Mary and Martin Myer’s story. We also hear from two people who head up their unions, working with IPP prisoners on the front line: the prison officers and prisoner governors.

Martin Myers comes from an Irish Traveller family. They’re a minority group in the UK, often discriminated against. On the 8th March 2006, Martin was given an IPP sentence with a tariff of 19 months and 27 days. Apart from one stint of freedom for 10 weeks towards the end of 2023, he’s been locked away in prison. Today Sam meets Mary, Martin’s mother, to hear their story.

In 2006 Martin received his IPP sentence after he approached a young man in Luton, where he lived, and asked him for a cigarette. The man made a derogatory comment about travellers. Martin threatened to punch the young man if he didn’t give him the cigarette, the man ran away and reported Martin Myers to the police, saying he was carrying a small ‘spud’ knife.

Sam also meets Mark Fairhurst, National chair of the Prison Officers Association and Tom Wheatley, the newly appointed President of the Prison Governors Association. They discuss the underfunded and under-resourced prison system, prison conditions, mental health provisions for IPP prisoners and the aftermath of self-inflicted deaths. They both have strong words for the government with the general election on the horizon. Finally she hears how the campaign continues to fight for resentencing IPP prisoners, as Richard Garside from the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies explains.

Please be advised that this episode contains references to self-harm and suicide.

Get in touch on X, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod

For more info about UNGRIPP visit: www.ungripp.com / @UNGRIPP

Thanks to The Howard League for Penal Reform @TheHowardLeague

Contributors in order of appearance:

Mary Myers, Mother of serving IPP prisoner Martin Myers

Ann McMaster, friend and support worker to Mary Myers

Mark Fairhurst, National chair of the Prison Officers Association

Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors Association | @PGA_Prisons

Richard Garside, Director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies | @richardjgarside

Voices in Archive:

Sir Bob Neil, former chair of the Justice Select Committee | @neill_bob

Credits:

Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

A Zinc Media Production for the Institute of Now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wayne Bell’s story, plus Sam speaks to Dr Alice Edwards, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture about her intervention in the campaign for IPP justice.

Today Sam travels to Manchester to speak to Alana Bell, whose brother Wayne Bell was sentenced to an IPP sentence with a 2 year tariff in 2007 for assaulting someone and stealing their bike. He was 17. Wayne is now 34: he’s spent his entire adult life in prison.

Like many other IPP prisoners, Wayne didn't know what an IPP sentence was until he was knocked back at parole. He then made efforts at completing offender behaviour programmes when available, enrolled in a mechanics course, went to the gym. After a parole hearing in 2015, by which point he had been in prison 6 years past his original tariff, he was again knocked back. His health and behaviour deteriorated. On 12 April 2018, Wayne was found in a catatonic state in his cell: conscious but unresponsive. He was transferred to a secure mental health hospital where, once a week, he was given electro­convulsive therapy, a treatment for schizophrenia that felt like another form of punishment. We hear about of the awful toll his IPP sentence has taken on Wayne and his family, who currently don't know which prison he is in.

Sam also speaks to Dr. Alice Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. In 2023, a group of IPP campaigners, prisoners, and their families, submitted evidence via the UN's website of sustained human rights breaches as part of the IPP sentence: they got Dr Edward’s attention, and she started looking into the IPP scandal in the UK. In August 2023 Dr Edwards wrote a letter to the British Government calling on "Your Excellency’s Government to conduct a re-sentencing exercise for all remaining IPP-sentenced individuals - and provide them with access to adequate reparation, as appropriate - without delay. We also call on the Government, in the meantime, to step up efforts to secure rehabilitation opportunities for all those affected.” She has also called the IPP sentence “psychological torture”. What has happened since her intervention? Campaigners have warned that reforms are a matter of life and death for IPP prisoners after almost 90 suicides. Are the British government listening?

You can read Dr Edward's letter to the British Government here: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=28329

Get in touch with the Trapped team on X, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod

For more info about the IPP campaign for justice, visit UNGRIPP www.ungripp.com / @UNGRIPP / IPP Committee in Action @ActionIpp

Contributors in order of appearance:

Alana Bell, Sister of IPP prisoner, Wayne Bell

Dr. Alice Edwards, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture @DrAliceJEdwards

Production credits:

Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

A Zinc Media Production for the Institute of Now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The inside story of the measures being taken by members of the House of Lords for IPP prisoners in the current parliamentary Victims and Prisoners Bill.

We join Sam on 11th March 2024, three months after the inquest of Matthew Price, an IPP prisoner on license who took his own life, and one day before the Victims and Prisoners bill committee stage in the House of Lords. The two are linked because this bill is being heralded as perhaps the last opportunity for some time to use legislation to finally close the chapter on imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs) which the United Nations have called ‘cruel, inhuman and degrading’.

The bill came to the Lords with an amendment which will change the license conditions for IPPs from 10 to 3 years, which might well have saved Matthew Price, who killed himself at the 10-year point of his license. So it's a start, but many think this is not enough, and at this stage there’s an incredible 17 amendments which relate to IPPs, pinned to the Victims and Prisoners Bill. Sam takes us behind the scenes to look closer at the Lord’s amendments, asking how much difference can they make? Can they really change the story on IPPs?

Sam meets Lord Moylan who has been coordinating a group of Lords to table the amendments to the Bill. We hear more about his proposed change to the release test for IPP prisoners. She also sits down with Baroness Claire Fox, who is tabling the amendment on resentencing. This was originally proposed by Sir Bob Neil, Chair of the Justice Select Committee, and was rejected by the government back in 2023. Conservative Peer, Earl Attlee is the Grandson of the famous post-war Labour PM. He has long held an interest in criminal justice. He isn't confident that any of the amendments will get much support once they go back to the Commons and describes the political calculations being made by both the Labour and Conservative front benches.

Sam also catches up with Matthew Price’s lawyers Emma McClure and Andrew Sperling following Matthew’s inquest. The coroner released a Prevention of Future Deaths report on how the IPP sentence contributed to Matthew’s death, urging the Secretary of State for Justice to act and stop any further deaths occurring. This is one of an unprecedented three Prevention of Future Death notices relating to IPP prisoners, which have been sent to the Government this year.

At the Lord's debate on 12th March, the Labour Spokesperson for Justice, Lord Ponsonby and the Conservative Spokesperson for Justice, Lord Bellamy present a united front in opposing Baroness Fox's amendment: is it the end of the road for resentencing IPP prisoners?

Get in touch on X, TikTok, Facebook, IG @Trapped_Pod

Follow the campaigners: www.ungripp.com @UNGRIPP & @ActionIPP

Contributors in order of appearance:

Lord Daniel Moylan

Baroness Fox of Berkeley

John Richard Attlee, The 3rd Earl Attlee

Emma McClure, Consultant Solicitor

Andrew Sperling, Solicitor Advocate

Credits:

Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

A Zinc Media Production for the Institute of Now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The IPP sentence has created a sense of hopelessness amongst prisoners, leading to poor mental health, self-harm and numerous suicides, so we are ending this series by asking ‘what does hope look like’ for IPP serving prisoners?

Sam asks this question to some of the many people who are campaigning to bring an end to this grievous injustice: including Andrea Coomber, from the Howard League for Penal Reform; Richard Garside from the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies; Simon Hattenstone from the Guardian and Elisabeth Davies from the Independent Monitoring Boards. We also hear from Frank, an IPP serving prisoner, who has been inside for 15 years and counting, on a two-and-a-half-year tariff. 

Get in touch on X, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod

For more info about UNGRIPP visit: www.ungripp.com / @UNGRIPP

ww.ippcommitteeinaction.com / X @ActionIPP

Contributors in order of appearance:

Frank, IPP serving prisoner

Lord David Blunkett

Andrea Coomber, Chief Executive, The Howard League for Penal Reform

Hank Rossi, campaigner and activist

Simon Hattenstone, Journalist, The Guardian

Richard Garside, Director of Centre for Crime and Justice Studies

Elizabeth Davies, National Chair of the Independent Monitoring Boards

Lorna Hackett, Barrister at Hackett and Dabbs LLP and a tenant at Millennium Chambers

Alexander Horne, Barrister and visiting Professor at Durham University

Voices in Archive:

Edward Argar MP, Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation

Sir Bob Neil MP, Chair of the Justice Select Committee

Kevin Brennan MP, Shadow Minister for Victims and Sentencing

John Mcdonnell MP

Dr Alice Edwards, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

Credits:

Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

A Zinc Media Production for the Institute of Now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicole, Madison and Matthew Price's stories.

Nicole and Madison both served Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences. Now out on licence, Sam meets these two women in Parliament, whilst trying to lobby their MPs. She hears about life inside female prisons and how they are both doing now. As of December 2022, there were 40 women in custody serving IPP sentences.

Sam also talks to Emma McClure and Andrew Sperling, criminal lawyers who represented Matthew Price, who was on licence when he took his own life in May 2023. They describe the terror that Matthew faced knowing he could be recalled back to prison at any time. It's situation that is not unique for IPP serving prisoners on licence: to date, 19 people serving IPP sentences in the community have taken their own lives since 2020.

Read Matthew Price’s 'cry for help' email here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wgAUyjdjdr9j8gO5NWphtrno6eoI65OX/view?usp=sharing 

Get in touch on X, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod

For more info on the campaign for justice for IPPs: visit UNGRIPP: www.ungripp.com / @UNGRIPP

and IPP Committee in Action www.ippcommitteeinaction.com / @ActionIPP

Contributors in order of appearance:

Madison, IPP prisoner on licence

Nicole, IPP prisoner on licence

Emma McClure, Consultant Solicitor with SL5 Legal @Parole_Lawyer@mastadon.world

Andrew Sperling, Solicitor-Advocate and Managing Director of SL5 Legal www.SL5Legal.co.uk / @AndrewSperling

Production credits:

Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

A Zinc Media Production for the Institute of Now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's life like for IPP prisoners on licence? Mark Conway and Andrew Morris both describe it as ‘walking on eggshells’.

Mark Conway intervened in the terror attack at London Bridge in 2019, tackling Usman Khan who was subsequently shot dead by armed police. Mark's first call was to his parole officer because he was worried he might get recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions. Andrew Morris says he is frustrated at the lack of will to end the needless deaths of IPPs, one being his friend ‘Danny’ whose death Andrew describes as "inexcusable and unforgivable." Both Mark and Andrew say they are some of the 'lucky ones' as they have survived a sentence which has broken so many others.  

Sam also speaks to criminologist Sophie Ellis about the prisoner / psychologist relationship and her complicated feelings about having been part of administering the IPP sentence.

Get in touch on X, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod

For more info about UNGRIPP visit: www.ungripp.com / @UNGRIPP

Contributors in order of appearance:

Mark Conway, IPP prisoner on licence 

Andrew Morris, IPP prisoner on licence

Sophie Ellis, Criminologist and Ph.D. researcher at Cambridge University @Psych_SEllis

Lord Daniel Moylan @danielmgmoylan

Voices in Archive:

Alex Chalk KC MP

Sir Bob Neill MP

ABC News - Citizens take down terrorist on London Bridge

Credits:

Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

A Zinc Media Production for the Institute of Now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How IH fought and won the legal appeal against his DPP sentence.

IH is one of the few people who has successfully appealed against his DPP sentence. DPP stands for ‘Detention for Public Protection’, it works just like IPPs, but it was given to people who were under the age of 18 at the time of their conviction. IH served a DPP sentence for 16 years before he won his appeal. He was represented by Farrhat Arshad at Doughty Street Chambers. Today Sam meets IH and Farrhat to talk about fighting and winning his appeal, and the growing impediments that prison lawyers are facing in doing this kind of work.

Meanwhile, following an initiative run by IPP campaigners to gain support for their cause from the UN, in September 2023 Dr Alice Edwards, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, released a statement saying she had written to the UK government condemning the IPP sentence, saying "for many, these sentences have become cruel, inhuman and degrading." With rising awareness about this miscarriage of justice, pressure continues to grow on the government to take further action on IPPs.

Get in touch with the Trapped team on X, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod

For more info about the campaign for IPP justice, visit: www.ungripp.com | @UNGRIPP

Contributors in order of appearance:

'IH', former DPP Prisoner

Lord Daniel Moylan, Conservative Peer @danielmoylan.com

Farrhat Arshad, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers | @DoughtyStCrime | https://www.doughtystreet.co.uk/barristers/farrhat-arshad

Production Team:

Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

Artwork: The Brightside

A Zinc Media production for the Institute of Now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernadette and Abdulahi's story, plus Sam explores mental health treatment for IPPs and the now controversial Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway.

Sam travels to Cardiff to meet Bernadette, whose husband Abdulahi received an IPP sentence in 2005. His original tariff was two years and he has been recalled back to prison four times. Abdulahi was born in Somalia and moved to the UK as a child. He is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and his mental health has deteriorated since being in prison and because of the anxiety-inducing uncertainty of his IPP sentence.

Sam also gets a call from an IPP serving prisoner we are calling Mitch. He was released in 2018 after 11 years and was recalled back to prison the same year for breaching licence conditions. We also hear from James Daly MP, prison and parole solicitor, Dean Kingham and Senior Lecturer in law at the University of York, Ailbe O’Louhglin, who explains the history of the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway, which is now considered controversial amongst many psychologists and psychiatrists.

Get in touch with the team on X, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod

For more info about the campaign to end IPP sentences visit UNGRIPP: www.ungripp.com / @UNGRIPP

Contributors in order of appearance:

Bernadette Emmerson, wife of Abdulahi, an IPP serving prisoner 

'Mitch', IPP serving prisoner 

James Daly MP

Dean Kingham, Prison and Parole Solicitor

Graham Towl, Professor of forensic psychology at Durham University

Ailbe O’Louhglin, Senior Lecturer in law at the University of York

Dr Jo Shingler, Forensic Psychologist 

Shirley Debono, IPP Committee in Action

Voices in Archive:

Alex Chalk KC MP

Credits:

Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu

Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg

Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS

Consultant: Hank Rossi

Artwork: The Brightside

A Zinc Media production for the Institute of Now

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.