Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the (1) mean, and (2) median, number of months that prisoners serving (a) a life sentence, and (b) an indeterminate sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection, have spent in prison beyond their original tariff.
The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, a prisoner serving an indeterminate sentence who has completed his/her tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for the prisoner to remain confined.
The following table shows the (1) mean, and (2) median, number of months that prisoners serving (a) a life sentence, and (b) an indeterminate sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection, have spent in prison beyond their original tariff as at 30 September 2022.
| Over tariff Months | |
Status | Mean | Median |
Unreleased Life | 111 | 93 |
Unreleased IPP | 109 | 113 |
Notes for all figures in the above table:
The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Data has been supplied for as many of the requested years as it is possible to provide within cost limits; earlier years may not be available due to changes in recording over time.