inadequate”.

IPP statements (pdf) was introduced by the Labor government in 2005 to prevent the release of people deemed dangerous to the public.

Many of those convicted have been convicted of relatively minor crimes such as serious bodily harm (GBH) and have spent 10 years longer in prison than they would have otherwise spent two years.

London attorney Andrew Sperling welcomed the commission’s report, writing on Twitter: In 2006, he was sentenced to his IPP for robbery of his parents. His minimum term was less than two years. he’s still in jail. His family desperately wants him released. ”

Autism IPP Prisoner

Spurling continues: His behavior is challenging, but this does not mean he is dangerous. His case is a good example of the failure of planning, coordination and strategy that the commission highlights in its report. ”

The Commission’s report states: However, while these measures are necessary, it is clear that they alone will not be enough to address the issues identified in the manner in which the IPP judgment continues to work and is likely to work in the years to come. This judgment is irrevocably flawed.”

Although the IPP was abolished in 2012 by former Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government, 1,492 IPP prisoners were not released and another 1,434 prisoners were recalled to prison.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Neal said: They are currently failing in prison systems that are being left behind due to inadequate support for certain challenges posed by the way they were convicted and sentenced. ”

Bernadette Emerson’s partner, Abdullahi Suleman, was awarded an IPP judgment and two years of tariffs against GBH in 2005.

An undated photo of Bernadette Emerson and her partner Abdullahi Suleman and their daughter in a British prison. (Courtesy of Bernadette Emerson)

Emerson, who lives in Cardiff, told The Epoch Times: I recall several times and haven’t been home since 2017.

Suleman, a qualified plumber who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2004, was assaulted by another inmate in prison in 2018 and was not properly treated at the time, she claimed, causing serious illness. He suffered a head injury.

Emerson said: When he was finally examined in 2020, they said his skull was badly damaged and the fusion went wrong. It was a life-changing brain injury. ”

“IPP caused a lot of struggle and trauma”

she said:

Emerson, co-founder of Activities of the IPP Committee The group welcomed the Judiciary Commission’s report and urged the government to act on its recommendations.

She said 76 IPP prisoners had taken their own lives, many of whom said they were “broken” mentally after seeing their killers released while in prison.

The Epoch Times also spoke with Kelly, whose friend Glenn was given an IPP in 2006.

Kelly told The Epoch Times: If he was convicted, his maximum sentence was his four years. He got into a fight outside a nightclub. His co-defendants have him sentenced to ten months. ”

Glenn has been released and recalled twice, and Kelly said on a recent occasion that he slammed the car door during an altercation.

Kelly, who lives in the West Midlands, said, “This ruling has destroyed someone I once knew. These words have had a huge impact on everyone. His mother’s mental health has been affected.” Worse, his father has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and he’s having a hard time understanding why Glenn is still in prison.We all feel like we’re in prison too.”

She welcomed the commission’s report, but said: They have ignored it for a long time. ”

A Department of Justice spokesperson said, “The number of IPP prisoners has fallen by two-thirds since 2012, and we continue to help prisoners still in custody make progress toward their release. .

“These sentences were handed down by judges who determined that criminals pose a grave risk to the public, but under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, they promised to review the licensing terms after 10 years. We will carefully consider the recommendations in the report and act accordingly.”

PA Media contributed to this report.