‘A parole board has refused to release a prisoner trapped under an abolished indefinite jail term described as “torture”. Earlier this month Nicholas Bidar became the first IPP prisoner to have his parole bid held in public after new laws came into force to increase transparency around parole decisions.’
The Independent, 27th March 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A notorious crime boss serving a life sentence for orchestrating the murders of an innocent couple has lost his High Court challenge over whether he poses a high risk of escape from prison.’
The Independent, 25th March 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘[The Parole Board] had ruled Pitchfork could be released in June, but concerns about the danger he posed caused Justice Secretary Alex Chalk to intervene, making what is known as an “application for reconsideration” in July.’
BBC News, 7th December 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The chief probation officer said the service was facing “significant” issues while dealing with Damien Bendall, who went on to kill four people.’
BBC News, 18th October 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A man who killed his wife with a claw hammer has had his automatic release from prison blocked by the government.’
BBC News, 12th October 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Prisoners released on licence after serving time under an abolished and much-maligned indefinite sentencing scheme in England and Wales could have the period in which they can be recalled to prison halved under new rules.’
The Guardian, 21st August 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The justice secretary has asked the Parole Board to reconsider its decision to allow the double child-killer Colin Pitchfork to be released from prison.’
The Guardian, 3rd July 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Convicted terrorists will be banned from taking a leading role in religious services and face more rigorous checks for extremist literature as the government redoubles efforts to crackdown on dangerous radicalisers behind bars.’
Ministry of Justice, 30th April 2023
Source: www.gov.uk
‘Potentially dangerous prisoners are spending years on remand before disappearing into the community after their release without being properly monitored, the prisons watchdog has warned.’
The Guardian, 25th January 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Dangerous criminals are being downgraded to the lowest level of monitoring from police and other bodies too quickly after being freed from jail, watchdogs have warned.’
The Independent, 14th July 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘An MP who campaigned against the release of double child killer Colin Pitchfork has welcomed “landmark” changes to the parole system.’
BBC News, 1st April 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘James Wood QC discusses recent sentence appeals on minimum terms in discretionary life sentences. He assesses the likely impact of the recent statutory changes increasing the minimum term to be served by some prisoners serving determinate sentences from ½ to 2/3. He identifies prosecutorial appeals to increase minimum terms in discretionary life sentences by the Attorney General, and warns that the judicial and statutory drift appears to be towards a similar lengthening from ½ to 2/3 of the minimum term to be served by those sentenced to discretionary life sentences on grounds of dangerousness.’
Doughty Street Chambers, 24th February 2021
Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk
‘Two of Britain’s “worst and most violent rapists” should die in jail instead of facing potential release, a court has been told. The solicitor general for England and Wales told the Court of Appeal that rare whole life orders should be handed to Joseph McCann and Reynhard Sinaga.’
The Independent, 14th October 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The work, which begins immediately, will focus on whether violent and sexual offenders are serving sentences that truly reflect the severity of their crimes. It will consider whether changes in legislation are needed to lock criminals up for longer – by not letting them out automatically part-way through a sentence. It will also look at how to break the cycle of repeat offending.’
Ministry of Justice, 12th August 2019
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘The Parole Board failed to take into account the full extent of John Worboys’ offending and therefore miscalculated the danger he still poses, the high court has been told.’
The Guardian, 13th March 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A prisoner who threatened to kill a number of people and have sex with their corpses is appealing against his 45-year sentence on the basis of his “extraordinarily low IQ”.’
BBC News, 8th March 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Former justice secretary Ken Clarke says parole boards should have more power to free criminals jailed because they were a danger to the public. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it was “absurd” to keep prisoners in jail beyond their original terms.’
BBC News, 30th May 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Regina v Roberts (Mark) and others [2016] EWCA Crim 71
‘In each of the 13 applications before the court, the applicants applied for an extension of time in which to apply for leave to appeal against sentences of imprisonment or detention for public protection (“IPP”)), imposed between 2005 and 2008 under the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Before the sentence of IPP was amended by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, the court was required to make the assumption that an offender was dangerous if he had been convicted on an earlier occasion of a specified offence, unless it was unreasonable to do so. Where he was found to be dangerous, and over 18, the court was required to pass a sentence of IPP or life imprisonment; the 2003 Act removed all discretion from the court once it was found that the offender was dangerous. All the applicants had either been detained in custody long after the expiry of the minimum term or had been recalled for breach of licence. The applicants submitted (1) that whatever might have been the position at the time the sentences of IPP were passed, the Court of Appeal had power under section 11 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 to pass sentences that, in the light of what had happened over the intervening years, now would be the proper sentence; (2) the Court of Appeal should reconsider the assessments made by sentencing judges in the light of R v Lang [2005] EWCA Crim 2864; [2006] 1 WLR 2509, and (3) a time could and had been reached when the length of the imprisonment was so excessive and disproportionate compared to the index criminal offence that it could amount to inhuman treatment under article 3 or arbitrary detention under article 5 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. That was because the detention no longer had any meaningful link to the index offence. A much delayed review of a sentencing decision could therefore be a mechanism the court could employ to avoid a breach of those Convention Rights. As the period now served by each of the applicants was so much longer than any conceivable determinate sentence would have required, the continued detention amounted to preventative detention and was therefore arbitrary. ‘
WLR Daily, 18th March 2016
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
‘The number of the most dangerous male prisoners in England being held in a special “jail within a jail” system has doubled over the past decade, inspectors have revealed.’
The Guardian, 25th August 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The introduction of the next generation of GPS tracking of offenders, including convicted paedophiles, has been delayed for at least another 12 months, the Ministry of Justice has announced.’
The Guardian, 14th July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2024