Burnham’s pledge to scrap indefinite jail terms brings campaigners ‘justice and hope’ after years of anguish

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Andy Burnham announced on Sunday he will “end the injustice” of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) jail terms by the end of this parliament as he unveiled plans to limit the number of other prisoners being released early, including Pc Andrew Harper’s killers.

“This will finally bring justice and hope to IPPs and their families,” said Bernadette Emerson, co-founder of the IPP Solidarity Movement, whose husband Abdullahi Suleman has served almost 20 years for a laptop robbery. Campaign group United Group for Reform of IPP (UNGRIPP) said the IPP nightmare may finally be ending, halting “decades of disproportionate punishment, institutional trauma, and loss of hope”.

Announcing the decision on Sunday morning, Mr Burnham said he had listened to the voices of families with loved ones convicted under IPP sentences and taken a “common sense” approach. “After all these years of campaigning, fighting, being ignored and watching IPP prisoners and their families suffer, to finally hear the prime minister say he will end the injustice of IPP sentences this parliament feels incredible,” said the mother, who co-founded IPP Committee in Action.

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Andy Burnham announced on Sunday he will “end the injustice” of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) jail terms by the end of this parliament as he unveiled plans to limit the number of other prisoners being…
“This will finally bring justice and hope to IPPs and their families,” said Bernadette Emerson, co-founder of the IPP Solidarity Movement, whose husband Abdullahi Suleman has served almost 20 years for a laptop robbery.
“After all these years of campaigning, fighting, being ignored and watching IPP prisoners and their families suffer, to finally hear the prime minister say he will end the injustice of IPP sentences this parliament…
Campaign group United Group for Reform of IPP (UNGRIPP) said the IPP nightmare may finally be ending, halting “decades of disproportionate punishment, institutional trauma, and loss of hope”.
Announcing the decision on Sunday morning, Mr Burnham said he had listened to the voices of families with loved ones convicted under IPP sentences and taken a “common sense” approach.

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