Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Ranby
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2024
A prisoner complained that he was not allowed to receive books at HMP Ranby unless they had come from an approved supplier. He said that this was not in accordance with the Incentives Policy Framework.
Recommendations/outcome:
We recommended that the prison complied with the Incentives Policy Framework and allowed books to be sent in directly by friends and family as well as approved suppliers. HMP Ranby has now amended their local policy. We feel this complaint could have been resolved without referral to IPCI.
Upheld complaint against the Director of HMP Oakwood
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2024
A prisoner complained that certificates he had obtained while at HMP Oakwood had not been issued to him. He was then transferred to multiple different establishments where the certificates did not follow him. After IPCI’s involvement, it was ascertained that certificates were never sent to the prisoner’s new establishment and Oakwood could not account for the whereabouts of the originals. However, they still had access to copies of the certificates.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prisoner was provided with copies of all certificates. We feel this complaint could have been resolved without referral to IPCI.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Pentonville
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2024
A prisoner complained that whilst at Pentonville a parcel was sent into him, but he was in the process of being transferred at the time it arrived. However, despite the fact that Pentonville said they would forward the parcel on, the prisoner did not receive it.
The IPCI investigation found that Pentonville sent the parcel on to the wrong prison.
Recommendations/outcome:
Whilst we considered Pentonville responsible for the loss of the parcel, there was no way to determine the contents. We advised that the sender of the parcel contact the prison to provide evidence of the parcel’s contents and claim compensation from Pentonville. We also considered that the prison’s responses to the prisoner’s internal complaints were not policy-compliant or sufficient, and we made the Governor aware of our findings.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP High Down
Complaint category:
Categorisation, progression & release preparation
Month investigation completed:
December
A prisoner complained that the decision of the recategorisation appeal panel at HMP High Down was flawed, and contrary to the Security Categorisation Policy Framework. As part of the IPCI investigation, we found that High Down had yet to make the required changes following revised guidance, issued in November 2024, that prisoners within three years of release should be reviewed every 6 months dating from the point at which they have three years left to serve until earliest possible date of release.
Recommendations/outcome:
HMP High Down confirmed that they were working to establish new review dates for eligible prisoners, which we considered a reasonable and proportionate outcome to the complaint.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Full Sutton
Complaint category:
Work, pay & money
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2024
A prisoner complained that there was a delay in providing him with medical photographs, despite money being deducted from his account shortly after the request was made. This happened on two occasions. Whilst the photographs were eventually provided to the prisoner, this was done after the prisoner used the complaints process. IPCI considered that the significant delay in providing these items was not reasonable.
Recommendations/outcome:
We found that the photographs should have been provided to the prisoner in a timelier manner, given that the money was deducted from his account shortly after the request was made. The prisoner did eventually receive his photographs and the prison apologised to him for the delay. We feel this complaint could have been resolved without referral to IPCI.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Full Sutton
Complaint category:
Visits, calls & letters
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2024
A prisoner complained that on transfer to HMP Full Sutton, his solicitor’s telephone number was removed from his telephone pin list, despite being authorised at his previous prison. He said that there was a delay in adding this number back onto his authorised contacts, and he questioned whether re-verifying contacts was reasonable.
Recommendations/outcome:
Whilst we partially upheld this complaint as we agreed the prisoner was inconvenienced by this administrative delay, the IPCI investigation found the delay in re-adding the solicitor’s number was caused by human error, and a high volume of requests. The number was later added so we did not consider any further remedial action to be necessary. We found no evidence that Full Sutton’s local procedure was disproportionate or unlawful. The re-checking of legal numbers was standard practice for all prisoners transferred to HMP Full Sutton and due to legitimate security measures.
Upheld complaints against the Governor of HMP The Mount
Complaint category:
Adjudication & IEP
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2024
A prisoner complained about the way the administrative process around charges against him of poor discipline was managed. He had been placed on report for three charges relating to paragraphs 17, 20 and 22 of the prison discipline policy. The charges were heard together and he was found guilty. The IPCI investigation established that although the charges were rightly laid, there were multiple errors in the process including failure to account or investigate the prisoners non-attendance, failure to inform compensation might be levied following a guilty verdict, and failure to record adequate reasoning as to how the finding of guilt was established.
Recommendations/outcome:
We asked that findings be quashed.
Upheld complaint against the Director of HMP Peterborough
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
December
Year investigation completed:
2024
A prisoner complained about the delayed sending on of property following his transfer to Peterborough. By the time the property arrived at Peterborough, he had moved prisons again. At the time of the complaint the property could not be located at either the sending establishment or Peterborough and was presumed lost. The IPCI investigation found that Peterborough accepted his property from the delivery company, where it remained for months before being sent on to the new prison. We also found that an error was made in recoding the tracking number for the parcel.
Recommendations/outcome:
During our investigation, the property was found and the prisoner was reunited with it. We accepted that the error was due to an administrative error and not a systemic issue at Peterborough and therefore made no formal recommendations.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Dartmoor
Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Month investigation completed:
November
Year investigation completed:
2024
A prisoner complained that he was assaulted by other prisoners at HMP Dartmoor. He complained that this assault had been caused by staff, and that the prison had not investigated his complaint about this matter.
The IPCI investigation found that whilst HMP Dartmoor had acted in accordance with policy regarding the allegation of assault, we were unable to find any evidence that his complaint about staff was investigated, despite being assured by a Governor that an investigation would take place.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI recommended that HMP Dartmoor apologise to the prisoner for failure to investigate his complaint about prison staff, in accordance with the requirements of Prisoner Complaints Policy Framework.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Long Lartin
Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Month investigation completed:
November
A prisoner complained that an officer sexually assaulted him while conducting a rubdown search, and that the search was not carried out in accordance with the relevant policy.
Recommendations/outcome:
Whilst the IPCI investigation did not find any evidence that the prisoner had been sexually assaulted. We found that the search did not comply with the policy. The officer involved had been advised of the correct procedure to follow.
