Ministers will have 'blood on their hands' if review of indefinite jail terms rejected

Families urge government to hear plight of 3,000 prisoners

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN ,MILLIE COOKE

Families are warning the government will have “blood on its hands” if it turns its back on 3,000 prisoners, with Labour set to reject a review of cruel indefinite jail terms, The Independent has learnt.

Among those with no sign of being released is James Lawrence, who has served almost 18 years after originally being sentenced to just eight months, and Thomas White, who has served more than 12 years for stealing a phone.

Calls for these prisoners to be resentenced have only grown in light of the early release of thousands of prisoners to ease overcrowding. Indefinite sentences were scrapped in 2012 amid human rights concerns, but not for those already detained.

A growing number of high-profile campaigners, including Lord Blunkett – who was home secretary at the time imprisonment for public protection (IPPs) sentences were introduced – have called for them to go, while families say it will be “unforgivable” if they refuse.

The Independent understands from Ministry of Justice sources that resentencing is not being considered, as a result of concerns over a number of dangerous prisoners being released. However, Labour peer Lord Woodley, who earlier this month tabled a bill for all IPP prisoners to be resentenced, insists there is “everything to play for”.

“Ministers are not yet on the same page when it comes to the resentencing exercise my private member’s bill is proposing,” he told The Independent. “But they share my determination to end the scandal of the IPP sentence once and for all. So there is everything to play for.”

Heartbroken relatives of those serving IPP sentences have issued impassioned pleas for leaders to help their loved ones – including a man who set himself alight and another who went on hunger strike for 61 days.

The developments come as: