Committees

Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences

Inquiry

Following the announcement that a General Election will be held on 4 July, Select Committees will be unable to meet from 24 May and will cease to exist from 30 May until after the General Election. This work has therefore closed.

As of 30 June 2021, more than 1,700 people are in prison serving indeterminate sentences for public protection, even though IPP sentences were abolished nearly 10 years ago. Some 96% of those prisoners have completed their mandatory period in prison (known as their “tariff”) and do not know when they will be released.

In this inquiry the Committee examines policy issues surrounding IPP sentences, with the aim of identifying possible legislative and policy solutions.

Please be aware that some of the written evidence published as part of this inquiry may contain content which some readers might find distressing.

Read the call for evidence to find out more about the inquiry.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was Monday 22 November 2021.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Tuesday 14 December 2021
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences - Oral evidence 14 December 2021
2:30pm
  • Caroline Corby (Chair at Parole Board)
  • Mr Martin Jones (Chief Executive Officer at Parole Board)
3:30pm
  • Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP (Minister for Crime and Policing at Ministry of Justice)
  • Sonia Flynn (Executive Director, Chief Probation Officer & Women at HM Prison and Probation Service)
  • Dr Jo Bailey (National Lead Psychologist at HM Prison and Probation Service)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 7 December 2021
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences - Oral evidence 7 December 2021
2:30pm
  • The Rt Hon. the Lord Blunkett, former Home Secretary (2001-2004)
  • The Rt Hon. the Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (2013-2017)
3:15pm
  • Professor Graham Towl (Professor of Psychology at Durham University, and visiting clinical professor at Newcastle University)
  • Dr Jonathan Bild (Deputy Director at Sentencing Academy)
  • Professor Nick Hardwick (Professor of Criminal Justice at Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 23 November 2021
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences - Oral evidence 23 November 2021
2:30pm
  • Donna Mooney (Campaigner at UNGRIPP)
  • Miss Shirley Debono (Campaigner at UNGRIPP)
  • Dr Dinesh Maganty (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Clinical lead Tamarind Centre and Chief Mental Health Legislation Officer at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust)
3:30pm
  • Peter Dawson (Director at Prison Reform Trust)
  • Dr Mia Harris (Research Officer at Prison Reform Trust)
  • Russell Webster, Independent Prisons Consultant
Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Related information

Contact us

  • Email: justicecom@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 020 7219 6684 (general enquiries) | 020 7219 3051 (media enquiries)
  • Address: House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA