This essay, on the scandal of IPP prisoners, was published in the Observer on 5 May 2024, under the headline “Unfair jail sentences – one more example of demonising society’s ‘morally unfit’”. David Blunkett acknowledged last week that it was the “biggest regret” of his political life. As home secretary under Tony Blair in 2001, Blunkett was the architect of the “imprisonment for public protection” scheme, or IPP. Under the IPP system, offenders were given a sentence (or “tariff”) proportionate to the […]

Categories: Britain, Justice & Liberties • Tags: demonisation, injustice, ipp, new labour, prisons, respect agenda, richard sennett, tony blair, ungripp