Tuesday 18 September 2012 12.03 BST
Strasbourg judges rule indeterminate sentences unlawful
"European court of human rights rules against open-ended sentences being served by 6,000 prisoners in England and Wales
The European court of human rights judges said inmates serving indeterminate sentences had no realistic chance of accessing rehabilitation courses.
The European court of human rights has ruled "arbitrary and unlawful" the operation of indeterminate sentences for the protection of the public (IPPs), currently being served by more than 6,000 prisoners in England and Wales.
The Strasbourg judges said the prison system was "swamped" by prisoners without fixed release dates after the indeterminate sentences were introduced in 2005. They said the three inmates who brought the case had "no realistic chance" of accessing the rehabilitation courses they need to qualify for release.
The new justice secretary, Chris Grayling, told MPs he was disappointed by the judgment, and intended to appeal against it. He said: "It is not an area where I welcome the court seeking to make rulings."
The unanimous ruling by seven judges, including the British judge Sir Nicolas Bratza, awarded up to €8,000 (£6,500) compensation to three prisoners, Brett James, Nicholas Wells and Jeffrey Lee, who have been held up to two years and 10 months longer than the original minimum recommendation of their trial judge. They were also awarded €12,000 costs each."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2012/sep/18/strasbourg-judges-indeterminate-sentences-unlawful?newsfeed=true
Indeterminate sentences 'breach human rights'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19630617
Time is money: Violent prisoners to get human rights payouts after controversial European ruling
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/violent-prisoners-to-get-human-rights-payouts-1330243
£60m bill fear over ‘unlawful’ jail terms
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4545506/Brit-lags-could-pocket-60m-in-compensation-after-European-judges-ruled-indefinite-sentences-breached-their-human-rights.html
No comments:
Post a Comment