Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Ranby
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that on transfer from HMP Manchester, his property had gone missing. The investigation established that Ranby accepted responsibility for the loss, and had offered compensation. The prisoner had complained separately about the level of compensation offered.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prisoner was offered compensation and disputed the amount, but the case was ultimately settled.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Garth
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained about the delay in being issued his follow-on property, which had arrived at HMP Garth. Following our involvement, Garth finally processed the property but this took around 4 months before being issued to the prisoner. The delay was unreasonable.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prisoner has been reunited with his follow-on property. The report was copied to the Governor so he is aware of this issue.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Five Wells
Complaint category:
Visits, calls & letters
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that he was refused child contact and access to photographs of children under the age of 18. He said he was not aware that child contact restrictions were in place and was unhappy with the decision. He also complained about the length of time taken by the prison to respond to his complaint. We did not uphold the complaint relating to the refusal of child contact and photographs. We were satisfied that the prison had properly applied the Public Protection Framework and completed a Person Posing a Risk to Children (PPRC) assessment in line with policy. The prisoner had held a PPRC alert for many years and on the balance of probabilities, it was likely he was aware that child contact restrictions were in place.
Recommendations/outcome:
We partially upheld the complaint in relation to delays in communication. The outcome of the assessment was not shared with the prisoner until two months after, and the full Comp 1a response was not provided for a further four months. We were not satisfied that these timeframes were reasonable, and no clear explanation was provided for the delays. The prison was reminded of the importance of sharing assessment outcomes and responding to complaints within reasonable timescales.
Upheld complaint against the Director of HMP Peterborough
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained that his phone was lost during a transfer from HMP Peterborough to HMP Highpoint. IPCI found that despite Peterborough being unable to locate the phone, there were no records of the prisoner’s phone leaving the prison.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI noted that the loss of valuable property is a serious concern and recommended that the prisoner receive an apology and compensation. In addition, IPCI recommended that the prison review local systems and staff practices for recording and storing property, particularly valuable items, and to strengthen monitoring arrangements to ensure compliance with national policy and reduce the risk of future losses.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP/YOI Forest Bank
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
A prisoner complained that some of his property was missing when he transferred from HMP Forest Bank to HMP Oakwood. Forest Bank told the prisoner that they had sent everything on. However, after IPCI had started our investigation, the property arrived at Oakwood. It took over five months for the property to reach the prisoner and Forest Bank did not provide clear communication about the delay. They should have tracked the property and given accurate information when concerns were initially raised.
Recommendations/outcome:
The property was delivered to the prisoner. We hold the view that this complaint should have been resolved by the prison without reference to IPCI.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Whitemoor
Complaint category:
Accommodation, food, education & other facilities
Month investigation completed:
January
Year investigation completed:
2026
The prisoner complained about the prison’s failure to provide him with extra fruit and milk when he was observing Hindu fasting.
Recommendations/outcome:
IPCI found that there had been confusion arising from the prisoner’s original application in which he had stipulated specific exotic fruits that were not available. Fruit and milk were eventually provided, and the prison gave assurance of improved communication between them and the Chaplaincy going forward to avoid similar difficulties in the future. Therefore, no recommendations were made.
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.
