Podcast series charting the #IPP prisoner scandal. Listen on #Acast #ApplePodcasts #Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Today there are nearly 3,000 people trapped in British prisons on the now abolished indeterminate IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentence, many for minor crimes like stealing a mobile phone. None of them know when they are getting out, or whether their IPP sentence could mean life in prison. To date, 87 IPP serving prisoners, with a lack of certainty and losing hope, have taken their own lives. The IPP has been called a ‘stain on the British justice system’ and ‘psychological torture’. But most people have never heard of it…
In this ‘tragically brilliant’ and hard hitting multi-part podcast series, the investigative reporter Sam Asumadu is digging deep into the plight of prisoners serving IPPs, and their families, to find out what has gone wrong with this sentence and to shine a light into the dark corners of the IPP story.
Featuring contributions from prisoners serving IPP sentences, their families, campaigners, criminologists, psychologists, journalists, lawyers, retired judges, MPs and Peers.
Get in touch on X, TikTok and Instagram @Trapped_pod
Trapped Substack: https://trappedpodcast.substack.com/
If you want to do something, you can tell a friend to listen to this series: knowledge is power and the more who know, the harder it is for injustice to take place.
If you want to do something more active, you can write to your MP and tell them to raise questions about prisoners serving IPPs in parliament.
Search the hashtag #IPPScandal on social media for more info.
For more information about the Campaign for IPP Justice: visit UNGRIPP www.ungripp.com/ | @UNGRIPP and IPP Committee in Action www.ippcommitteeinaction.com/ | @ActionIpp
Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu
Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg
Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS
Consultant: Hank Rossi
A Zinc Media Group / Ear Worm Production for The Institute of Now
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Podcast series charting the #IPP prisoner scandal. Listen on #Acast #ApplePodcasts #Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Today there are nearly 3,000 people trapped in British prisons on the now abolished indeterminate IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentence, many for minor crimes like stealing a mobile phone. None of them know when they are getting out, or whether their IPP sentence could mean life in prison. To date, 87 IPP serving prisoners, with a lack of certainty and losing hope, have taken their own lives. The IPP has been called a ‘stain on the British justice system’ and ‘psychological torture’. But most people have never heard of it…
In this ‘tragically brilliant’ and hard hitting multi-part podcast series, the investigative reporter Sam Asumadu is digging deep into the plight of prisoners serving IPPs, and their families, to find out what has gone wrong with this sentence and to shine a light into the dark corners of the IPP story.
Featuring contributions from prisoners serving IPP sentences, their families, campaigners, criminologists, psychologists, journalists, lawyers, retired judges, MPs and Peers.
Get in touch on X, TikTok and Instagram @Trapped_pod
Trapped Substack: https://trappedpodcast.substack.com/
If you want to do something, you can tell a friend to listen to this series: knowledge is power and the more who know, the harder it is for injustice to take place.
If you want to do something more active, you can write to your MP and tell them to raise questions about prisoners serving IPPs in parliament.
Search the hashtag #IPPScandal on social media for more info.
For more information about the Campaign for IPP Justice: visit UNGRIPP www.ungripp.com/ | @UNGRIPP and IPP Committee in Action www.ippcommitteeinaction.com/ | @ActionIpp
Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu
Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg
Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS
Consultant: Hank Rossi
A Zinc Media Group / Ear Worm Production for The Institute of Now
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Donna and Tommy’s story and why so many IPP serving prisoners have taken their own lives.
Tommy Nicol was serving an IPP sentence for robbery and when his tariff expired and he still wasn’t released from prison, he took his own life. Tommy is just one of many: the total number of IPP serving prisoners who had taken their own lives by the end of 2022 was 81. Today Sam investigates the human stories behind these stark statistics.
Sam visits the ‘SoulsINQUEST’ exhibition in Brixton’s 198 Gallery to speak to INQUEST’s Director, Deborah Coles and look at their exhibition highlighting state violence, death, grief and resistance. It includes a tribute to Tommy, written by his sister Donna Mooney, and a photograph of a bike which signifies ‘the wheel of pain’. After Tommy's death, Donna became involved in setting up the campaigning organisation UNGRIPP, the ‘United Group for the Reform of IPPs'.
Sam also meets Sir Bob Neil to talk about the evidence gathered by the Justice Select Committee’s IPP report on self-harm and suicide. And we hear Labour’s John McDonnell raise the issue in parliament: they both highlight how IPP sentences create a sense of hopelessness, pushing many serving them over the edge. Lord David Blunkett, the architect of the IPP sentence, is posed a hard-hitting question by a former IPP prisoner.
This episode is dedicated to the memory of the men and women who have taken their own lives whilst serving IPP sentences.
Get in touch on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod
For more info about UNGRIPP visit: www.ungripp.com / @UNGRIPP
For more information about INQUEST visit: www.inquest.org.uk / @INQUEST_ORG
Contributors in order of appearance:
Donna Mooney, IPP campaigner and sister of Tommy Nicol
Deborah Coles, Director of Inquest @DebatINQUEST
Sir Bob Neil MP @neill_bob
Graham Towl @ProfGrahamTowl
Lord David Blunkett @LordBlunkett
Voices in archive:
John McDonnell MP
Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu
Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg
Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS
Consultant: Hank Rossi
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
