𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A prisoner was woken up in his cell by the sensation of something rubbing against his shoulder. It was his cellmate who had taken his own life. Chris Nelson could not save that man, but during his 20 years in prison, his girlfriend says he has helped stop several other men from killing themselves.

But having spent eight years over the minimum 12-year tariff he was given back in 2006, Sophie D’Arcy worries about whether her partner will be next. She said: “He’s happy-go-lucky when he’s going all right. But one or two things could take a knock and you never know what could happen.”

Miss D’Arcy said: “The things he’s seen in there – the things they have to see and put up with is despicable. He says he’s okay mentally, but I don’t know if he is or not.

“I feel like he’s got some sort of mark on him or on his folder. It does seem like they are not letting him out. I don’t know what it is. My job is to keep him alive mentally, physically stable enough to just let every day go past. Cross every day as you can. And he’s alive still. He’s here still.”

He was told he must serve a minimum tariff of 16 years behind bars when he was given an imprisonment for public protection sentence (IPP) for armed robbery and possession of a firearm in 2006. This tariff was reduced to 12 years on appeal.

The IPP sentence is known as a 99-year sentence because offenders can be on licence for up to 99 years upon release. They were abolished in 2012 after the European Convention on Human Rights declared the use of the sentences “arbitrary and therefore unlawful”.  

Taking into account the two years he spent on remand awaiting trial, Mr Nelson was hoping he would be released in 2016.

The 42-year-old was released briefly in 2023 but was recalled to prison after four months due to what Miss D’Arcy says was a “disagreement” with a probation officer.

And since then, she says his chances of being released on licence have been hindered due to what she describes as issues in the system.

She said: “He’s had three panel hearings because there’s been a backlog, and each of them has been declined.

“One was declined because probation didn’t give their recommendation in time. Another panel hearing got refused because his probation officer was sick, and no one took over the case or sought any recommendation from him.

“He had one recently, but that was refused because they couldn’t get an approved premises address for him to stay at when he’s released from prison, because there aren’t enough approved premises addresses.

“So now he has to wait until 2026 for a new panel date.”

IPP sentences were abolished in 2012, but not retrospectively, meaning that Mr Nelson is one of thousands still serving time as a result.

The campaign for the IPP sentence to be entirely abolished and for the remaining prisoners to be resentenced has the backing of the family of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who had massive public and political support when she was detained in Iran.

And Lord Anthony Woodley has introduced a Bill in Parliament to resentence IPP prisoners.

Miss D’Arcy, from East London, wants to ask the Government why the IPP prisoners were not considered for an early release scheme, even if only to appease the campaigners.

The 36-year-old said: “Why aren’t they looking at all of these prisoners to say, like, especially now… To get rid of us, even. To shut us up.

“They’re leaving them to rot in there.

“As Chris says, it’s been the majority of his life. Because he’s 42 now, he went there when he was 22. It’s a second home to him, unfortunately. He grew up in care.” 

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished, but public safety must come first.