Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Elmley
Complaint category:
Work, pay & money
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained that money he had been sent was wrongly withheld and disposed of by staff. The IPCI investigation established that the prisons local policies did not reflect the guidance in paragraph 14 of the finance manual about the provisions of returning cash to a sender, prior to donating to NACRO.
Recommendations/outcome:
We asked the Governor to return the cash to the senders and revise their local policy to accurately reflect the provisions of paragraph 14.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Deerbolt
Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained about excessive force being used in a restraint. The IPCI investigation included a review of video footage which did not provide evidence to support the allegation. We determined, however, that the prison had failed to facilitate the prisoner contacting the police, despite the prison having a relevant process in line with the police referral agreement.
Recommendations/outcome:
We asked the Governor to remind staff of their responsibility to do this and provide evidence to us of how they have done this.
Upheld complaint against the Director of HMP Styal
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained that when she transferred from HMP Styal to HMP Drake Hall her property did not all arrive. She was not given the opportunity to pack her property before she left, and the prison did not do a cell clearance form when they cleared her cell. After IPCI’s involvement, the prisoner’s property was located, arriving at her new location two months later.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prisoner has been reunited with her missing property. We highlighted the errors in this case to the Director and asked them to review the cell clearance processes. We also let the prison know that that we did not think they had investigated this complaint effectively. We hold the view that this complaint should have been resolved by the prison without reference to IPCI.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Thameside
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained that he had not received his stored property from HMP Thameside more than four months after his transfer to another establishment. This was contrary to the Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework. The IPCI investigation found the prisoner’s property had not been sent on within the timescales required by the policy framework and the reasons for the delay were not considered to be exceptional.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prison apologised for the delay. The property has now been sent to the prisoner and staff have implemented new processes to prevent such delays occurring in the future.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP Swaleside
Complaint category:
Staff behaviour
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained that staff had used PAVA against him on two occasions and that it was an unnecessary use of force. The IPCI investigation found on each occasion, staff were (on the balance of probabilities) justified in using PAVA, however we identified a number of concerns, including issues with the retention of CCTV and body worn video camera (BWVC) footage, completion of paperwork and governance and oversight around the use of force and PAVA.
Recommendations/outcome:
We made a number of formal recommendations to the Governor. These included a letter of apology, an overview of the issues regarding CCTV footage, ensuring all staff are aware when they should activate BWVCs, a review of the governance arrangements regarding the use of PAVA and the good governance toolkit, and quality assurance processes for use of force statements made by staff and complaint responses.
Upheld complaint against the Governor of HMP The Mount
Complaint category:
Equalities
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained about not being able to access weekly prayers.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prison has confirmed to IPCI that they are actively working towards facilitating weekly prayers by making different use of the space available in order to accommodate the number of prisoners who wish to attend. We will monitor this.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor at HMP Belmarsh
Complaint category:
Work, pay & money
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained he had not received a refund for the confiscated canteen he purchased for another prisoner. Whilst the IPCI investigation concluded the canteen had been appropriately confiscated, we were concerned that the prison could not provide an audit trail for the canteen once it had been confiscated.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prisoner was eventually refunded, and we drew the Governor’s attention to the errors in processing the confiscated canteen. We hold the view that this complaint should clearly have been resolved by the prison without reference to IPCI.
Upheld complaint against the Governor at HMP The Mount
Complaint category:
Accommodation, food, education & other facilities
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner was unhappy with the lack of contact he was getting with his Keyworker. In response to the IPCI investigation, the prison acknowledged this issue and attributed it to staffing pressures.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prison confirmed their intentions to address this at the earliest opportunity and had a clear plan to do so.
Partially upheld complaint against the Governor at HMP Ford
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained that after a transfer to HMP Ford his passport and driving licence could not be located. Whilst the prison initially maintained the passport had not been sent on by the previous prison, following requests by IPCI, it transpired the passport had arrived but had been incorrectly placed in his core file, rather than in his stored valuables.
Recommendations/outcome:
The prison resolved the situation and placed both items into his stored valuables. 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 Lowdham Grange
Complaint category:
Property
Month investigation completed:
February
Year investigation completed:
2025
A prisoner complained that his Xbox and DVD player had been damaged as a result of the prisons use of cleaning products. The prisoner was initially told he could have replacement items sent in by his family, which would be swapped with the damaged items. Due to a change in prison policy concerning parcels sent in by friends and family however, the parcel was not accepted by the prison upon its arrival. The IPCI investigation also noted delays in responding to the prisoner’s complaint.
Recommendations/outcome:
In recognition of the damage caused to his property the prisoner was offered compensation. We flagged the late response to the prison and will be monitoring any ongoing concerns at the prison.
