Require prison sentences to be served consecutively, not concurrently
- 28 Signatures
(Estimated Final Signatures: 284 - 5 added in the past 24hrs)
We want the government to change the law so that prison sentences for crimes can only be served consecutively, not concurrently.
Found: Require prison sentences to be served consecutively, not concurrently
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of people serving Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences at the latest available date; how many of these have been (1) released and recalled, or (2) never released; and how many remain in prison beyond their tariff.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes statistics on the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) population in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ). The latest published figures can be accessed using the links below.
As at 31 December 2024, there were a total 2,614 prisoners serving IPP sentences in custody, of which 1,045 were unreleased and 1,569 were recalled. The figures can be found in Table 1.Q.14: prison-population-31-Dec-2024.ods.
As at 30 September 2024, there were 2,885 offenders serving IPP sentences in the community. Of these, 1,742 had their IPP licences automatically terminated on 1 November 2024. The figures can be found in Table 6.13: Probation-Jul-to-Sep-2024.ods.
Between January and September 2024, there were 128 IPP first releases. The figures can be found in Table 3.Q.2: prison-releases-July-to-Sept-2024.ods.
Between 1 January and 30 September 2024, there were 471 IPP recalls. The figures can be found in Table 5.Q.2: licence-recalls-July-to-Sept-2024.ods.
Between 1 January and 30 September 2024, there were 451 IPP recall re-releases. The figures can be found in Table 5.Q.11: licence-recalls-July-to-Sept-2024.ods.
As at 31 December 2024, there were a total 1,035 unreleased IPP prisoners beyond their tariff. The figures can be found in Table 1.Q.18: prison-population-31-Dec-2024.ods.
It is right that the IPP sentence was abolished, and this Government is determined that those serving the sentence get all the support and opportunities they need to make further progress towards a safe and sustainable release.
On 15 November 2024, the Government published the updated IPP Action Plan, which puts a stronger emphasis on effective frontline delivery in our prisons. It will ensure that prisoners serving IPP sentences have robust and effective sentence plans, which they can actively engaging with, and that they are in the correct prison to access the right interventions and rehabilitative services.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving imprisonment for public protection sentences were in Category (a) B, (b) C and (c) D prisons as of 31 December 2024.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Table 1 shows the number of prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences(1) held in predominant function Category B, C and D establishments(2), in England and Wales, as at 31 December 2024.
Prison Category(2) | Number of IPP Prisoners(1) |
Category B | 252 |
Category C | 1,737 |
Category D (Open) | 196 |
Notes:
1.The figures presented in these tables include both unreleased and recalled IPP prisoners.
2. A number of prisons have multiple functions (e.g. a prison could have both "Reception" and "Category C" functions). For these prisons, the predominant function has been used.
3. For more information see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prisons-and-their-resettlement-providers.
4. Data sources and quality: 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. Source: Prison NOMIS.
It is right that the IPP sentence was abolished, and this Government is determined that those serving the sentence get all the support and opportunities they need to make further progress towards a safe and sustainable release, but not in a way that impacts public protection.
On 15 November 2024, the Government published the updated IPP Action Plan, which puts a stronger emphasis on effective frontline delivery in our prisons. It will ensure that prisoners serving IPP sentences have robust and effective sentence plans, which they are actively engaging with, and that they are in the correct prison to access the right interventions and rehabilitative services.
The IPP Action Plan and the commitment to deliver it have contributed to the overall reduction in the IPP population. The unreleased prison population fell from 1,227 in December 2023, to 1,045 in December 2024.
The Government also acted swiftly to commence the IPP measures in the Victims and Prisoners Act, which led to the automatic termination of licence for 1,742 cases on 1 November 2024. We also commenced the new power to re-release recalled IPP offenders executively through Risk Assessed Recall Review (RARR).
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report entitled Imprisonment for Public Protection Interim Member Guidance, published by The Parole Board in October 2024, if she will take steps to support prisoners serving IPP sentences to move towards release.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Parole Board published interim guidance to its Members on 12 November 2024 to help them in conducting parole reviews for prisoners serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) or Detention for Public Protection (DPP). The guidance encourages Members to conduct reviews fairly and justly, whilst maintaining a focus on ensuring that the statutory release test is met before issuing any release direction.
The Government published a refreshed IPP Action Plan on 15 November 2024, which puts a stronger emphasis on effective frontline delivery in our prisons and the Probation Service. The Action Plan will ensure that those serving IPP sentences have robust and effective sentence plans and that they are in the correct prison to access the right interventions and rehabilitative services. IPP prisoners need to engage with their sentence plans in order to reduce their risk of serious harm.
The Government also acted swiftly to commence the IPP measures in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, which led to the automatic termination of licence for 1,742 cases on 1 November 2024. On that same day we also commenced the new power for the Secretary of State to re-release recalled IPP offenders executively without referral to the Parole Board, where the statutory release test is met. As of 1 February 2025, all the IPP measures in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 are in force.
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many additional months beyond tariff people serving an indeterminate sentence are held on average.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The mean time that unreleased prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence (that is, a life or an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence) spent over tariff was 121 months, as of 30 September 2024. These prisoners are spending time beyond tariff because the Parole Board did not deem them safe to release.
Table 1 shows a breakdown of unreleased prisoners serving IPP sentences that are 15 years over tariff, as of 30 September 2024.
Years over tariff | Number of unreleased IPP prisoners |
15 | 79 |
16 | 54 |
17 | 14 |
It is right that the IPP sentence was abolished, and this Government is determined that those serving the sentence get the support and opportunities they need to make further progress towards a safe and sustainable release.
We published the updated IPP Action Plan on 15 November, which puts a stronger emphasis on effective frontline delivery in our prisons. We are ensuring that prisoners serving IPP sentences have robust and effective sentence plans, which they are actively engaging with, and that they are in the correct prison to access the right interventions and rehabilitative services.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving imprisonment for public protection sentences were (a) classified as Category A prisoners and (b) in Category A prisons on 11 March 2025.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Category A prisoners are those that are considered to pose the highest risk to the public, the Police or national security. High security establishments are designed to mitigate those risks and to prevent escape.
Some Category B prisoners are held in high security prisons, though they are not treated as Category A prisoners. They are assessed as posing a high or very high risk to the public if held in other types of establishments. High security prisons also provide specific interventions that are only provided within these establishments and therefore IPP prisoners are there to receive the support required to progress or manage the continued risk that they pose. This Government is committed to ensuring those who can make progress through their sentence are supported to do so, but not in a way that impacts public protection.
The information provided below is from the latest published snapshot for breakdowns of the prison population, as at 31 December 2024. More recent data cannot be provided because it could give an early indication of future Accredited Official Statistics.
Table 1: Number of IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) prisoners(1) classified as Category A prisoners(2), as at 31st December 2024, in England and Wales
Number of Category A IPP prisoners(3) | 20 |
Table 2: Number of IPP prisoners(1) held in predominant function Category A (High security) establishments(4), as at 31st December 2024, in England and Wales
Number of prisoners | 154 |
Notes:
1.The figures presented in these tables include both unreleased and recalled IPP prisoners.
2. The data presented in this table includes prisoners classified as Provisional category A.
3. The figure presented in this table constitute a subset of the figure presented in Table 2.
4. A number of prisons have multiple functions (e.g. a prison could have both "Reception" and "Category C" functions). For these prisons, the predominant function has been used.
5. For more information see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prisons-and-their-resettlement-providers.
6. Data sources and quality: 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. Source: Prison NOMIS.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of current provisions to support people serving a custodial sentences who are experiencing gambling harms.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
HM Prison and Probation Service delivers a broad range of interventions to address individuals’ criminogenic risks and needs, including accredited offending behaviour programmes.
Support for prisoners who are experiencing gambling harms is provided by the NHS. We are working with the NHS to ensure that any gambling intervention provision it commissions is evaluated, and that people in the criminal justice system with associated harms are taken into account and have parity of access to support.
Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that (a) violent and (b) repeat offenders receive longer sentences.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The courts also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales.
It is the function of the court to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided and any guidelines that may be laid down by the Sentencing Council or the Court of Appeal. The sentence imposed on an offender should reflect the crime they have committed and be proportionate to the seriousness of the offence. Custody should only be imposed if the offence is so serious that no other sentence can be justified.
The Government has launched an independent review of sentencing. The Review will be guided by three principles. Firstly, sentences must punish offenders and protect the public – there must always be space in prison for the most dangerous offenders. Secondly, sentences must encourage offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime, cutting crime by reducing reoffending. Thirdly, we must expand and make greater use of punishment outside of prison. The Review will report in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent guidance her Department has provided to the judiciary on the use of custodial sentences in the context of prison capacity.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Sentencing decisions are a matter for the independent judiciary, and judges are able to take into account a range of factors when handing down sentences.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress she has made on progressing prisoners who remain in custody on Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences and who have served their minimum term towards release from incarceration.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This Government is focused, as a matter of urgency, on ensuring that all serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners have the opportunity to reduce their risk, via effective and deliverable sentence plans, as well as supporting them to engage fully with those plans. We will shortly be publishing a refreshed IPP Action Plan, that is being worked on and will be delivered by very senior officials in HM Prison and Probation Service. More broadly, we continue to focus on delivering good education, training and work opportunities in prison to build skills alongside support for IPP prisoners to access employment and accommodation on release.
It is right that IPP sentences were abolished, and we are committed to making further progress towards a safe and sustainable release for those serving the IPP sentence, but not in a way that impacts public protection. The Government will continue to consult with organisations and campaign groups to ensure it takes the appropriate course of action to support those still serving IPP sentences.