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Our story

History of the PPO

1994 – the office of the Prisons Ombudsman is officially created after the report into the Strangeways Prison riot identified the need for an independent point of appeal for prisoners

2001 – re-named the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) after the organisation’s remit is extended to include complaints from people under probation supervision 

2004 – PPO is given the ability to investigate fatal incidents, to cover complaints from people in immigration centres and to conduct special investigations when requested  

2006 – PPO’s remit is extended to cover complaints from people in immigration detention centres

2017 – our remit is extended to cover fatal incidents in Secure Children’s Homes

2021 – PPO starts investigating deaths that occur shortly after a person has been released from prison as well as neonatal deaths and stillbirths

2023 – Independent Prisoner Complaint Investigations launches as a unit within the PPO dedicated to investigating complaints from people in prison

Our vision and values

We carry out independent investigations to help ensure that custody and community supervision are safe and fairer

We value:

  • ambitious thinking
  • professional curiosity
  • diversity and inclusion
  • transparency
  • teamwork