New joint guide on IPP licence termination published
To help those serving IPPs, and their family and friends, the Howard League, together with Dr Laura Janes, the Prison Reform Trust and Prisoners’ Advice Service, have prepared a practical ‘how-to’ guide on IPP licence termination.
The guide explains when and how a person serving an IPP or DPP sentence can get their licence terminated.
This guide explains the law as it applies at present. Further reforms have been introduced by the Sentencing Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in January 2026; however, the provisions relating to IPP and DPP sentences have not yet been implemented and we do not at present know when the changes will come into force.
When these provisions take effect, the “qualifying period” for licence termination will be reduced from three years to two years for IPP sentences – making this the same period as for DPP sentences. There will also be a right to apply for a licence termination review for those who have had one continuous year on licence since their last annual termination review.
The Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP) sentence was introduced in 2005, alongside a parallel indeterminate sentence for children, called the DPP sentence. 8,711 IPP and DPP sentences were imposed before the sentence was abolished in 2012.
Abolishing the sentence meant that no new IPP sentences could be given, but everyone already sentenced to an IPP remains subject to the sentence.
Having an IPP sentence means:
- Serving a minimum term in custody before applying to the Parole Board to consider their release.
- Once released, being on an indeterminate licence, under supervision by probation with the risk of recall to custody for breach of any of the licence conditions.
Unlike other indeterminate sentences, the IPP licence can be terminated which means all the conditions are removed and cannot ever be re-imposed, and that recall can no longer be initiated — in effect, an individual is no longer serving a IPP sentence.
In May 2024, Parliament voted in favour of changes to the law on how IPP licences can be terminated. Read more about the changes here.
Terminating your IPP licence: a legal guide
To help those serving IPPs, and their family and friends, the Howard League, together with Dr Laura Janes, the Prison Reform Trust and Prisoners’ Advice Service, have prepared a practical ‘how-to’ guide on IPP licence termination.
The guide explains when and how a person serving an IPP or DPP sentence can get their licence terminated.
Updated June 2026
