Prisoners serving abolished indefinite jail terms costing taxpayers millions
Incarcerating Prisoners on abolished Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences cost UK taxpayers £145 million in 2024, in addition to an estimated £1.6 billion spent since the sentence was abolished.
Over 2,600 inmates remain on IPP sentences, some for minor crimes, despite the sentences being deemed "inhumane" and abolished in 2012 due to human rights concerns.
The average cost per IPP prisoner is £53,801 per year, while other Prisoners are often released after serving only 40% of their sentences to reduce overcrowding.
Campaigners and experts criticize the government for the ongoing costs and urge for resentencing, highlighting cases of individuals serving lengthy sentences for minor offenses and the psychological impact of indefinite detention.
The Ministry of Justice defends the continued detention based on Parole Board assessments of risk but faces pressure to address the financial and ethical implications of IPP sentences.
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ITV News
a day ago
- ITV News
Prison sentences with no release date branded 'inhumane' 20 years after being introduced
A prison sentence which allows offenders to be incarcerated indefinitely has been branded "inhumane". Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences were introduced in 2005 before being scrapped in 2012. However, the orders were not revoked retrospectively, meaning that two decades since being brought in, thousands of people across the UK are still subject to their conditions. The sentences were initially intended to be handed to the most serious offenders whose crimes did not warrant a life sentence, with the view that they would only be released once re-habilitated. But once released from custody, offenders remain on licence for an indefinite period meaning they can be recalled at any time, often for behaviour which is not deemed criminal. Now, as a bill to allow re-sentencing of all IPP offenders progresses through the House of Lords, people who are living with IPP conditions have said they are the equivalent to a life sentence. Shaun Lloyd was originally sentenced to two and a half years in prison in 2005 after stealing a mobile phone, but spent nine consecutive years behind bars. He is now currently back in prison after being recalled on his IPP in March 2024. Shirley Debon, Shaun's mother, says behaviour linked to his drug addiction - which he developed in prison - has seen him recalled four times. She says he has now spent 14 years behind bars, Shirley is now campaigning for all prisoners still serving an IPP to be re-sentenced. "I don't condone what these people have done, they deserved prison," she said. "But this IPP sentence it's indeterminate, it's got no date of release. Murderers don't get that long. "It's not fair, it is inhumane, and it is killing people. It's killing prisoners, some family members are dying because of the stress of it." She says Shaun has missed out on large parts of his life due to multiple re-calls. "He would have been out in two and a half years, he would have been working, settled down, everything would have been so different," Shirley added. Meanwhile, Michael Roberts, from Barry, was convicted of armed robbery in 2006 and sentenced to more than three years in prison and given an IPP sentence. He served five years before he was released, and has been recalled several times since for minor offences - some of which he says he was later found not guilty of. "I'm scared to walk around my town because it only takes one phone call, and whether I've done anything wrong or not, the moment that allegation is raised I'm back in prison waiting for them to do their homework to work out if I actually did anything wrong or not," he said. While he acknowledges the seriousness of his initial crime, he says his IPP sentence has made it impossible for him to move on and be fully rehabilitated. "I've done my time for the offence I committed, I've done the punitive part, I had my punishment," he said. "I'm trying to make up for the things I've done wrong, I'm trying to rebuild with everybody I've done wrong to, I'm trying to be a better person, at what point do I stop getting flogged?" What are IPP sentences? Following criticism of over and incorrect use - including a European Court of Human Rights ruling that the sentences were unlawful - IPPs were abolished in 2012. In total, between 2005 and 2012, courts in Wales and England imposed a total of 8,711 IPP sentences. At the beginning of 2024, more than 150 Welsh prisoners were still subject to IPPs. As of March 31, 2025, Ministry of Justice figures show the number of 'unreleased' IPP prisoners fell by 14% to 1,012 across Wales and England compared to the previous year. More than two thirds of the 'unreleased' IPP prisoners who have served their minimum tariff period have been held for at least 10 years beyond the end of their tariff. In the year to March 31, 2024, the number of 'recalled' IPP prisoners had decreased by 5% to 1,532. Changes were introduced by the UK Government in November 2024 which meant that prisoners who have served their custodial sentence can now apply to have their licence terminated after three years in the community without re-call. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'It is right that IPP sentences were abolished. We are determined to make progress towards safe and sustainable releases for those in prison, but not in a way that undermines public protection.' Lord David Blunkett who was Home Secretary when IPP sentences were introduced, has been calling for a reform of the sentences. He has previously said it was one of the biggest regrets of his time in government. Lord Blunkett said: 'Whilst parliament agreed to the imprisonment for public protection sentence all those years ago without dissent, no one – including me - envisaged that prisoners would be held for so long, and have such difficulty in gaining agreement to the Parole Board releasing them back into the community. That is why a group of peers have been working with a range of charities and organisations to make real progress including legislation, this time last year, which has seen 1,800 former prisoners have their license conditions lifted. 'In just over two weeks' time, a report sponsored by the Howard League for Penal Reform, and led by a former Supreme Court Judge, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, will make further recommendations on progress for those who have never been released, and I look forward to working with all those of goodwill to finding a way which will both rehabilitate those offenders, and protect the community.'
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Tony Hudgell's birth mother still ‘high risk to children', adoptive parent says
In 2018, Jody Simpson – along with Tony's birth father Anthony Smith – were sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of assaulting, ill-treating or neglecting their child. Tony's injuries were so severe, his legs had to be amputated. Simpson was originally released in 2023, before being recalled to prison in May 2024 having broken the conditions of her licence. The probation service believes that it can monitor and control Simpson in the community with stringent conditions. On Thursday, Tony's adopted mother Paula Hudgell told Nick Ferrari on LBC breakfast that Simpson had 'already proved' she could not be managed in the community. Ms Hudgell said: 'To be honest I expected it, I sat through and observed the parole hearing which obviously I can't discuss, but I realised then that she will be released. 'They feel that they can manage her in the community, even though she is still a high risk to children. 'She's already proved once that she can't be managed in the community by breaking her licence conditions.' She added: 'At the end of the day, in two years' time she will have finished her licence anyway and she'll be free to roam the streets, do what she wants, live her life, have children go on to have new relationships etcetera with no monitoring at all.' Tony and his adopted parents successfully campaigned for 'Tony's Law', which has changed the maximum sentences judges can pass down for child abuse offences. In light of the imminent release, they are calling for a register whereby authorities can keep tabs on people who commit offences against children. Ms Hudgell told LBC that Simpson had shown 'no remorse' and that her son Tony – who is now 10 – has his own views on what should have happened to them. 'His views, originally were that they should have had the electric chair,' she said. A spokesperson for The Ministry of Justice said: 'This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones. 'Now that the independent Parole Board has directed her release, Jody Simpson will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. She faces an immediate return to prison if she breaks the rules.'
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Tony Hudgell's birth mother still ‘high risk to children', adoptive parent says
In 2018, Jody Simpson – along with Tony's birth father Anthony Smith – were sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of assaulting, ill-treating or neglecting their child. Tony's injuries were so severe, his legs had to be amputated. Simpson was originally released in 2023, before being recalled to prison in May 2024 having broken the conditions of her licence. The probation service believes that it can monitor and control Simpson in the community with stringent conditions. On Thursday, Tony's adopted mother Paula Hudgell told Nick Ferrari on LBC breakfast that Simpson had 'already proved' she could not be managed in the community. Ms Hudgell said: 'To be honest I expected it, I sat through and observed the parole hearing which obviously I can't discuss, but I realised then that she will be released. 'They feel that they can manage her in the community, even though she is still a high risk to children. 'She's already proved once that she can't be managed in the community by breaking her licence conditions.' She added: 'At the end of the day, in two years' time she will have finished her licence anyway and she'll be free to roam the streets, do what she wants, live her life, have children go on to have new relationships etcetera with no monitoring at all.' Tony and his adopted parents successfully campaigned for 'Tony's Law', which has changed the maximum sentences judges can pass down for child abuse offences. In light of the imminent release, they are calling for a register whereby authorities can keep tabs on people who commit offences against children. Ms Hudgell told LBC that Simpson had shown 'no remorse' and that her son Tony – who is now 10 – has his own views on what should have happened to them. 'His views, originally were that they should have had the electric chair,' she said. A spokesperson for The Ministry of Justice said: 'This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones. 'Now that the independent Parole Board has directed her release, Jody Simpson will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. She faces an immediate return to prison if she breaks the rules.'
