Imprisonment for Public Protection: Psychic Pain Redoubled

By Roger Grimshaw

Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) has memorably been described by a former Supreme Court Judge, Lord Brown, as “the greatest single stain on our criminal justice system”.

The present report explores some of the main reasons for that assessment. It is a compilation and review of the available evidence about the psychological impacts of the sentence, covering:

Pre-existing conditions affecting many subjected to the IPP sentence

Feelings of uncertainty and helplessness the sentence provokes

The psychological obstacle course those subject to the IPP sentence are expected to negotiate

The long-term effects of the sentence

The persistence of anxiety, even following release and resettlement

London: Center for Crime and Justice Studies, 2022. 36p.