In July 2000, eight-year-old Sarah Payne was murdered by convicted pedophile Roy Whiting, who was sentenced to four years in prison for kidnapping and assaulting a teenage girl. The resulting outcry was one reason why New Labor, determined to be “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”, decided to devise a new type of provisional sentencing for dangerous criminals who were not eligible for life sentences.

sentence ” Imprisonment for public protection” (IPP) It was introduced under the Criminal Justice Act 2003; It will be given to people convicted of one of 96 serious violent or sexual offenses (which carry a maximum prison sentence of ten years or more) if the court considers the offender to be a threat to the public. These individuals would be detained for a minimum period of time, called a “tariff,” before being eligible for parole. If the Parole Board determined that they no longer posed a risk, the offender would be released on parole. However, in practice they can be detained indefinitely; and even if they were released on licence, they could be recalled to prison.