A prisoner serving an abolished indefinite jail term took his own life after writing a note blaming the “cruel” open-ended sentence.
Steven McBride’s family have called for action to help others still languishing on Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) jail terms after an inquest found uncertainty over his sentence was a factor in his death.
Ipswich Coroner’s Court heard the much-loved uncle had repeatedly self-harmed after his mental health had deteriorated in prison.
The aspiring music producer, who was partially sighted and registered blind, was handed an IPP sentence with a minimum tariff of two years and 91 days for a stabbing in 2007.
He was found unresponsive in his cell at HMP Warren Hill, in Suffolk, in September 2024, aged 40, almost 17 years after he was handed the controversial jail term. Months earlier, he had been refused parole.
His grieving sister Hayley Prince said he “felt like he was caught in something he couldn’t escape from” from the moment he was handed an IPP sentence.
“He spent years in and out of prison, being recalled again and again,” she said. “Every time it seemed like there might be a way forward, something pulled him back.” His parole refusal six months before his death “broke him”, she added.
An inquest jury heard evidence of a written message which had been torn from a notepad in his cell. Although the original has never been found and it is not known when it was written, indentations left on the page underneath reveal his despair.
“I am writing this because I cannot do this sentence anymore,” the indentations appeared to read. “IPP is cruel and is solely to blame for my death. No one get my point of view I am sick of not being listened to.
“This has been torture to the highest order. Don’t get me wrong I deserved prison for what I did but that was almost 19 yrs ago now. I just can’t do it anymore.”
Ms Prince, 40, told The Independent: “That was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to read in my life, just knowing he was struggling like that.”
IPP jail terms were abolished in 2012, but not retrospectively, leaving thousands trapped in prison without a release date or in a vicious cycle of indefinite recall, often for minor breaches of strict licence conditions.
The open-ended punishments have been linked to 96 suicides in prison and described as “psychological torture” by the UN. However successive governments have refused to resentence those still languishing on the jail terms.
Ms Prince described Mr McBride as her “closest friend”. They grew up with a strong bond after their father died by suicide when Stephen was only one. In their teenage years she became increasingly protective as he was bullied over his partial sight.
Despite what she described a traumatic childhood, she said Mr McBride was “very funny” and loved house music, with hopes of becoming a music producer.
However he developed a difficult relationship with alcohol and got in trouble with the law. His mother died while he was on remand in prison over the violent attack for which he was later handed an IPP.
He served around ten years before he was first released, only to be recalled after just two weeks for getting drunk. He was freed again in January 2018, but recalled a year later following a further offence of actual bodily harm and remained in prison until his death.
“I am not saying my brother didn’t deserve a long sentence,” Ms Prince added. “He deserved a long sentence, 100 per cent, but not a sentence that’s inhumane and unjust.”
In the months before his death he made multiple attempts on his own life and was repeatedly monitored under Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures. However the monitoring was stopped five days before his death.
On the morning of 2 September, he was found unresponsive when a prison officer unlocked his cell at 7.45am. It is estimated he died 1-12 hours earlier.
In a moving tribute read to the court, Ms Prince added: “Steven wasn’t perfect. He had flaws, struggles, and moments he probably wished he could change. But none of that takes away from who he was to me. He was my brother. My closest friend. And he was deeply, truly loved.”
She has called for better monitoring processes for high-risk inmates and for almost 2400 prisoners still languishing on IPP jail terms to be resentenced.
“Give them their lives back,” she told The Independent. “It’s been abolished. You can’t keep punishing people on a sentence that has been abolished. Why is it still going on?”
Claire Brigham, a partner at Hodge Jones & Allen, who represented Mr McBride’s family during the inquest, said the IPP sentence was the “main factor” in his death.
“I think it’s one of the clearest cases that I have seen on that point,” she told The Independent. “There are lots of references throughout the records talking about the IPP sentence ands distress and his progression.”
In a narrative conclusion, the jury found Mr McBride felt “trapped, hopeless and frustrated” on the jail term and numerous progression plans were refused because of his emotional instability and substance misuse.
This left him “demotivated and hopeless”, they concluded, adding: “Mr McBride’s IPP sentence, parole refusal, uncertainty over his sentence progression and complex health issues all had a relevant bearing on his actions on the 2nd September 2024.”
He died following an act of self harm although the jury could not be sure he intended to die.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished and we have already taken action to support these offenders to move on with their lives.
“While public protection is our number one priority, we are working with organisations and campaign groups to support those still serving these sentences, including through access to mental health support and rehabilitation programmes.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
