We want the abolition of the IPP for all currently serving IPP's

There are thousands IPP's in prison
who arguably shouldn’t be there and have no release date. A senior high
court judge describes them as ‘the disappeared’,

Legislation
has been passed to abolish the IPP sentence and has done so. But has
done nothing about the thousands of prisoners already serving the
sentence and who are completely unaffected by the recent legislation.
This lack of action has resulted in no progress being made towards
dealing with the thousands of IPP prisoners long overdue for release
some by 5 10 years and who have no idea when or indeed if – they will
ever be freed. This is a crime against humanity. We are talking about
people here who have paid for their crime who have finished there
sentence who want to return home to their family’s build their life’s
back up. Apart from the IPP prisoners themselves, the real losers are
their family and friends who are often left struggling to understand the
realities of an IPP sentence often at a loss as to what to do about the
nightmare situation in which they find themselves.


IPP failures force question in House of Lords

As the nightmare of Indeterminate Sentences (IPP) Most of the British
public however do not even know that the sentence exists and that makes
the IPP a low priority for the government.
As a result of the delays
in releasing IPP prisoners thousands prisoners who may have received a 2
year …sentence remain in prison 5 years or more lather…. through no
fault of their own and who have not been given any release date.


In the House of Lords former Chief Inspector of Prisons, Lord David
Ramsbotham, is to ask the government exactly what it intends to do about
releasing the 6,500 people serving the catastrophic, ill-thought out
disaster of a sentence introduced by David Blunkett (on the instructions
of Tony Blair.
On the one hand, it has passed legislation to
abolish the IPP sentence and has done so in the face of severe political
opposition from right wing MPs on both the Conservative and Labour
benches; on the other, it has not introduced a timetable for the removal
of the sentence from British Law. But has done nothing about the
thousands of prisoners already serving the sentence and who are
completely unaffected by the recent legislation.

This lack of
action has resulted in no progress being made towards dealing with the
thousands of IPP prisoners long overdue for release and who have no idea
when or indeed if – they will ever be freed.
Whilst it is true that
Blunkett has now publicly admitted in the Commons that the sentence
“has not worked as intended”, he has also failed miserably to take
responsibility for the disaster that he created and has certainly done
nothing at all to help find a solution.
It should also be noted that
apart from the IPP prisoners themselves, the real losers are their
family and friends who are often left struggling to understand the
realities of an IPP sentence often at a loss as to what to do about the
nightmare situation in which they find themselves.

It is no
good MPs and other sanctimonious people blaming the prisoner either,
usually with phrases such as, “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the
crime”. The fact is that the offences for which an IPP must be given are
laid down in Statute.
Many marches, petitions and letters to MPs
produced by worried relatives have simply resulted in the government
ignoring the plight of those already serving IPP sentences because the
problem is too politically sensitive. However, ministers should be
commended for taking the difficult step of pushing through legislation
to abolish the sentence – although ministers have not yet told anyone
exactly when that will happen.


SEVING IPP’S told the
Prison Reform Trust: To lower my risk, I have to do ETS Enhanced
Thinking Skills: a course offered imprison but because I learning
differences can’t read and write, I can’t lower my situation. I’m just
stuck. They are saying that until I can read and write I can’t do ETS
and I can’t lower my risk. It’s hard. Hard dealing with the sentence let
alone dealing with these tress of not being able to do the course It’s
like when I’m trying to say I can’t learn no more. I’ve been to a
special school and I’ve learnt as much as I

can but they don’t
believe that. But why should I be punished for two things? I’m being
punished for the crime and again for not being able to read and write.


Programme on learning difficulties or I like to say learning
differences has found that 20-30% …..Of the prison population have
difficulties that interfere with their ability to cope with in the
criminal justice system. The courses that should be working on reducing
their risk factors while inside, are not designed to meet their needs
Research by the Prison Reform

Trust has found that there are a
significant number of prisoners who, because they have a learning
disability or differences, are excluded from aspects of the prison
regime including offending behaviour programmes. A report by HM Chie
Inspectors of Prison and Probation described this predicament –
prisoners being unable to access the interventions they needed to secure
their release as ‘kafka-esque’The Joint Committee on Human Rights
found, in response to evidence submitted by PRT, that ‘people with
learning disabilities may serve longer custodial sentences than others
convicted of comparable crimes’. The report went on to say that ‘this
clearly breaches Article 5 ECHR (right to liberty) and Article14 ECHR
(enjoyment of ECHR rights without discrimination)’ There is a
significant shortage of accredited offender behaviour programmes for IP
Pprisoners, especially in local prisons. Only 68% of IPP prisoners have
accessed at least one accredite do ofending behaviour programme. Many
IPP prisoners attend their Parole Board hearing with little or nothing
to show for their time in prison. Nearly 80% of IPP sentences for women
surveyed by the Chief Inspectors

of Prisons and Probation were
for offenses of arson. HM Chief Inspectors of Prisons and Probation have
described those serving IPP sentences as ‘prisoners with many and
complex needs, including learning disability’ HUNDREDS of people being
held beyond tariff, many had not completed no accredited offending
behaviour programmes. Hundreds of people serving IPP sentences had not
completed an accredited programme.HM Chief Inspectors of Prisons and
Probation has stated that ‘the situation is not sustainable. Even with
the recent changes in legislation, these numbers far exceed the capacity
of the probation service and the prison system (and the Parole Board
for that matter) to deliver the necessary quality of service Many people
given an IPP sentence under the old legislation, subsequently amended,
are still in custody. In fact, given that the reckless



Framing of the sentence doesn’t even attempt to unpick ‘the
vulnerability, . Beyond the moral problems of this, it is likely that
people will be put in an environment that will make them less settled.
It would be, for example a kind of torture As the Joint Committee on
Human Rights put it report on deaths in custody:


The
evidence suggests that prison actually leads to an acute worsening of
mental health problems. By sending people with a history learning
differences to prison placing the min an environment that is proven to
be dangerous to their health and well-being. There are other groups for
whom

prison is an ill-judged intervention, if the aim is to
stabilize their behavior and to increase their future prospects for an
orderly life. Research for the Prison Reform Trust’s Know One Knows
programme on learning difficulties and learning disabilities has found
that 20-30% …..of the prison population have difficulties that interfere
with their ability to cope within the criminal justice system. The
courses that should be working on reducing their risk factors while
inside, are not designed to meet their needs. One young man


serving an IPP told the Prison Reform Trust: To lower my risk, I have to
do ETS Enhanced Thinking Skills: a course offered imprison but because I
learning differences can’t read and write, I can’t lower my situation.
I’m just stuck. They are saying that until I can read and write I can’t
do ETS and I can’t lower my risk. It’s hard. Hard dealing with the
sentence let alone dealing with thes tress of not being able to do the
course It’s like when I’m trying to say I can’t learn no more. I’ve been
to a special school and I’ve learnt as much as I

can but they
don’t believe that. But why should I be punished for two things? I’m
being punished for the crime and again for not being able to read and
write."Not only have these teenagers /adults been let down by the
systems a system that teaches one way or no way. They are again punished
because they have learning differences.

"https://www.facebook.com/groups/322989171073819/

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33738