- Leading justice experts, led by Lord John Thomas and convened by the Howard League for Penal Reform, have proposed new measures to finally end the "cruel experiment" of imprisonment for Public protection (IPP) sentences.
- IPP sentences, abolished in 2012 but not retrospectively, have left 2,614 inmates, some jailed for minor offences, indefinitely incarcerated for up to 20 years longer than their original terms.
- The expert panel's six recommendations include giving release dates to those still in prison, ending the cycle of recall, enhancing the appeal process, and allowing IPP sentences to become "spent" after an appropriate period.
- The proposals aim to restore hope to prisoners, prevent further self-inflicted deaths (94 IPP prisoners have died in custody), and could free up prison places while saving taxpayers money.
- While the government has stated it will "carefully consider" the recommendations, it has previously rejected resentencing, despite the IPP sentence being widely condemned as a "monstrous blot" on the justice system.
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