Experts call for end to indefinite jail terms

Experts in mental health, human rights, and criminal justice have called on parliament to put an end to indefinite jail terms, which have left thousands of prisoners languishing in jail beyond their minimum tariff. The imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, abolished over a decade ago, have been described as a “living nightmare” by campaigners. A coalition of 11 organisations, including the Prison Reform Trust and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, is urging the House of Lords to review amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill that would lead to the resentencing of all IPP prisoners. The amendments also propose improvements to sentence progression and easing of strict licence conditions. The government has so far resisted calls to resentence prisoners, despite a rise in self-inflicted deaths among IPP inmates.