The Time To Abolish The Ipp Sentence Retrospectively Is Now

The Time for IPP Reform Has Passed — Now We Need Justice

In recent days, yet another five Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) cases have been overturned on appeal. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a growing pattern that exposes a deeply troubling reality: people have been held for years — even decades — under sentences that are now being recognised as unsafe.

This raises a serious question: how many more are still waiting?

IPP sentences were abolished in 2012, yet thousands remain trapped under their consequences. Many have served far beyond their original tariff, living under indefinite uncertainty. The system designed to assess their risk has repeatedly failed them — and now the courts are beginning to acknowledge that failure.

But appealing cases one by one is not a solution. It is too slow, too inconsistent, and too dependent on chance. Justice should not rely on whether an individual case happens to reach the right legal team or the right moment.

What we are seeing now demands a systemic response.

There must be a full review of all IPP cases. Every individual still serving this sentence deserves their case to be reassessed in light of what we now know. The recent successful appeals demonstrate that these are not rare errors — they are indicative of a wider injustice.

The work of Dame Vera Baird and the Criminal Cases Review Commission has been critical in bringing some of these cases back before the courts. The fact that multiple referrals have resulted in successful appeals only reinforces the scale of the problem. It shows that these cases are not beyond remedy — but it also highlights how many more may still be waiting to be uncovered.

However, even a full review may not be enough.

A case-by-case process could take years. For those still living under IPP, time is not a neutral factor — it is punishment. Many have already lost years of their lives to a sentence that has since been discredited. Delaying justice further only compounds that harm.

This is why we must also consider retrospective abolition.

Retrospective action is often seen as controversial, but there are moments when the scale of injustice demands bold decisions. IPP is one of those moments. When a sentencing framework is fundamentally flawed, continuing to uphold it — even partially — undermines confidence in the justice system itself.

This is not about ignoring public protection. It is about recognising that fairness, proportionality, and due process are essential to any legitimate system of justice. These principles must apply to everyone, including those sentenced under IPP.

The government has acknowledged problems with IPP. The courts are beginning to correct individual cases. Campaigners, families, and legal experts have been raising the alarm for years.

Now the question is whether there is the political will to act.

We cannot continue to rely on piecemeal corrections. We need a comprehensive solution — one that reflects the scale of the problem and the urgency of those affected.

The time for incremental change has passed.

It is time for a full review of all IPP cases — and serious consideration of retrospective abolition.

Because justice delayed, in this context, is justice denied.

IPP Committee In Action