Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Lowdham Grange
Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Month investigation completed:
July
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that staff did not provide appropriate support or open an ACCT when they had self-harmed. They said they were unable to access healthcare due to being on basic IEP. IPCI found no evidence that staff did not open an ACCT after the prisoner's act of self-harm, however, there was evidence that wing staff had not taken the prisoner to healthcare due to them being on basic. This was a breach of national policy. IPCI also found the prison's response to the prisoner’s complaints were not policy compliant.
Recommendations/outcome:
For HMP Lowdham Grange to offer the prisoner an apology, for the Governor to ensure all staff are aware prisoners on basic IEP can access healthcare, including being let out of their cell to attend healthcare, and to ensure there are quality assurance checks on complaint responses.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Chelmsford
Complaint category:
Work, pay & money
Month investigation completed:
July
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that he was transferred to another prison before he received his canteen order so, having not received the items, he requested a refund but the prison had not refunded him. As a result of the investigation, the prison acknowledged the prisoner received neither the canteen nor a refund and arranged for a refund to be processed.
Recommendations/outcome:
As the prison had already acknowledged its error and had also taken steps to implement a system for prisoners to sign for receipt of their canteen, there was no need to make any recommendations. We hold the view that this complaint should clearly have been resolved by the prison without reference to IPCI.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Nottingham
Complaint category:
Accommodation, food, education & other facilities
Month investigation completed:
July
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner transferred to a new wing, but he complained that his new cell did not have a mattress or any bedding. He raised this with an officer at the time and it was rectified later that same evening.
Recommendations/outcome:
There was no need to make recommendations in this case because this did not appear to be a systemic problem at HMP Nottingham and, once the prison had addressed the prisoner’s complaint, he raised no further issues. We hold the view that this complaint should clearly have been resolved by the prison without reference to IPCI.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Preston
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
July
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner set fire to his cell and was transferred to the SEG but, when staff destroyed the property left behind in the cell, he complained. The staff confirmed that the property had become damp and mouldy so presented a health hazard which was the reason it was destroyed.
Recommendations/outcome:
We did not uphold the substantive complaint as staff were acting in line with policy when they destroyed the property however, policy clearly states that whenever property is destroyed it has to be documented and this had not happened. The prison told us they had already been reviewing their local policy and had acknowledged the need to record when property is destroyed so we were satisfied the matter had been addressed and made no formal recommendations.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP The Mount
Complaint category:
Adjudication & IEP
Month investigation completed:
July
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained about not being told about negative DPS entries made by staff in HMP The Mount, negating his ability to appeal against these and affecting his ability to gain enhanced status.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI partially upheld the complaint and recommended that the Governor review the warnings and entries and arrange to have these amended to include information about the prisoner’s medical conditions and self-certification; issue a Notice to Staff about the incentives policy, specifically printing negative warnings and the escalation of behaviour warnings, using negative behaviour entries before issuing incentive warnings if appropriate; issue a Notice to Staff about recording accurate information when prisoners cannot attend purposeful activity; explain to IPCI how prisoners are told about negative behaviour entries to ensure they can address their behaviour to avoid escalation to warnings; explain to IPCI what process is in place for prisoners who absent themselves from work under self-certification and need to be referred to healthcare; remind staff when conducting IEP reviews they do so in line with national policy.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Onley
Complaint category:
Categorisation, progression & release preparation
Month investigation completed:
July
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that their progression was not being supported by HMP Onley. IPCI found the failure to facilitate access to a programme had blocked the prisoner’s progression.
Recommendations/outcome:
There were no meaningful recommendations IPCI could make in respect of the prisoner accessing groupwork programmes.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Fosse Way
Complaint category:
Security
Month investigation completed:
July
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that they were punished for refusing to undergo an X-Ray Body Scan on arrival at HMP Fosse Way. Fosse Way did not provide any security intelligence or reasonable suspicion related to the prisoner, to justify asking them to be X-Ray Body Scanned. Nor did they provide any monthly security meeting minutes, in the form of up to date intelligence, to show the prisoner was in an identified cohort of prisoners, which justified use of the X-Ray Body Scanner.
Recommendations/outcome:
We recommended the prison gave the prisoner an apology, amended their local Security Strategy to reflect national policy and quash the adjudication.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Isle of Wight
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
July
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that some of their property had been lost by HMP Isle of Wight following a cell clearance. Isle of Wight were unable to provide a copy of the cell clearance certificate and so, it was not possible to evidence if the correct cell clearance procedures were followed or if the property was missing prior to the cell clearance.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prisoner has been compensated for the missing items.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Whatton
Complaint category:
Visits, calls & letters
Month investigation completed:
June
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that there was a three-month delay in adding legal telephone numbers to their pin phone account.
Recommendations/outcome:
The complaint was partially upheld due to the length of time it took to add the telephone numbers to the prisoner’s pin phone account. However, as the prison had already initiated remedial action, we were unable to offer any further recommendations, as no additional remedial steps or reasonable suggestions could be identified.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Garth
Complaint category:
Work, pay & money
Month investigation completed:
June
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that they were not selected for a work program, and the prison had provided a blanket response as to why their application was rejected.
Recommendations/outcome:
The complaint was partially upheld as Garth should have provided a fuller explanation for the reasons of the rejected application. However, IPCI considered the prisoner would not have been eligible for the program due to their employment history. No recommendations made.
