On November 29, 2019, Mark Conway was about to give a speech at Fishmongers Hall in London. During his time in prison, Mr Conway, who works for the Prison Reform Trust, worked on a life-changing project linking prisoners with Cambridge students. It is now its fifth anniversary, and he was asked to give some greetings at the celebration.
However, when he went outside for a smoke break, another ex-offender from the course launched a terrorist attack, stabbing two Cambridge graduates to death. Conway was one of those who chased and apprehended the gunman, who was wearing a fake suicide bomb vest.
He was hailed as a hero for his courage. But Conway said she was always afraid her actions would lead to her being recalled to prison.
Like thousands of other criminals, Conway had been sentenced to an IPP, or public protection, sentence. This meant that for armed robbery his sentence would be five years, but he could be jailed for up to 99 years. In the end, he served eight years for that crime, but once he was released, his IPP also meant that he could be recalled and held indefinitely for minor misdemeanors.
Guardian Feature Writer Simon Hattenstone It explains that one-third of IPPs are given for misdemeanors that carry a sentence of less than two years in prison.he says michael safi The IPP ruling has long been controversial and was repealed in 2012. But those sentenced before then remain in limbo. Many people took their own lives.
A new bill currently moving through parliament could make it possible to terminate IPPs after five years. However, activists say this is not enough and that all IPP participants should be re-sentenced, a position the Judicial Selection Commission agrees with. So why isn’t it being done?
Photo: Alexandra Larka Dragoi/Guardian
