But They Still Wont Let Me Go
IPP Prison Sentences - 2023..
An on-going project documenting the damaging effects on the lives of those living on indeterminate ‘IPP’ prison sentences.
This is a work in progress edit. I am taking the time to make sure all participants are suitably safeguarded whilst appearing in this work. I am currently working alongside IPP related campaign groups to develop an exhibition. For more information - please contact me on davidjshawphoto@gmail.com
The indeterminate sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) was a sentence handed out to 8,711 people in England and Wales from 2005 to 2012. The sentence means that their time in prison is potentially unlimited, or until they can prove to the Parole Board that they are safe to be released. They are released to the community on a ‘life licence’, where they live with many strict conditions and can be recalled to prison at any time, starting the process again.
The sentence was abolished in 2012, however, those on it were not resentenced and many have never been released, or are in an endless loop of prison recalls, unable to rebuild their lives.
Approximately 2,800 prisoners are incarcerated on an IPP sentence, of which, over half are on a prison recall. Thousands are also living in the community on licence.
For most convictions given an IPP, the amount of time served is far more than the usual tariff given for the crime. Examples of this include 18 years inside for stealing a laptop, or 17 for threatening someone with a bottle when homeless. No one is claiming that they are innocent of their crimes, but the impossible legal situation they are in far outweighs the punishment they deserved.
On average, the rate of self-harm for IPP prisoners is over twice that of people serving life sentences and 91 have taken their lives whilst serving an IPP. This is attributed to the hopelessness caused by the ‘no-end-in-sight’ element of the sentence. The UK is a country that sees itself as a developed and fair nation, however this legal mistake and the lack of accountability or change, has caused and is causing incredible harm to some of society’s most vulnerable.
Through my preliminary meetings with people suffering IPP, I have learned that these people can be highly damaged by the sentence. They can be inexperienced at navigating normal life which puts them at risk of further recalls to prison. They are often institutionalised, moving between accommodation/ hostels and struggling with the lack of structure they are used to in prison.
Roddy Russel walking to parliament to speak to politicians about the case of his brother, Rob Russel. Rob has spent the last 15 years incarcerated on an IPP sentence after being convicted of Threats To Kill. His original tariff was two-and-a-half years. His mental and physical health has been adversely affected by this and has spent time in secure hospitals. Roddy now campaigns on behalf of his brother and all IPP prisoners.
On a normal determinate sentence for a Threats To Kill conviction, the maximum a judge can hand out is ten years with a chance of parole at five years. Rob is now five years over the maximum tariff for his specified offence and 12-and-a-half years over what the judge thought he should serve.
‘I didn’t even recognise my own brother he was so malnourished and emaciated,’ said Roddy when speaking about the first time he went to visit his brother Rob in prison. Roddy’s life has been taken over by campaigning for the release of his brother.
Inundated with piles of paperwork related to Rob's incarceration, Roddy spent ten days organising every document. He created a chronology of Rob's life since his IPP sentence, documented through bureaucracy.
The items covering the last 15 years include paperwork from the criminal investigation, medical reports, psychological reports, parole decisions, complaints made by Rob, correspondence with MPs, civil servants, lawyers and prison intelligence reports. This is not a conclusive list.
Not all of those on an IPP sentence have the support of a family member as dedicated as Roddy.
This work has the option of being presented as an online interactive or multimedia presentation. I have been carrying out interviews with those who have suffered IPP and their families, which work as extended testimonials. They are a compelling and raw representation of this issue. Watch this space to see those soon.
Thanks to all of those who have taken part in the project so far and bravely given their accounts.