Prisoner's death due to indefinite term - report

Scott Berry was an inmate at HMP Humber in East Yorkshire

A prisoner took his own life after he "became increasingly frustrated" by the length of time he had been in jail, a report has found.

Scott Berry, 37, was found hanged in his cell at HMP Humber, East Yorkshire, in October 2023.

An inquiry by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman said he had been jailed for robbery in 2008 and given an indeterminate Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence for people considered dangerous, but whose offence did not merit a life sentence.

A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of Scott Berry." However, they added that no one was kept in jail unless they still posed a serious risk.

IPP sentences, which were abolished in 2012, included a minimum prison term but could lead to indefinite detention if release was not deemed safe.

The report said Berry was given a minimum term of two years and four months at his sentencing and at the time of his death he was "more than than 12 years over tariff".

The ombudsman said Berry had become "despondent about his chances of ever being released".

'Sense of hopelessness'

His mental health deteriorated while in the prison system and he was sent to a secure hospital for a period of time.

In July 2020, he was transferred to HMP Humber, which has a facility to provide additional support to IPP prisoners, known as the Hope Unit.

"We found that Mr Berry was well-supported by both prison and healthcare staff at Humber," the ombudsman report said.

"However, there was little that staff could do to address Mr Berry's underlying frustrations about his IPP status and his sense of hopelessness about his future."

The report noted that a parliamentary Justice Select Committee found in 2022 "that the psychological harm caused by IPP sentences is a considerable barrier to progression for some IPP prisoners and that the indefinite nature of the sentence has contributed to hopelessness and despair that has resulted in high levels of self-harm and some suicides."

An MoJ spokesperson said: "It is absolutely right that IPP sentences were abolished and we provide additional support to IPP prisoners including improved access to mental health support and rehabilitation programmes to help secure release.

"Every IPP prisoner is entitled to a parole review at least every two years – and no one is kept in prison unless the independent Parole Board judges they still pose a serious risk."

The ombudsman made no recommendations in the report into Berry's death.

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