Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to urgently review the detention of prisoners subject to imprisonment for public protection sentences who have served their minimum tariff following reports of the numbers of those who await a decision from the Parole Board.

By law, it is for the independent Parole Board to review the detention of those prisoners serving an IPP sentence who have completed their tariff period. The Parole Board no longer has a backlog when it comes to listing cases for an oral hearing. The Board will direct the release of these prisoners only if it is satisfied that the levels of risk posed to the general public are reduced enough that the National Probation Service and its partner agencies can safely manage them in the community under supervision.

Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have been working to improve the management and progression of prisoners serving these sentences for some time, which is evident in the increasing number of overall releases we have seen in recent years: 576 in 2016 and 616 in 2017.

A joint action plan is in place, co-owned by HMPPS and the Parole Board, with the specific aim of providing opportunities for prisoners serving IPP sentences to progress to safe release. Through continuing the joint Action Plan, we are prioritising post-tariff prisoners in accessing rehabilitative interventions, including Psychology Services-led reviews in cases where there has not been satisfactory progression, and enhanced case management, for those prisoners sentenced with a complex set of risks and needs. We have also developed Progression Regimes at four prisons across the country, which are dedicated to progressing indeterminate prisoners struggling to achieve release via the usual routes.

Whilst HMPPS is focused on giving all prisoners serving IPP sentences opportunities to progress towards release, public protection must remain our priority.