Today, after 12 years apart, Thomas White – who is still stuck in prison 12 years on from stealing a mobile phone on an abolished and widely criticised ‘Imprisonment for Public Protection’ (IPP) sentence – has been granted permission to see his 14-year-old
son, Kayden, for the first time in over a decade.

In 2012, Thomas White was given a two-year minimum tariff prison sentence under an IPP, a type of indefinite prison sentence that
came into force in 2005 in a New Labour bid to appear ‘tough on crime.’

IPPs were abolished in 2012, just a few months after Thomas’s incarceration due to widespread concern over its implementation and
psychological impact on inmates. However, White remains in prison today, with no immediate prospect of release, as the abolition of IPPs was not made retrospective.

In the twelve years since his incarceration, Thomas has been deprived of spending any time with his son, Kayden, with the prison
consistently citing concerns about Thomas’ mental health. However, a recent development in March 2024 offered a glimmer of hope to reconnect the father and son, when Lord Blunkett, the original architect of the IPP sentence, who has since admitted he “got
it wrong,” met with Clara White (Thomas’ sister who has been tirelessly campaigning for the release of her brother for years) and Kayden in the House of Lords and listened to their plight.

In this meeting, Lord Blunkett backed a mission to help Kayden – now 14 – visit his dad for the first time in prison. One month
on, this distant dream for the White family has now turned into a reality, with a visit to the prison confirmed for Kayden later this month.

On hearing the news that he would be allowed to see his dad for the first time in 12 years, Kayden burst in tears and initially
didn’t believe it was true.

Margaret White, Thomas’s mother and Kayden’s grandmother, said:
“My family has now lived for 12 agonizing years trapped by this IPP sentence. We are eternally grateful to Lord Blunkett for his support and commitment to Thomas’s case. Lord Blunkett has listened to my family, and particularly Kayden, with nothing but
compassion. I urge families who have suffered at the hands of IPP to dig deep and stand up to those who have robbed so much from life’s precious years.”

But the fight is not over for the White family – Thomas’ mental health has drastically deteriorated while serving his IPP sentence,
to the point where he has recently been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and they are seeking his transfer to an institution which can provide for his needs. Lord Blunkett has also pledged his support to help the family achieve this, in the hope to prevent
further damage to Thomas’ mental health.

Nearly 3,000 IPP prisoners,
many of whom are low level offenders, remain stuck behind bars on this abolished sentence. Other prisoners trapped include
Wayne Bell, jailed aged 17 for an assault while attempting to steal a bike nearly 20 years ago in 2007, and
Shaun Lloyd, sentenced to an IPP for stealing a mobile phone as an 18-year-old in 2005.

According to IPP campaign organisation UNGRIPP,
at least 90 IPP prisoners have taken their own lives in prison to date, with the number feared much higher due to the complexities of measuring deaths in the community.

Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk, is coming under increasing pressure to solve the IPP crisis. Experts, campaigners, and politicians
have called for a review of resentencing for all 2,852 IPPs in prison, and those on recall in the community. This comes as the House of Lords is set to vote on a series of amendments to the Victims & Prisoners Bill in late April 2024.