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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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406 complaints summaries

Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP/YOI Aylesbury

Complaint category:
Property
Status:
Upheld
Month investigation completed:
April
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that clothes he sent to the laundry were going missing. We upheld the complaint as the prison failed to investigate and was not able to provide us with any relevant information about the missing property.
Recommendations/outcome:
We recommended that the Governor apologises to the prisoner and completes an investigation into his complaint. We recommended that a reasonable amount of compensation should be offered for any items of clothing which cannot be accounted for.

Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Littlehey

Complaint category:
Visits, calls & letters
Status:
Partially upheld
Month investigation completed:
April
Year investigation completed:
2026
The complainant was receiving incoming Rule 39 Mail punctured with several holes from a hole punch, damaging the internal letter and making it difficult for the prisoner to read. We liaised with Littlehey and established a change in procedure. They agreed that Rule 39 letters will only be given a single punched hole to reduce damage to the correspondence.
Recommendations/outcome:
Partial uphold. Change in procedure so only a single punch hole will be applied for drug testing incoming/ Rule 39 mail to limit damage to the internal contents.

Upheld complaint against the Director of HMP Parc

Complaint category:
Work, pay & money
Status:
Upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
A prisoner complained that he suffered financial loss following a period in the Segregation Unit, including loss of earnings and missing clothing. IPCI found the prison had not properly addressed the prisoner's concerns about pay and property and could not provide records showing how these matters had been considered or resolved. The complaint was upheld.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI recommended that the prison review the prisoner's loss of earnings and missing property, provide a reasoned written outcome, and improve property record-keeping and complaint handling processes.

Partially upheld complaint against the Director of HMP Parc

Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Status:
Partially upheld
Month investigation completed:
March
Year investigation completed:
2026
A prisoner complained that staff acted inappropriately when he was moved to the Segregation Unit following an allegation made by another prisoner. He believed the decision was unfair and discriminatory. IPCI found it was reasonable for staff to take immediate protective action while safeguarding concerns were assessed, and found no evidence that the decision was discriminatory. However, the prison was unable to provide records showing how the prisoner's segregation was reviewed and managed. The complaint was therefore partially upheld.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI recommended improvements to segregation record-keeping and to the recording of safeguarding decisions and reviews.

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.