Britain is ‘perpetuating serious human rights violations’ by failing to end indefinite jail terms, UN warns
Human rights experts have warned that Britain “continues serious human rights violations” and called on the government to take urgent action to end the suffering of thousands of prisoners still sentenced to indefinite prison terms.
Three United Nations special rapporteurs have called on the UK to urgently address the nearly 2,400 people currently imprisoned for Public Protection (IPP).
Controversial open-ended penalties were abolished in 2012, but this was not applied retroactively; Thousands of people were left to languish in prison for years beyond their dues, including some for minor crimes. Once released, many find themselves stuck in an indefinite recall cycle for minor violations of strict licensing conditions.
Lord David Blunkett, the architect of the tainted sentence, has since admitted that the brutal punishments imposed during Tony Blair’s Labor government were his “greatest regret”.
A 2022 cross-party justice committee inquiry found the sentences were “irredeemably flawed” and called for resentment against all IPP prisoners. Successive governments refused to do so, although 96 people, having given up hope of being released, took their own lives.
Independent He has repeatedly called for a review of the sentences of all IPP prisoners.
Prison sentences trap prisoners in a cycle of “over-punishment, repeated recall, deterioration of mental health and diminished hope”, the UN special rapporteurs on torture, summary or summary executions and the independence of judges and lawyers said in a scathing intervention on Wednesday.
“These sentences involve long periods of uncertainty and cause serious psychological deterioration among prisoners, including an increased risk of self-harm and suicide. Such sentences may amount to psychological torture,” experts said.
The latest UN intervention was led by torture expert Dr. It followed a major complaint filed against Alice Jill Edwards. Leading international lawyer Dr. Felicity Gerry KC’s damning review highlights the plight of eight inmates; These include Thomas White, who was imprisoned for almost 14 years for stealing a cell phone and set himself on fire after his mental health deteriorated in prison.
Experts said concerns were raised that his mental health condition was not properly recognized at sentencing and that his illness could prevent him from meeting the Parole Board’s release testing requirements.
Other cases include Joseph Brady, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison with a four-year minimum tariff. The man, who was released and recalled four times, reportedly suffered serious deterioration in mental health, including episodes of self-harm linked to the uncertainty of indefinite detention.
Kerry Parish-McCann was jailed for 17 years with a three-year tariff for robbery. He was 25 at the time and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and epilepsy. Experts noted that he repeatedly switched between release and recall as he experienced significant trauma, instability, and repeated episodes of self-harm.
UN rapporteurs expressed concern about prisoners with disabilities, neurodivergence, acquired brain injuries, severe mental health problems and histories of childhood trauma. Experts have warned that in some cases these factors are either not properly identified at sentencing or are not adequately built into prison and parole systems.
They added: “The purpose of imprisonment should be rehabilitation and reintegration. A sentence that deprives people of a realistic means of release and causes deep psychological suffering is fundamentally at odds with these principles.”
Experts reiterated their previous recommendation that the government introduce comprehensive re-sentencing for all remaining IPP prisoners. They said that if a full review was deemed impractical, clear criteria should be established for the initial phase of partial re-sentencing.
“The United Kingdom has a responsibility to protect both the dignity and integrity of those in its care,” they said.
“The continued existence of this discredited sentencing regime cannot be allowed to deviate indefinitely.”
This complaint, filed in February, is the second major complaint filed with the UN regarding imprisonment. A separate complaint regarding five other IPP prisoners is also being investigated by the UN working group on arbitrary detention.
This comes after dozens of families flocked to the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday to protest the prison sentences. They were greeted by prisons minister Lord James Timpson before marching towards the House of Commons chanting “free, free IPP”.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said it was right to abolish IPP sentences and claimed support for such prisoners had increased significantly.
“We are determined to make further progress towards the safe and sustainable release of those in this sentence, but in no way to the detriment of public protection,” they added.
“We are carefully considering any issues that arise and will respond in due course.”
The continuation of this developing news…
