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Prison officers have been left in an “unbearable” situation dealing with desperate and dejected prisoners stuck in jail Indefinite prison sentence abolished A union chief has warned it is an “embarrassment” for Britain.
Steve Gillan, General Secretary Jail Officers AssociationHe attacked the government for releasing nearly 2,500 prisoners in prison in a “grossly unjust” manner. Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) Prison TermsDespite eliminating them 13 years ago.
“There are some people who are well above their tariff who should not be in prison, quite frankly, because they are there for the most petty crime No sign of release,” he said Independent“This cannot be appropriate in a civilized society.”
His comments come as Napo, the union representing probation workers, has called on the government to “finish the job” and address the injustices facing those still serving. Prison conditions.
Open-ended sentences, which have been condemned by the United Nations as inhumane, were abolished in 2012, but not retroactively, leaving thousands of people already serving sentences in prison without a release date until they can convince parole boards that they are safe to be released.
Scam victims whose tragic cases have been exposed Independentinclude: Leroy DouglasWho has served almost 20 years of imprisonment for robbing a mobile phone; thomas white42, who set himself on fire in his cell and has served a 13-year sentence for stealing a phone; And Abdullah Suleman41, who is still inside for 19 years after being jailed for laptop robbery.
Despite at least 94 ipp Prisoners are taking their own lives after losing hope of release, with successive governments rejecting calls from the Justice Select Committee to repudiate them.
The POA has no official position on prison terms. However, Mr Gillen warned that a lack of government action has left prison officers having to manage IPP prisoners who are depressed, depressed or struggling with their mental health inside the overcrowded prisons. prisons,
“If you don’t give people hope, they rebel against the system,” Mr Gillan said. “It’s my members who are taking advantage of this.”
The United Nations is currently investigating whether Britain is violating human rights law Arbitrary detention of IPP prisoners Campaigners then launched a landmark legal complaint on behalf of the five men, who have served a combined total of 84 years. The government is due to publish a response to their complaint next month.
Mr Gillen added: “To be honest I think it is an embarrassment to you because by now, since the law became dormant in 2012, I would have thought that it would have been dealt with in the intervening years and not ignored.
“It has forced families to appeal to the United Nations over their imprisonment in Britain. We are better than that.”
He called on ministers to find a way to address the scandal that both protects the public and is “fair to the individuals serving these sentences”.
Separate proposals are also before ministers to give the remaining IPP prisoners held by the Howard League for Penal Reform a release date within two years.
Mr Gillen’s concerns are shared by the union representing probation officers. Speaking at a meeting in Parliament organized by campaign group IPP Committee in Action on Wednesday, NAPO assistant general secretary Ranjit Singh said prison conditions were an “institutional disadvantage”.
Lord James Timpson, the Prisons Minister, whose wife was among those listening in on the meeting, along with Richard Ratcliffe Don’t know Zaghari-Ratcliffe Supporting the government’s call to help people stuck on sentences.
The call comes after a protest outside Parliament House led by family members and former IPP prisoners.
“If the IPP is an unfair sentence and it is recognized [when it was abolished]So this needs to be addressed for those who are still serving it,” Mr Singh told later. Independent,
“This is an injustice that needs to be corrected. These individuals who are still incarcerated on IPPs are being harmed because they are being made unhealthy.”
NAPO is supporting proposals to sentence remaining IPP prisoners on a case-by-case basis and to review the Parole Board’s release trials.
Even once IPP prisoners are eventually freed by the parole board, many find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of recall to prison, causing them to be put back in prison for minor violations of strict license conditions.
Mr Singh said: “Nobody wants to remember those memories, we want to see people succeeding in the community.”
A Ministry of Justice The spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences have been abolished, but public safety must come first.
“Every IPP prisoner is entitled to a parole review at least every two years – and no one is kept in prison unless the independent parole board decides they still pose a serious risk.”