Bernadette Emerson - IPP Committee In Action
In this episode Trystan speaks with Bernadette Emerson, an activist and campaigner with IPP Committee In Action, fighting to end the ongoing IPP sentences still in place. IPPs sentences are indeterminate prison sentences which can leave prisoners locked up for decades, often over relatively minor crimes. They have been controversial ever since they were created by Blair's New Labour government, and have even been abolished for over a decade. Despite this, those who were carrying out IPP sentences at the time they ended were not cleared, meaning thousands are still carrying out these sentences today, unsure if or even when they will ever leave. Bernadette knows these horrific injustices well - her partner is in prison today for a minor theft that occurred decades ago, and with no end in sight. Bernadette gives us her insights on this wholly unjust prison sentence, from the political background of this shoddy legislation, to the impacts it's had and continues to have on individuals and families.
You can learn more about IPP Committee in Action work on their website, at https://ippcommitteeinaction.com
We are also calling on any of you who would be interested in getting involved to write to your MP, asking them to support an Early Day Motion put forward in part due to the work of IPP Committee in Action. The motion calls for an end to the ongoing sentences. If you're short on time, please feel free to copy and paste the following template and amend to include your name - it would be fantastic to get more MPs to push forward on this issue, and with enough pressure it just might happen!
Find MP: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/
TEMPLATE EMAIL:
Dear [MP],
I'm emailing about the horrendous injustices of ongoing IPP sentences, a decade since then justice secretary Ken Clarke abolished them, calling them a "stain" on our justice system.
The latest figures suggest there are still nearly 3000 people serving such sentences. This is having a devastating impact on their lives and countless others, such as their families and loved ones. Those in prison are often serving sentences for crimes committed nearly two decades ago, initially being given short tariffs, and yet are still inexplicably carrying out those sentences today, with no end in sight. In many cases this punishment has far outweighed the crimes initially committed, a great number being nonviolent crimes often as minor as petty theft. Even within the Commons there seems little opposition to ending these sentences from MPs of all parties, such that it seems merely a matter of pushing for steps to be taken to finally address this oversight.
The ongoing devastation on families torn apart by these IPP sentences must come to an end. I understand an Early Day Motion was tabled in September of last year, and I would be so happy to see you, as my MP, signing it.
Best regards,
[NAME]
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