Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what support is available to (1) Imprisonment for Public Protection prisoners to address the mental health impact of their sentence, and (2) individuals serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection on licence in the community to prevent unnecessary recalls.

The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison andor in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations.

There have been four new E-learning modules introduced for the use of probation practitioners which cover different aspects of supporting offenders serving indeterminate sentences; three of the modules cover work with those serving IPP sentences specifically, whilst the fourth is about actions at the point of sentencing for life sentences.

The three packages cover progression through the sentence, taking into account individual need, the processes during the pre-release phase, and how to manage indeterminate sentenced offenders once they are released into the community.

These packages, available now, will also form part of the Continuous Professional Development packs currently being created by the Probation Service for operational staff.

We take mental health very seriously and recognise that providing the right interventions at the right time is vital to improve outcomes for people with mental health needs, including IPP offenders.

HMPPS is mindful that IPP prisoners do not have a definite release date and, on that account, provides each IPP prisoner with a key worker, as well as a qualified probation officer, to explain what they need to do to reduce their risk and to help them access the support services they need.

Health and justice partners have committed to providing a standard of health care in prisons equivalent to that available in the community. Through the National Partnership Agreement, health and justice partners are working closely to improve support and continuity of care when someone leaves prison. HMPPS continues to work with National Health Service England (NSHE) to develop RECONNECT, a care after custody service which supports vulnerable prison leavers in their transition to community-based health services.

The power to recall an offender to custody is a vital public protection measure when it comes to supervising any offender on licence. We have no evidence that probation officers are recalling IPP offenders to custody where they do not have compelling reason to do so. The HM Inspectorate of Probation Report – ‘A thematic review of probation recall culture and practice’ – published in 2020, found that the Probation Service is using recall appropriately, to prevent further serious offending and protect the public.

Probation officers explore other risk management steps to secure compliance and manage risk before requesting a recall. What might appear to be a relatively minor breach of a licence condition might, where the associated behaviour is similar to the behaviour when the offender committed the offence which attracted the IPP sentence, indicate that the offender needs to be recalled to protect the public.