06 March 2024
David Blunkett, architect of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, has now joined a campaign to free IPP prisoner Thomas White, who remains in prison 12 years after receiving a two-year minimum sentence for stealing a mobile phone
White’s mental health has deteriorated and he was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Lord Blunkett said: ‘I will continue to do my best to ensure that there is a satisfactory outcome.’
IPP sentences, under which prisoners are incarcerated indefinitely until the Parole Board finds they no longer pose a risk to the public, were introduced in 2003, when Blunkett was serving as Home Secretary, and abolished in 2012. More than 2,800 people serving IPP sentences are currently in prison.
Next week, the House of Lords is due to debate a Victims and Prisoners Bill amendment on IPP resentencing.RELATED ARTICLES
