Nine prisoners serving indefinite jail terms have had their cases referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), an independent body that investigates possible miscarriages of justice. Among those referred is Carl Lamb, who famously cut off his own ear with a razor blade in protest against his sentence. Lamb, now 46, was jailed in 2006 for grievous bodily harm with intent after a road rage incident when he was 26. He has never been released and is serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence, a type of open-ended punishment that was introduced to protect the public from dangerous offenders but was later abolished in 2012. These sentences, however, were not applied retrospectively, leaving many prisoners stuck in jail without a clear path to release. Shaun Lloyd, 38, is another individual referred, having served nearly 14 years under an IPP sentence for a street robbery he committed 20 years ago. He has been recalled to prison five times. The CCRC is currently reviewing over 250 cases involving people serving IPP or the youth equivalent, Detention for Public Protection (DPP) sentences. This year alone, the watchdog has referred 25 cases to the appeal courts after several sentences were overturned by higher courts. The recent overturns have often been due to judges failing to adequately consider the defendant's age or maturity when imposing the sentence. The impact of these abolished sentences is significant, with 856 people who were given IPP sentences still in prison without ever being released. Around eight in ten of those who have passed their minimum tariff—meaning the time they were originally expected to serve before being eligible for release—have spent at least ten years beyond that point. A further 1,415 people are currently in custody after being recalled to prison. The CCRC, led by Dame Vera Baird KC, has stated that the nine referrals represent only a small fraction of those still affected by the outdated sentencing regime. Dame Vera has emphasized the need for fairness while ensuring public safety remains a priority. She has pledged to support the government in addressing the issue, with plans to end the "long-running injustice" of IPP sentences. Andy Burnham has committed to introducing legislation to resolve the issue before the end of the current parliamentary session. A cross-party group will decide the specifics of how to address the ongoing problem. The nine cases referred include individuals such as Abdiwali Hassan, Ben Nye, and others, all of whom received IPP or DPP sentences at a young age or with minimal consideration for their personal circumstances.