The Haunting Tale of indefinite prison sentences

Aaaawwk! Hello again, my fellow Pembrokeshire pals! Stephen Seagull here, perched high above the cliffs, watching over our lovely coast and pondering the ways of the humans. Today, let’s squawk about a ghostly matter that’s been haunting the corridors of power for years – it’s the sticky wicket of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences. Squawk!

Introduced in 2003, IPP sentences were like a net thrown too wide, catching more than intended and causing quite the fluster under the feathers of justice. Intended to be tough on crime, these sentences ended up being indefinite, based on what someone might do in the future rather than what they’d actually done. Now, isn’t that a bit like predicting I’ll steal your chips next Tuesday at noon? Preposterous!

By 2012, these sentences were abolished, but – and it’s a big but – not for those already tangled in this legal net. Over 2,800 IPP prisoners are still clanging their cage bars, many having served way beyond their minimum terms. Imagine, fellow gulls, being stuck in a cage long after you’ve served your time, your wings clipped with nowhere to fly. That’s not justice, that’s just... sad.

Lord Blunkett, the very chap who introduced IPP sentences, has fluttered back saying he got it wrong, and now’s the chance to put things right. And rightly so! Even the Justice Committee, those wise old owls, have recommended a reshuffle – a resentencing exercise for those still bound by these outdated chains.

But alas, my beaky friends, the winds of change blow slowly. Despite cross- party consensus on the matter, there seems to be a lack of political will to truly set these prisoners free, to give them a fair shake at proving they’re no longer a risk.

It’s high time, I say, for those with the power to swoop in and sort this mess, to give these folks and their families a glimmer of hope. Because without hope, what are we? Just gulls without chips, that’s what.

So, as I soar above our stunning shores, I ponder the fate of those caught in this human-made net. Let’s not leave them adrift. It’s time to act, to bring justice back to justice, and to ensure that like the tides, it remains ever fair and free.

Until next time, keep your chips close and your spirits high! Squaaawk!