Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving an IPP sentence have been recalled to prison having committed no further crime in each of the last four quarters.

The power to recall is a vital public protection measure and all individuals supervised under licence in the community are liable to recall to prison if they fail to comply with their licence conditions. Where IPP offenders are recalled, it is because they present an assessed risk of serious harm to the public and the controls available are no longer sufficient to keep the public safe.

The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. Prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for them to remain confined.

The IPP Action Plan remains the route by which IPP offenders can be supported to progress towards safe release. As per the Government’s response to the Justice Select Committee’s report on the IPP sentence, work to refresh the Action Plan is already underway.

PQ132622

The following table shows the number of people serving an IPP sentence who have been recalled to prison who have not committed a further a crime in the last four available quarters up to end September 2022, in England and Wales:

PQ132623

As of 30 September 2022, there were 502 people under an IPP licence who are eligible to have the Parole Board consider lifting their licence, in England and Wales.

PQ132624

The following table shows the number of people under an IPP licence who have a) had their licence successfully terminated and b) were unsuccessful following referral, in England and Wales, from January to December 2022:

PQ132625

As of 30 September 2022, out of 4847 IPP offenders who have ever been released, 2463 were recalled less than five years after their first release, in England and Wales.

PQ132626

As of 31 December 2021, there were 292 people serving an IPP sentence in a secure hospital, in England and Wales. This was 9% of the total IPP population at this time.

Notes for all figures in the above tables and figures:

1. Numbers are subject to revision as more data become available.

2. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Data has been supplied for as many of the requested years as it is possible to provide within cost limits; earlier years may not be available due to changes in recording over time