Imprisonment for Public Protection Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Imprisonment for Public Protection

Lord Carter of Haslemere Excerpts
Thursday 16th July 2026

(2 weeks ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Carter of Haslemere Portrait Lord Carter of Haslemere (CB)
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My Lords, does the Minister agree that, if IPP prisoners beyond their tariff had been sentenced to a determinate term, which they would have been if they had had the good fortune to have been convicted on or after Monday 3 December 2012 and not before that date, they would have been released years ago?

Lord Timpson Portrait Lord Timpson (Lab)
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It is possible that some of these offenders may have been given a discretionary life sentence and therefore would still be subject to the parole process and therefore still in prison if they had not the met the statutory release test. It is also possible that some of these offenders may have been given standard determinate sentences and therefore could have been released by now. However, all IPP offenders are subject to review by the independent Parole Board, which has, in some cases repeatedly, found them unsafe to be released.