Prisoners handed six-month terms still in jail after 16 years

Prisoners serving controversial indeterminate sentences were given minimum terms of less than six months but remained in jail for at least 16 years, newly released data shows.

- Rajeev Syal Danny Shaw

A total of five inmates serving sentences known as imprisonment for public protection (IPP) in England and Wales were handed tariffs of half a year, Ministry of Justice data shows.

A further 15 prisoners also serving IPP sentences were given tariffs of between six months to a year, while another 47 received tariffs of between a year and 18 months. None have been released from jail.

Campaigners said that figures from the Ministry of Justice, which have emerged in a parliamentary question, are "horrendous" and mean that the five people who might have been released after a few weeks may have served nearly two decades in prison.

Ungripp, which represents families of prisoners serving IPP sentences, said its members were shocked to hear that some people still in jail had been given tariffs of less than six months.