Imprisonment for public protection
In England and Wales, the Imprisonment for Public Protection or IPP sentence was a form of indeterminate sentence introduced by s.225 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. They were intended to protect the public against criminals whose crimes were not serious enough to merit a normal life sentence but who were regarded as too dangerous to be released when the term of their original sentence had expired. They are composed of a punitive "tariff" intended to be proportionate to the gravity of the crime committed and an indeterminate period which commences after the expiration of the tariff and lasts until the Parole Board judges the prisoner no longer poses a risk to the public and is fit to be released. [1]
The equivalent for under-18s was called Detention for Public Protection, introduced by s. 226 of the 2003 Act .
Although it is possible that some prisoners detained under IPPs may never be released, the possibility of their being released on review exists, and these sentences should not be confused with a sentence of life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff.
In 2012, The IPP sentence was abolished by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, although over 6000 prison inmates still remain under the IPP sentence without their sentences having been reverted.[2] [3]
References
- ↑ http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_and_dangerous_offenders/
- ↑ Barnes, Sophie (2012-09-18). "Indeterminate sentences: a 'stain' on the criminal justice system". The Guardian (London).
- ↑ Nick Robinson (2011-06-21). "Sentence reform U-turn serves up hard cheese in prisons". BBC News.