Leroy Douglas is set to be released from prison after serving 21 years for a phone robbery, a sentence imposed under the now-defunct indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP) system. Douglas's case draws parallels to those serving longer sentences for more serious offenses, raising questions about the fairness of the IPP system.
Introduced in 2005, IPPs were designed to detain serious offenders perceived as a public risk without a maximum sentence end date. Prisoners had to serve a minimum term before being eligible for parole, but release was not guaranteed and was subject to license conditions. Failure to adhere to these conditions could result in recall to prison.
The IPP sentence was scrapped in 2012 due to widespread criticism, including concerns that it was being applied to less serious crimes. However, the abolition was not retrospective, meaning individuals sentenced under the old system remained incarcerated. As of June 30, the Ministry of Justice reported 2,271 prisoners were still serving IPP sentences. The United Nations has previously stated that the IPP sentence violates human rights.
Douglas's father, Anthony, has highlighted the perceived injustice of his son serving a lengthy sentence for a phone theft, comparing it to the case of Jeffrey Gaffoor, who was convicted of murder and released after 21 years. Gaffoor was imprisoned in 1992 for the murder of Lynette White and released in 2013. Douglas has spent nearly as long in prison as Gaffoor, despite the difference in the severity of their crimes.