Prisoners of Politics
After a hiatus Trapped is back with the inside story of the measures being taken by members of the House of Lords for IPP prisoners in the current Victims and Prisoners Bill.
Listen to Episode 11: Prisoners of Politics
© Venice Allan
It's three months after the inquest of Matthew Price, an IPP prisoner on license who took his own life, and one day before the Victims and Prisoners bill committee stage in the House of Lords.
The two are linked because this bill is being heralded as perhaps the last opportunity for some time to use legislation to finally close the chapter on imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs), which the United Nations have called ‘cruel, inhuman and degrading’.
The Bill came to the Lords with an amendment which will change the license conditions for IPPs from 10 to 3 years, which might well have saved Matthew Price, who killed himself at the 10-year point of his license.
We go behind the scenes to look closer at the Lord’s amendments, asking how much difference can they make? Can they really change the story on IPPs?
I meet Lord Moylan who has been coordinating a group of Lords to table the amendments to the Bill. We hear more about his proposed change to the release test for IPP prisoners by creating a presumption of release, and therefore shifting the burden of proof from the prisoner (to prove they are not dangerous and a risk to the public - a task the justice select committee said was “almost impossible”) to the parole board (to prove that they are).
I also sit down with Baroness Claire Fox, who is tabling a hail mary amendment on resentencing. It was originally proposed by Sir Bob Neil, Chair of the Justice Select Committee, and was rejected by the government back in 2023.
Conservative Peer, Earl Atlee is the Grandson of the famous post-war Labour PM, Clement. He isn't confident that any of the amendments will get support once they go back to the Commons and describes the political calculations being made by both the Labour and Conservative front benches.
We also catch up with Matthew Price’s lawyers, Emma McClure and Andrew Sperling about Matthew’s inquest. The coroner released a Prevention of Future Deaths report on how the IPP sentence contributed to Matthew’s death, urging the Secretary of State for Justice to act and stop any further deaths occurring. This is one of an unprecedented three Prevention of Future Death reports relating to IPP prisoners, which have been sent to the Government this year.
Francis Williams, died by suicide after being informed by his probation officer that he was facing recall to prison after 12 years in the community on IPP licence, because he had been made homeless.
Scott Rider was sentenced to a minimum tariff of 23 months. He had been in prison for 17 and a half years with no release date in sight, when he took his own life.
In his report addressed to the Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation, Scott's coroner, warned:
“On any consideration of the circumstances of Mr Rider's death one has to conclude that his treatment was inhumane and indefensible and that if action is not taken to review ALL prisoners sentenced to IPP then there is a risk of further deaths occurring.”
Back at the Lord's debate, the Labour Spokesperson for Justice, Lord Ponsonby and the Conservative Spokesperson for Justice, Lord Bellamy present a united front in opposing Baroness Fox's amendment: is it the end of the road for resentencing IPP prisoners?
‘Ghost Prisoners’ the first episode in the Trapped series was shortlisted for the Sandford St Martin Award for Radio and Audio.
For more info about the Campaigns for Justice for IPPs prisoners go to: UNGRIPP Twitter @UNGRIPP and IPP Committee In Action Twitter @ActionIPP
You can follow Trapped: The IPP Prisoner Scandal on Twitter , Instagram, Facebook or Tik Tok @Trapped_Pod for updates.