IPP Prisoners: Recall System
Debate between Lord Lemos and Lord Berkeley of Knighton(2 weeks ago)
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Lord Lemos (Lab)
I do not have that information, but I will seek to get it and I will come back to the noble Lord and others about it.
On the point of principle that he raises about the risks of reoffending, this relates absolutely to the point I was making to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, that we need to ensure that, when people are released, they are properly supported. That reduces the risk of being recalled. I think all noble Lords recognise that, when anyone leaves prison, there is always a risk of reoffending, and it is our job to get better at preventing that. The way to do that is to stop having overcrowded prisons and overstretched staff.
Lord Berkeley of Knighton (CB)
My Lords, I declare an interest as patron of Music in the Ville in Pentonville. My question is very much to do with rehabilitation, which I know the Minister cares about. One of the things that IPP sentences have engendered is total despair. There is a lack of hope. I have spoken to an IPP prisoner about this, and it would help enormously if prison staff could be in touch with not just families but prisoners themselves, to make them see that there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I do agree with the noble Lord about the importance of hope, particularly for this group of prisoners. I can hardly imagine what it would be like to be in prison, serving more than 10 years over your tariff offence. We have to instil that hope. I also agree with the noble Lord that the arts, and music in particular, are one way we might do that.