A Decade of Broken Promises: Burnham's Pledge to End Indefinite Jail Terms The announcement by Prime Minister Andy Burnham to scrap indefinite jail terms is a long overdue recognition of the systemic failure that has left thousands of prisoners languishing without hope.
For years, The Independent and other campaign groups have highlighted the plight of those trapped under Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
Introduced in 1997 with good intentions, IPP sentences were meant to be used sparingly for serious offenders. However, they soon became a catch all for repeat offenders, often with minor crimes.