Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences on (a) rehabilitation and (b) recidivism rates.

At its peak in 2012, there were over 6,000 offenders serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence in custody. As of 30 June 2024, this had reduced to 2,734, of which 1,132 had never been released. As of 31 March 2024, there were 3,000 individuals serving an IPP sentence on licence in the community. For those in the community the Parole Board would have assessed that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for that person to be in prison.

From April 2016 to March 2021 the annual proportion of IPP sentenced individuals who reoffend each year is between 5.4% and 15.8%. The most recent published data is available online: Proven reoffending statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Government is determined to make further progress towards a safe and sustainable release for those serving the IPP sentence, but not in a way that impacts public protection. We believe that it is right that these sentences were abolished and, in opposition, we supported changes made in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 to the IPP licence period and the introduction of a statutory requirement for the Government to publish an IPP annual report on the steps taken to support rehabilitation and progress towards release from prison or licence termination. Most of these changes will commence on 1 November 2024 and all will be implemented by 1 February 2025.

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service continues to provide additional support to those still in custody, including improved access to mental health support and rehabilitation programmes for eligible and suitable IPP prisoners to provide them with vital skills aimed at securing future release and employment.