Amidst the flurry of media attention which followed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s general election announcement on 22 May 2024, little notice was taken of the legislation passed during the final days of the parliamentary session. At first sight the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 may represent the most significant practical change to the draconian sentencing regime for the 3,000 offenders still serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (“IPP”) which were imposed between 2005 and 2012. However, questions still remain as to whether or not the new legislation goes far enough to address the significant problems facing those who are still subject to an IPP.

(This article first appeared in the Deka Chambers Crime & Fraud Briefing in June 2024).