Bury man left trapped in jail by old laws
Thomas White has spent more than a decade behind bars for a petty crime after being given an 'IPP' sentence
Last updated 17th Mar 2025
The sister of a prisoner at HMP Manchester is raising awareness about the impact of 'IPP' sentences - after her brother has tried to take his own life multiple times during his 13 year imprisonment.
Clara White is worried about her brother, Thomas White, who is 'trapped' in jail and doesn't know when he will be released because of old laws.
Thomas was jailed after robbing a mobile phone in 2012.
He was given an IPP sentence and although they've since been abolished, this does not apply to those already serving the sentences.
Instead of a release date, Thomas was given rehab targets to meet, but can't access the programmes for them.
Clara has seen a report which shows her brother has turned to drugs and tried to take his own life because of the situation: "Thomas has not just been abused by the British Government, Thomas has been abused by the prison system.
"I remember a statement in there, it said that the probable cause of Thomas' voices and hallucinations, is because of the IPP sentence."
Clara said: "Now we've got this injustice, that they've buried for 20 years... This sentence was rolled out in 2005, and people are still incarcerated, 20 years later, on this sentence, and my brother is one of them.
"It was for those who was the most dangerous of offenders, unfortunately, 8711 people were sentenced to this sentence. Most of them was for low level petty crimes.
"It's been probably the longest and the hardest thing I've ever been through, and we've been through some stuff, me and Thomas, but never anything as difficult as this."
Clara wants Thomas to be transferred to a hospital because of his mental health, and hopes that if he is, it'll pave the way for others: "I'm extremely concerned about the hundreds of Thomas White's that have got paranoid schizophrenia and I think the government need to move at a very much faster pace than they're doing."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished. With public protection as the number one priority, the Lord Chancellor is working with organisations and campaign groups to ensure appropriate action is taken to support those still serving these sentences, such as improved access to mental health support and rehabilitation programmes.”
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