IPP sentence: Risk of more suicides highlights urgent need for political parties to work together to end tragic miscarriage of justice.

It’s shocking when you realise that 90 people serving sentences under the discredited IPP regime have sadly taken their own lives whilst in prison. In 2023 we saw the second year in a row of the highest number of self-inflicted deaths since the IPP sentence was introduced.

But many have now been given renewed hope, not just by a film posted online by campaigner and CEO of Campaign for Social Justice Peter Stefanovic, which has ignited a storm by bringing the issue to wider public attention with over 13 million views online, but also by the groundswell of public support it has generated and the thousands who have signed a petition forcing the government to respond. Yet more importantly renewed hope has also come through the amendments now tabled in the House of Lords. We cannot not allow that hope to be lost, the risk of further tragedy is far too great.

HOPE FOR JUSTICE

Hope for justice at last now comes in the form of 2 amendments tabled in the House of Lords to the Victims & Prisoners Bill (161 & 167) by Lord Moylan which are backed by the Lib Dems and Green Party peers, and which have wide cross bench support.

Amendment 167 seeks to implement the Justice Committees recommendation to re-sentence all prisoners subject to IPP sentences.

Amendment 161 would require the state to demonstrate that a prisoner is still a risk to the public rather than, as at present, requiring the prisoner to prove the opposite.

Under the proposed amendment, they would be released unless the Parole Board “is satisfied that it remains necessary and proportionate for the protection of the public from serious harm that they should continue to be confined”.

Amendment is 161 is supported by Lord Blunkett, Baroness Chakrabarti & the former deputy president of the Supreme Court Lord Hope of Craighead. It’s also supported by the Bar Council, representing 17,000 barristers in England and Wales.

We must all urge Labour to back the amendments tabled by Lord Moylan that are supported by Lib Dem and Green Party peers. With Labour support we can end this stain on our justice system, NOW.

Let’s not wait for an ITV drama to do the right thing. Let’s not sit by whilst more lose their lives.

We must act now & we must act URGENTLY.