Imprisonment for Public Protection: Sentences

The Secretary of State Was Asked – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 7 March 2017.

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Photo of Christopher Chope Christopher Chope Conservative, Christchurch 12:00, 7 March 2017

How many people are serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection which have lasted for more than twice the length of their original sentence.

Photo of Sam Gyimah Sam Gyimah The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice

As at 31 December 2016, there were 2,006 unreleased prisoners serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection who had served more than twice their original tariff.

Photo of Christopher Chope Christopher Chope Conservative, Christchurch

I thank my hon. Friend for that depressing statistic. My constituent has served not twice but five times the length of his original sentence. Having been sentenced to two and a half years for actual bodily harm, he has been in prison for 12 and a half years. When is he going to be released?

Photo of Sam Gyimah Sam Gyimah The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice

The hon. Gentleman is obviously aware that the IPP tariff was introduced by the last Labour Government, and abolished by the Conservative Administration in 2012. Our efforts are now focused on giving IPP prisoners the support, opportunities and motivation to progress more quickly so that, when they are reviewed by the parole board, they have the best possible prospect of securing release. We are tackling delays in the system and have identified what more needs to be done. A specific unit is looking at individual cases in order to progress them as quickly as possible.

Secretary of State

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