Donna and Tommy’s story and why so many IPP serving prisoners have taken their own lives.
Tommy Nicol was serving an IPP sentence for robbery and when his tariff expired and he still wasn’t released from prison, he took his own life. Tommy is just one of many: the total number of IPP serving prisoners who had taken their own lives by the end of 2022 was 81. Today Sam investigates the human stories behind these stark statistics.
Sam visits the ‘SoulsINQUEST’ exhibition in Brixton’s 198 Gallery to speak to INQUEST’s Director, Deborah Coles and look at their exhibition highlighting state violence, death, grief and resistance. It includes a tribute to Tommy, written by his sister Donna Mooney, and a photograph of a bike which signifies ‘the wheel of pain’. After Tommy's death, Donna became involved in setting up the campaigning organisation UNGRIPP, the ‘United Group for the Reform of IPPs'.
Sam also meets Sir Bob Neil to talk about the evidence gathered by the Justice Select Committee’s IPP report on self-harm and suicide. And we hear Labour’s John McDonnell raise the issue in parliament: they both highlight how IPP sentences create a sense of hopelessness, pushing many serving them over the edge. Lord David Blunkett, the architect of the IPP sentence, is posed a hard-hitting question by a former IPP prisoner.
This episode is dedicated to the memory of the men and women who have taken their own lives whilst serving IPP sentences.
Get in touch on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook or Instagram @Trapped_Pod
For more info about UNGRIPP visit: www.ungripp.com / @UNGRIPP
For more information about INQUEST visit: www.inquest.org.uk / @INQUEST_ORG
Contributors in order of appearance:
Donna Mooney, IPP campaigner and sister of Tommy Nicol
Deborah Coles, Director of Inquest @DebatINQUEST
Sir Bob Neil MP @neill_bob
Graham Towl @ProfGrahamTowl
Lord David Blunkett @LordBlunkett
Voices in archive:
John McDonnell MP
Reporter: Samantha Asumadu @SamanthaAsumadu
Executive Producer: Melissa FitzGerald @melissafitzg
Producer: Steve Langridge @SMLANGERS
Consultant: Hank Rossi
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