Trapped In The System

BBC Radio 4, iPlayer

Since his brother received an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence, Roddy Russell has experienced, first-hand, the devastating effect that these indeterminate sentences have upon those serving them.

Roddy's brother, Robert, was sentenced to an IPP, with a two and a half year tariff, for making a threat to kill in 2009. He remains in prison 14 years later, his mental health diminished, trapped in the system with no end in sight.

In this very personal documentary, Roddy shares his brother's story, which is typical of so many others still serving IPP sentences and he provides a deep insight into the many barriers and pitfalls he's had to navigate as an unwitting campaigner, as he shines a light on the countless dark corners of the IPP saga.

Radio 4 said: "Thanks for such a powerful and compelling programme with Roddy as a brilliant, emotionally open and humane presenter. This is a real scandal and I think its shocking nature will have come across clearly to all listeners."

Trapped in The System - Excerpt