Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Liverpool
Complaint category:
Categorisation, progression & release preparation
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that his re-categorisation review had taken place without his knowledge and without him being invited to submit representations. He also said that he had not been notified of the outcome. IPCI found that the re-categorisation decision was reasonable and that the prisoner had since been notified of the outcome. However, as his review was overdue when he arrived at Liverpool, it had been completed immediately without him being given the opportunity to submit representations in line with policy. The complaint was therefore partially upheld.
Recommendations/outcome:
No recommendations were made as the prison was aware of the requirement to invite representations prior to a re-categorisation review and had apologised to the prisoner for their error. As the prisoner’s next review was due to take place within the next three months, and some updated information was being sought from the Home Office about his immigration status, an earlier review was not recommended.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Lowdham Grange
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that following their relocation, a cell clearance had not been completed and therefore several items of property had gone missing.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI partially upheld the complaint on the basis that Lowdham Grange could not provide evidence that a cell clearance was completed, as the cell clearance paperwork had not been retained. The prison said that this was not reflective of its usual practice, however, a copy of the outcome letter was sent to the Governor to ensure they were aware of this matter. The prisoner had already accepted the prison’s compensation offer. Therefore, we did not uphold this part of their complaint.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Full Sutton
Complaint category:
Accommodation, food, education & other facilities
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that while on a loss of privileges, they were unable to participate in the opt-out food scheme (where prisoners purchase their own food instead of receiving standard prison meals). They said that, as a result, they did not receive the correct number of meals over a three-week period. They also believed that other prisoners in the opt-out scheme could deliver meals to them.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI partially upheld the complaint as there was evidence of initial confusion which resulted in the prisoner not being provided with food menus. A copy of the outcome letter was sent to the Governor to ensure that appropriate assurances and processes are in place for prisoners in similar situations, in order to avoid delays in issuing menus. We did not uphold the complaint in relation to access to food. The investigation found that food was still available as the prisoner was unlocked to attend the servery. There was no evidence that the prisoner was denied food, went without food during this period, or that staff failed to respond to concerns raised.
Upheld complaint against the Governor at HMP Long Lartin
Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained about the use of Rigid Bar Handcuffs (RBH) as part of a security operation at HMP Long Lartin. He complained that he was handcuffed incorrectly and left unsupervised while handcuffed in a holding cell.
Recommendations/outcome:
We found that the use of RBH was not entirely in line with policy and current training and it had not been documented as required by policy. We made recommendations that HMPPS review the use of RBH on this occasion and that, in future, they would only deviate from policy with express agreement of policy holders. We also recommended that the correct format be used to record the use of RBH and that it should be documented as set out in policy.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Swaleside
Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that staff failed to respond promptly to his emergency cell bell on several occasions, despite him having a serious pre-existing health condition. The prisoner also complained that the prison did not properly investigate these incidents. We found that emergency cell bells were not always responded to within expected timescales, and this part of the complaint was partially upheld. The complaint about how the prison investigated the incidents was not upheld.
Recommendations/outcome:
We recommended that HMP Swaleside apologise to the complainant. We also recommended that HMP Swaleside take action to ensure that staff are aware of the expected emergency cell bell response times and appropriately prioritise responses, including improving responses for prisoners with serious pre-existing health conditions.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Lowdham Grange
Complaint category:
Categorisation, progression & release preparation
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that they lost their Category C status after an unauthorised item was found in their possession, despite the related adjudication being dismissed. The prisoner also complained that they were told they could not submit a COMP 1A form to appeal recategorisation-related decisions. We did not uphold the complaint regarding the recategorisation decision as we were satisfied that the decision was reasonable and made in line with national policy. We partially upheld the complaint in relation to the handling of the COMP 1A; prisoners should never be prevented from using the complaints process outside of the provisions to manage unreasonable complainants.
Recommendations/outcome:
While a COMP 1A about recategorisation does not trigger an automatic recategorisation review, prisons cannot prevent prisoners from appealing the response to a COMP 1. HMP Lowdham Grange accepted this clarification, and the issue was highlighted to the Governor for their attention.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Lowdham Grange
Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained about the use of PAVA on them. They said that PAVA was not used as a last resort, and that proper procedures were not followed after its use, including the retention of BWVC and CCTV footage of the incident. We could not conclude that staff’s decision to use PAVA was unreasonable, in breach of national policy, or that alternative PPE options were not considered. However, the complaint was partially upheld in relation to the lack of mandatory retention of evidence.
Recommendations/outcome:
We recommended that HMP Lowdham Grange apologise to the complainant for the mishandling of evidence in this case. We also recommended that HMP Lowdham Grange determines the most appropriate method for preserving BWVC footage and use of force paperwork, and provides evidence of how this is implemented.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Hewell
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained about the loss of valuable property during his transfer from HMP Hewell to HMP Birmingham. Records indicate that the property never left HMP Hewell. The prison agreed to write to the prisoner to apologise for the significant delay in resolving the complaint and invite him to provide evidence of the missing items and their value. The Governor at HMP Hewell also confirmed that they would review property recording processes, establish audit controls and escalation procedures for handling property complaints, and implement annual reviews and staff training on property handling and complaint management.
Recommendations/outcome:
We upheld this complaint with personal recommendations. It is our view is that this complaint should have been resolved locally without the need for IPCI involvement.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Leeds and HMP Lowdham Grange
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2025
The prisoner complained that some of his property went missing after a transfer from HMP Leeds to HMP Lowdham Grange. The investigation revealed multiple issues at both prisons where the property paperwork was not completed correctly or not completed at all and where policy was not adhered to.
Recommendations/outcome:
We recommended that HMP Leeds compensate for property that we had established was missing. We also recommended that both prisons implement procedures to ensure staff are aware of how to manage, process and record follow on property as well as maintain clear and accurate records of all prisoners’ property.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Belmarsh
Complaint category:
Security
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained that he was being body scanned every two weeks in the High Security Unit (HSU) at HMP Belmarsh. There was a lack of evidence to support the prison’s decision for routine scanning and their reasons for doing so had not been recorded in the monthly security meeting minutes as required by the Use of X-Ray Body Scanners Policy Framework. Routine scanning ceased during the course of our investigation following a review by the prison.
Recommendations/outcome:
The complaint was partially upheld following discussions with HMP Belmarsh about their historic reasons for routinely scanning HSU prisoners which were justified. IPCI recommended that the prison apologises to the prisoner for the way his complaint had been handled and put in place a system to review and record any future decisions to body scan prisoners in the HSU.
