PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
Trapped podcast on IPP sentences (14 April 2024)

That this House praises the tireless work by campaigners fighting against the injustice of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, which were abolished in 2012 but not retrospectively, and commends the Trapped podcast for shining a powerful spotlight on the ongoing scandal of these indefinite and potentially never-ending sentences; agrees with the Lord Chancellor that IPP sentences are a stain on our justice system, and with the United Nations special rapporteur on torture that they have become cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment that could amount to psychological torture; welcomes Government proposals to reduce the licence period post-release for people serving IPP sentences but believes these reforms do not go nearly far enough; urges the Government and Opposition to commit to a bipartisan approach to resolving this miscarriage of justice conclusively by supporting the establishment of an expert panel to oversee a resentencing exercise for everyone serving an IPP sentence, as recommended by the Justice Select Committee; calls on the leaderships of all political parties to listen to the first season of Trapped so as to understand better the importance and urgency of such a resentencing exercise; and looks forward to the launch of the second season of this gripping, inspiring and heart-breaking podcast.

Sponsored by:
John McDonnell (Independent)