Reform & Rebuild

There are currently 5,957 people in prison serving mandatory life sentences. Separately, 978 people remain unreleased on IPP sentences. 1,556 people are serving other life sentences, and 74 are subject to a whole life order. These figures do not include those on recall.

The vast majority of people serving life sentences successfully reintegrate into the community on release. Only 1% of those serving mandatory life sentences and 10% serving other life sentences were reconvicted within a year, compared with 44% of the overall prison population.

On average, 53 18–20 year olds are entering prison each year to serve a life sentence—up from an average of 31 a decade ago. Around 15% of the sentenced prison population in 2024–25 were serving a life sentence.

The Parole Board’s autonomy is being systematically undermined, with decisions increasingly overturned by government and the Department of Public Protection. This calls into question the integrity of the parole process and who, in reality, holds the keys to prisoners’ freedom.

Between January and March 2025, the Parole Board recommended 78 life-sentenced prisoners for transfer to open conditions. Ms Mahmood, who was Secretary of State at the time, overruled 13 of those recommendations—an effective rejection rate of 17 per cent.

Between January and March 2025, the Parole Board recommended 34 IPP prisoners for moves to open prisons. However, then-Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood overruled 11 of the decisions – a rejection rate of 32 per cent.

If the state chooses to prosecute individuals under a doctrine as expansive and contested as joint enterprise, it should be legally required to explain—clearly, individually, and contemporaneously—why each person is being charged, through the CPS’s charging decisions and reasons.

Legality without justice is when the state meets the requirements of the law while violating the moral purpose for which law exists. It is the condition in which harm is authorised, suffering is rationalised, and responsibility is displaced onto procedure.

Elderly men sentenced to life in prison reflect on the reality of ‘hope’ and growing old behind bars Hope is not a soft word in prison. It shapes how people cope with their sentence and it determines whether - and how - they engage with staff and other prisoners.

theconversation.com/elderly-men-...

The experience of lifers who no longer believe they will be released is supported by official data, which shows that few prisoners sentenced to life are released during their lifetime. One in five lifers is now held beyond their tariff, often by several years.

Life-sentenced prisoners now make up around 10% of the sentenced population, and this group is ageing rapidly. Almost a third of “lifers” are over 50. As a result, old, life-sentenced prisoners are the fastest-growing subgroup in the system.

1. We invite all those effected by the IPP sentence, especially families, along with the general public to our IPP exhibition event. You can come along and paint a pebble in memory of those who have died and for the forgotten Women and Men still languishing away on this sentence.

UN expert urges judicial reconsideration of protection sentences in England and Wales A UN expert on Monday commended the new proposals addressing the 'longstanding crisis of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences in England and Wales,' urging judicial reconsideration of th...

www.jurist.org/news/2026/01...

The UK has the highest number of life-sentenced prisoners in Europe. The UK sentences citizens to life at a rate of roughly 13 per 100,000 people. For comparison, France’s rate is 0.7 and Germany’s is 2.3.

New MoJ figures showed that between April 2024-March 2025, 1,286 prison & probation staff in England & Wales were subject to conduct & disciplinary action. Their offences range from minor infractions up to serious rule breaches such as those for which have people end up in court.

As of late 2025, England's prison population is around 87,500. Key figures include 2,400+ prisoners on IPP sentences who remain unreleased or have been recalled, about 7,500 serving life sentences who have never been released (recall figures unknown), and nearly 18,000 on remand.

The UK government is changing the law so that people who murder police, prison, or probation officers because of their job, even if they are off duty or retired, will face a whole life sentence. This change is being made through an amendment to the current Sentencing Bill.

The MoJ published its latest prison population projections for the next five years. The prison population is projected to increase to between 98,000 and 103,600 by March 2030, with a central estimate of 100,600.

Figures published by the Ministry of Justice show that over the past 10 years, it has had to pay compensation to 773 people who were held in jail past their release dates, & the total sum paid out has reached £3.4 million. Thousands skipped compensation, simply happy to be free.

The Prisons & Probation Ombudsman investigated 833 deaths between December 2022-December 2024, with 136 "classified as drug-related". 11% of men and 19% of women surveyed said they had developed a problem with drugs, alcohol or unprescribed medication since arriving in prison.

Massive grey area when prisoners lose mental capacity and become lost in the system, with no legal rights for families to access information or act on their behalf. This is something organisations could advocate for, as there is currently no policy.

There are currently 87,294 people in prison — 5,667 more than the system was designed to hold.

The harm caused by the UK prison system far outweighs any justice it claims to deliver. Most people leave more broken than when they entered, placing greater strain on vital services and fuelling ongoing cycles of mental illness and crime.

Prisons watchdog: Youth offenders face violence, disorder and neglect A new report on the experience of children in custody says they're being increasingly failed by a system dominated by violence, disorder and a lack of access to education. The annual survey by the pri...

Prisons watchdog | Youth offenders face violence, disorder and neglect: www.channel4.com/news/prisons...

UN to investigate ‘national scandal’ of prisoners trapped on IPP jail terms Exclusive: A complaint being lodged with the UN claims IPP prisoners are being arbitrarily detained, as a bombshell letter proves David Lammy agrees the jail terms are a ‘grave injustice’

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...

A total of 88,238 people were in jail as of Monday. The prison population of England and Wales has jumped to the highest number in nearly a year and is nearing record levels, despite the early release of tens of thousands of prisoners, official figures show.

“Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." Hebrews 13:3

Senior judge says he would apologise to IPP prisoners he jailed

Senior judges who imposed indefinite jail terms, known as IPP sentences, have expressed regret over their role in the “injustice” that has left thousands of inmates trapped in prison for minor offences: www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/new...

Recorded rates of self-harm in prisons have more than trebled in the last decade, from 25,843 in 2014 to 79,027 in 2024.

In 2023-24, the latest year for which data is available, the parole board approved the release of 4,370 prisoners, recommended the transfer of 393 to open jails with minimal security, and ruled that 11,355 should remain in custody.