source: The Guardian

published: 9 September 2023

Image Credit: radnatt at www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Indefinite prison sentences should be considered as a potential risk factor for suicide, the prisons and probation ombudsman has said.

It follows the highest number of self-inflicted deaths by prisoners on indefinite sentences since they were introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2005. In 2022, there were nine self-inflicted deaths of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences.

The sentence, known as Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP), was introduced in 2005 by the Labour government for offenders who were considered a risk to the public, but whose offences did not merit a life sentence. IPP was so controversial that it was abolished in 2012, though not for people already serving a sentence.

As of 30 June 2023, there are still 2,909 IPP prisoners in England and Wales, more than half of whom (1,597) have been recalled to custody.

IPP prisoners are reportedly two-and-a-half times more likely to self-harm than the general prison population. As of December 2022, there have been 78 self-inflicted deaths since the sentences were introduced in April 2005.

In a Learning Lesson Bulletin published on Friday, the prisons and probation ombudsman, Adrian Usher, said: “A prisoner’s IPP status should be considered as a potential risk factor for suicide and self-harm.

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