Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Prison Population Projections 2020 to 2026, England and Wales, published on 26 November 2020, Table 1.1, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the projected rate of decrease in the indeterminate sentenced prison population.
As the projections show, the indeterminate population is forecast to decline over the next 6 years. This is largely due to a continuing decline in the number of prisoners continuing to serve the sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP).
We are committed to ensuring that all prisoners serving indeterminate sentences, including those serving IPPs, have every opportunity to progress towards safe release. HM Prison and Probation Service are focused on reducing the risk and thereby the successful rehabilitation of IPP prisoners via an action plan which is taken forward jointly with the Parole Board. This approach is working, with high numbers of unreleased IPP prisoners achieving a release decision each year and we expect this to continue.