Felicity’s long-running work challenging Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences reached a new milestone this summer. In July, UN experts responded to her report on the IPP system via the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, finding clear evidence that the sentences continue to cause psychological harm to those still held under them.
On 30 August, Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to end the “scandal of indefinite jail terms” by the end of this Parliament. Felicity welcomed the apparent progress, noting that the evidence shows “previous governments were in direct contradiction to the evidence and the expert findings.”
Campaigners, including solicitor Dean Kingham, have welcomed the announcement while asking whether it goes far enough — with the pledge now set against a Parliamentary timeline it will be judged on.
