Lord Moylan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners in England and Wales subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences have been (1) received into, and (2) released from, progression regimes in each year since 2017.
Lord Moylan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many places were available in progression regimes for prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences in England and Wales in each year since 2017, broken down by establishment.
Lord Moylan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences have been reviewed by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service psychology services in each year since 2017.
Lord Moylan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in identifying gaps in the provision of learning, training and progression opportunities for women prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, further to the Joint IPP Action Plan by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and Parole Board, published in June 2019.
Lord Moylan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences have had two or more post tariff parole reviews with no progression to (1) open conditions, or (2) release, in each year since 2017.
Lord Moylan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences have been referred into the offender personality disorder pathway in each year since 2017.
Lord Moylan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences have been referred into the offender personality disorder pathway broken down by protected characteristics in each year since 2017.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, QC): The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison or in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan was first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations.
HMPPS operate four Progression Regimes in closed, adult male category C prisons which provide opportunities for parole-eligible prisoners who are not making anticipated progress, and particularly prioritise places for those serving an IPP sentence. The first Progression Regime opened at HMP Warren Hill in December 2014. Following the success of the Regime at HMP Warren Hill, a further three Progression Regimes were opened in 2018 at HMP The Humber, Erlestoke and Buckley Hall.
The following table shows the number of prisoners in England and Wales subject to
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences that have been (1) received into, and (2) released from, Progression Regimes in each year since 2017.
Year Received onto a Progression Regime Release from a Progression Regime
2017 80 47
2018* 124 30
2019 119 43
2020 92 43
2021 80 44
* Progression Regimes opened at HMPs Erlestoke, Humber and Buckley Hall.
These data have been drawn from local spreadsheets and databases held by the Progression Regimes, as national data systems can only capture movement for a whole prison, rather than individual units within a prison. As with any large scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.
The total capacity of the Progression Regimes was 202 in 2017, with only the Progression Regime at HMP Warren Hill operational at that time. This number rose to 350 spaces (202 in HMP Warren Hill, 40 in HMP Erlestoke, 48 in HMP Humber and 60 in HMP Buckley Hall) with the opening of the three additional Progression Regime sites by the end of 2018. In 2019 a further 40 places were opened in HMP Erlestoke, however last year one of their Progression Regime units closed, affecting their number of places. This unit is being replaced with a new one later this year.
Psychology reviews for IPP prisoners commenced in 2016 and targeted those serving IPP sentences where no progress had been made to either open conditions or release despite 2 or more post tariff parole reviews. In 2019, the cohort was widened to incorporate IPP prisoners with tariffs of less than 2 years. In 2021, the cohort was again expanded to include all those 5 or more years post tariff irrespective of whether they had been to open prison previously, those serving IPP sentences for non-sexual and non-violent offences, and those serving IPP sentences for robbery.
The following table shows the number of IPP psychology reviews completed for eligible IPP prisoners, as described above, each year since 2016. The high figure in 2016 reflects the fact that a large proportion of those eligible had their reviews in the first year the central reviews were introduced:
Year Reviews completed
2016 873
2017 209
2018 225
2019 159
2020 107
2021 212
HMPPS Women’s Estate Psychology Services have implemented an indeterminate sentence prisoners strategy which includes the IPP cohort. The overarching goal of the strategy is to ensure that all are supported to progress through their prison sentences as quickly as possible. Psychologists regularly review cases and work with prison and probation colleagues to remove barriers to progression and expedite completion of interventions and services.
The following table shows the number of prisoners subject to IPP sentences that have had two or more post-tariff parole reviews with no progression to (1) open conditions, or (2) release, in each year since 2017:
Snapshot Date Total number of IPP prisoners with two or more “no release” decisions in their latest two reviews (up to the snapshot date)*
31-Dec-17 1,173
31-Dec-18 1,028
31-Dec-19 943
31-Dec-20 887
31-Dec-21 874
*Caveats:
1. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and
processing.
2. These figures include both the recalled and unreleased IPP populations.
The following data are produced from service provider returns and, whilst quality assured, are subject to reporter error. As of 31 December 2021 there were 4,869 people with IPP sentences who had been identified as meeting the screening criteria for the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway. OPD pathway screening is an administrative activity which does not necessarily mean someone needs a specific intervention to address a personality disorder. Such a need would be identified when the prisoner’s probation officer reviews the prisoner’s sentence plan to take account of the OPD pathway screening.
Of those identified as meeting the screening criteria, 2,780 are currently in custody (with 1,200 of these in custody on recall).
From 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021, a total of 1,892 offenders serving IPP
sentences have been referred to OPD Services as follows:
Year of referral No of IPP Referrals
2017 177
2018 221
2019 358
2020 517
2021 619
Total (2017-2021) 1892
To note: in the breakdown of protected characteristics below, some categories have been merged where necessary to avoid the risk of identifying individual offenders.
By Age:
Year of referral 18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+ Total
2017 11 72 53 33 8 177
2018 7 94 66 44 10 221
2019 17 159 99 61 22 358
2020 19 238 150 86 24 517
2021 22 276 184 101 36 619
Total 76 839 552 325 100 1892
By Ethnicity:
Year of Asian: Black: Mixed/Multiple Other/ White Total
referral Asian Black Ethnic Not Stated
British British Groups
2017 8 18 7 0 144 177
2018 4 18 17 0 182 221
2019 15 41 6 1 295 358
2020 14 57 24 0 422 517
2021 12 63 32 7 505 619
Total 53 197 86 8 1548 1892
By Sex:
Year of referral Female Male Unspecified Total
2017 3 174 0 177
2018 7 214 0 221
2019 11 347 0 358
2020 27 490 0 517
2021 39 577 3 619