Imprisonment for Public Protection Sentences: 2024-25 Annual Report

Thursday 17th July 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)]

My noble Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Lord Timpson) has today made the following statement:

“Today, I am laying before Parliament the HMPPS annual report on the IPP Sentence 2024/25, pursuant to Section 67 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.

This report sets out the activity taken across HMPPS for the financial year of 2024/25 to support those serving the IPP sentence in prison to work towards a safe release, and those in the community, towards the termination of their licence. The revised action plan sets out where we intend to go further, including increasing access to release on temporary license, expanding the approved premises pilot to improve resettlement support, and enabling swift re-release following recall through risk assessed recall review when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The latest published statistics show that as at 31 March 2025, there were 1,012 unreleased and 1,532 recalled IPP prisoners, compared to 1,180 unreleased and 1,616 recalled IPP prisoners on the corresponding date in 2024. As at 31 December 2024, there were 1,376 offenders serving IPP sentences in the community and 233 prisoners in hospital for treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983, compared to 3,018 offenders in the community and 241 prisoners in hospital on the corresponding date in 2023. In 2024, 602 recalled IPP prisoners were released, the highest number in a single year. A revised action plan is included as part of this annual report, which sets out planned HMPPS activity for 2025/26, including for the first time actions with measurable targets. The Government are determined to make further progress towards a safe and sustainable release for all those serving the IPP sentence and an eventual end to their sentence, but only in such a way that does not put the public and victims at risk.”

[HCWS844]