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Complaint investigation summaries

Read summaries of upheld and partially upheld investigations into complaints on this page. We keep information brief to protect the identities of people involved and we may decide not to publish a summary if the person making the complaint might be identified from it. Please visit our archive site to view complaint summaries published before February 2024.

Every month we publish statistics about the number of investigations we have completed and our decision for each one. Please note, this data is subject to change.

Use the search box below to search complaints by prison name or location.

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391 complaints summaries

Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP The Mount

Complaint category:
Property
Status:
Partially upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that his property went missing at The Mount. He also complained that the prison did not complete the required paperwork in relation to his property. The investigation found that The Mount was unable to provide a copy of the relevant paperwork, and this was in contravention of the Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework. This aspect of the complaint was upheld. The prisoner’s property was later sent to him at another prison, and we found that none of his property was missing. This aspect of the complaint was therefore not upheld.
Recommendations/outcome:
The Governor of The Mount was informed about the lack of relevant paperwork and the delay in sending the prisoner’s property on to him.

Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Long Lartin

Complaint category:
Visits, calls & letters
Status:
Upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained he was incorrectly told by prison staff to open his sealed Rule 39 letter to his solicitor. We conducted enquiries to establish if the letter was opened because staff had reasonable grounds to believe it had an illicit enclosure; the relevant national policies are clear that this must be properly recorded. We were not provided with any evidence or record of this by Long Lartin, or a reasonable explanation why a Rule 39 letter had been opened. The absence of any records or evidence indicated that the prisoner was incorrectly asked to show his legal/Rule 39 letter to staff.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI recommended that Long Lartin: i. Apologise to the prisoner for incorrectly instructing him to open his outgoing legal/Rule 39 mail. ii. Take steps to ensure that all staff are reminded of national policy requirements regarding legal correspondence.

Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Full Sutton

Complaint category:
Property
Status:
Upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained about missing stored property when he transferred from HMP Long Lartin to HMP Full Sutton.
Recommendations/outcome:
We found that the stored property was missing and recommended that Full Sutton pay compensation for this as it appeared to have arrived at the prison. We also recommended that the Governor ensure staff are reminded of the requirement to list details of all property held in storage locally in line with national policy.

Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP The Mount

Complaint category:
Adjudication & IEP
Status:
Upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained about being kept on the basic regime in HMP The Mount.
Recommendations/outcome:
We upheld the complaint as the prisoner had been placed on the basic regime a fixed term beyond seven days which is not supported by national policy. We recommended that the Governor apologise to the prisoner for this decision and reimburse him for any monies lost during his time on the basic regime beyond the initial seven days. We recommended that The Mount review their local IEP policy to ensure it is in line with national policy, remove any references to ‘tiered offences’ and the requirement for a prisoner to spend a predetermined time on the basic regime; We also recommended that the Governor to remind staff of the need to answer IEP appeals as quicky as possible, particularly when a prisoner has been downgraded to the basic regime and of the requirement to answer complaints and appeals within the timeframes set in national policy.

Partially Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Durham

Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Status:
Partially upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
The prisoner complained about being assaulted by another prisoner who he had shared a cell with.
Recommendations/outcome:
We found that key risk information was missed by staff at Durham when conducting the perpetrator’s Cell Sharing Risk Assessment (CSRA) which led to him being deemed safe to share a cell with the complainant. We recommended that Durham apologise to the prisoner for the shortcomings in the CSRA process. We said that Durham should review their current CSRA process for prisoners on arrival at the prison and ensure they are being completed in line with policy. We also recommended that their local violence reduction policy be reviewed in line with national policy.

Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Bure

Complaint category:
Property
Status:
Upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that he had not received books that were posted to him at HMP Bure. IPCI’s investigation established that the books had arrived at the prison but could not be located. As the books were lost before they reached the prisoner, the complaint was upheld.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI recommended that the Governor should apologise to the complainant for the missing books and establish, with the complainant and the sender of the parcel, the value of the items. The Governor should then compensate either the complainant or the sender, as appropriate. We also recommended that the Governor should conduct an audit of the other parcels received on the same date to ensure they were processed correctly.

Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP High Down

Complaint category:
Accommodation, food, education & other facilities
Status:
Partially upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that while they were self-isolating, they were missed at a mealtime. They said this happened frequently and also at times missed receiving their medication.
Recommendations/outcome:
The complaint was partially upheld on the basis that a comment made by an officer in response to the internal complaint was inappropriate. Following IPCI’s enquiries, we were informed that HMP High Down addressed this matter with the officer concerned. Although the complainant was initially overlooked, the prison provided assurances that once staff became aware, a meal was delivered promptly. HMP High Down also confirmed that they have already implemented a more robust system for identifying prisoners who are self-isolating. In relation to medication, HMP High Down confirmed that it is not delivered to cell doors. Instead, prisoners are escorted to the medication hatch to receive it, which reduces the likelihood of individuals being missed.

Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Lowdham Grange

Complaint category:
Property
Status:
Partially upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that three storages boxes had not been sent from HMP Lowdham Grange to HMP Manchester following his transfer. Following IPCI’s involvement, the storage boxes were located at Manchester. Although the property had been forwarded to the prisoner, the complaint was partially upheld because there had been a significant delay in Lowdham Grange sending it.
Recommendations/outcome:
The missing property was located, and the delay was highlighted to the Governor so she is aware of this issue.

Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Bullingdon

Complaint category:
Security
Status:
Upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that staff conducted a full search in a closed visits room where there was a CCTV camera. IPCI upheld the complaint as the prison breached national policy by carrying out a full search in a room which is covered by CCTV. The prison also breached policy by failing to recognise and process a Subject Access Request (SAR) contained within the prisoner’s complaint.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prison had already apologised to the complainant for the full search. IPCI recommended that the Governor should also apologise for not processing the SAR and should ensure that processes in place to maintain compliance with full search policy are properly monitored and enforced. We also recommended that staff are appropriately trained to identify when a prisoner is making a SAR and to ensure such requests are correctly processed.

Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Lowdham Grange

Complaint category:
Property
Status:
Partially upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that staff incorrectly confiscated property during a cell clearance. IPCI found that some of the items that the prisoner said had been confiscated were still in his possession. However, some items had been incorrectly confiscated. The complaint was therefore partially upheld.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI recommended that the Governor apologise to the prisoner for staff not correctly following the requirements of the Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework when clearing his cell. We also recommended that relevant property should be returned and that property cards should be reviewed to identify whether any further items were wrongly confiscated. IPCI further recommended for the correct Cell Clearance Certificate is used and that record-keeping and oversight arrangements are improved, including auditing compliance with policy and ensuring complaints are responded to in line with the Prisoner Complaints Policy Framework.