The claim
“Indefinite IPP sentences, though abolished, still keep people in prison despite them having served more than their original tariff.”
GOV.UK Prime Minister speeches and remarks
Our verdict
True
The claim accurately describes the situation with Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, which were abolished in 2012 but not applied retroactively, leaving thousands of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences beyond their original tariff.
What we found
Multiple authoritative sources confirm that IPP sentences had no maximum term, meaning prisoners could be held indefinitely after serving their minimum tariff, and the abolition did not retrospectively release those already incarcerated. The evidence shows this affects over 2,000 individuals who remain imprisoned despite having served their original minimum terms.
The evidence
3 sources, all background: none settles the claim either way.
- Background
IPP sentences abolished in 2012 but not retrospectively applied; those already serving IPP sentences remained on them, with more than 2,000 still in prison beyond their original tariff. Example of Tommy Nicol who died by suicide after serving beyond his four-year tariff.
theguardian.com· The Guardian report on IPP sentences - Background
IPP sentences scrapped in 2012 but not retrospectively; more than 2,000 people still in prison on IPP sentences. Thomas White jailed for minimum two years in 2012 still serving sentence without fixed release date.
bbc.co.uk· BBC report on IPP sentence review - Background
IPP sentences introduced in 2005 for serious crimes/persistent offenders, had no maximum tariff allowing indefinite detention beyond minimum term. Abolished by coalition government in 2012 but not applied retroactively to existing prisoners. Linguistic analysis confirms 'indeterminate' means not defined or not fixed.
dictionary.cambridge.org· Indeterminate sentence definition and framework
How we checked
We reviewed 3 relevant sources.
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