Why are so many prisoners in England still serving these cruel, endless sentences?

For thousands of families across the UK, IPP has been a nightmare without end since coming into law in 2005, as part of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Crudely thought out and over-zealously implemented, it marked the worst of New Labour’s “tough on crime” machismo. IPP is essentially an indeterminate sentence: those convicted are given a minimum jail tariff (the term that is considered appropriate for their actual wrongdoing) but no maximum. After being released they are placed on indefinite licence (when you serve a sentence in the community), which is subject to being recalled to prison. Applications to terminate this licence can only be made after 10 years.

At first, the justification was that indefinite sentences would keep the most dangerous violent and sexual offenders off the streets for as long as they remained a threat to the public. The reality has proved to be one of the most egregious criminal justice scandals in modern British history. [...]

In 2012, public pressure forced then justice secretary Ken Clarke into abolishing IPP after seven disastrous years. Though clearly a welcome development, celebrations were muted. The move was not retrospective, which meant that thousands continued to languish in the UK's prisons without any release date in sight. [...]

[S]elf-harming rates among IPP prisoners are 70% higher than among the general prison population.

source: Article 'Why are so many prisoners in England still serving these cruel, endless sentences?' by Francisco Garcia; www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/09/prisoners-england-endless-sentences; The Guardian; 9 December 2020