Almost 2,000 ex-offenders to have ‘lifetime licences’ terminated – but campaigners want IPP sentences ‘gone’

Almost 2,000 ex-offenders serving indefinite prison sentences outside jail will no longer be subject to a “lifetime licence” as new reforms come into force.

Changes to sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) will mean that around 1,800 people who were handed this jail term but were released from prison five years ago will now have their licence terminated – provided they have not been sent back to custody in the last two years.

The reforms, announced by the previous Conservative justice secretary Alex Chalk, are being enacted by the government from today in a bid to address the ongoing IPP scandal that has resulted in thousands of prisoners languishing indefinitely in jail.

What are IPP sentences?

IPP sentences were a type of sentence the courts could impose from 2005 until they were abolished in 2012.

They were intended for serious violent and sexual offenders who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public but whose crimes did not warrant a life term.

Budget latest: Labour playing ‘silly games’, says IFS; Keir Starmer defends tax rises

Although the government’s stated aim was public protection, concerns quickly grew that IPP sentences were being applied too broadly and catching more minor offenders, who often ended up serving years beyond their initial term.

The coalition government scrapped the sentence in 2012, but the change was not applied retrospectively, meaning nearly 3,000 prisoners remain behind bars – including about 1,200 who have never been released.

In light of the overcrowding crisis that has engulfed UK prisons, the Ministry of Justice has faced pressure from campaigners to consider a resentencing exercise for IPP prisoners who remain behind bars, which could result in them being given a release date for the first time.

Anyone jailed on an IPP can only be released once they have served their minimum term or tariff and after the Parole Board is satisfied they no longer pose a risk to the public.

Those who are released are done so on licence, where they are subject to strict conditions.

If they breach those conditions, they could be recalled back to prison at any time – which Lord Blunkett, the former home secretary who introduced the IPP sentence, has likened to a “revolving door”.

Until now, IPP offenders who have been released from prison on have had to wait at least 10 years after their initial release for the Parole Board to consider terminating their licence.

👉 Click to listen to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈

From 1 February 2025, the eligibility period for the Parole Board to consider ending licences from will be reduced from 10 years after first release to three – a move that could see an additional 600 former offenders have their licenses ended.

If the Parole Board does not terminate the licence after three years, it will automatically end after a further two years if the offender is not recalled to prison in that time – giving people a defined end date for their sentence for the first time.

‘We hope people can rebuild their lives’

Prisons minister Lord Timpson said it was “absolutely right that the IPP sentence was abolished”, saying it had left “many ex-offenders subject to indefinite probation supervision long after turning their backs on crime”.

“IPP offenders who have served their time in prison and lived safely in the community for years should not be subjected to a lifetime licence and today we have taken a significant step in addressing this.”

Ungripp, a group that campaigns for existing IPP prisoners to be resentenced, welcomed the changes but urged the government to go further by resentencing offenders who remain in prison.

“This change will impact a large number of people who are living in the community,” a spokesperson said.

Read more:
Inside the lives of IPP prisoners serving sentences of ‘psychological torture’
School smartphone ban will not become law after MP drops proposal

“We hope that those people affected by these changes will now be able to rebuild their lives and finally feel a true sense of freedom.

“However, there are still thousands of people living under the IPP sentence who will not be affected by these changes.

“We want these people to know that Ungripp, alongside many others will continue the work we all do until the IPP is finally gone.

“We will continue to share what is happening to them and push for what should have happened a long time ago.”