Prisons careless of prisoners’ property

Findings

The PPO crew undertook an in-depth evaluation of 713 property complaints within the 5 years between April 2019 and March 2024. Clothes was essentially the most commoncategory of property complainants mentioned to have gone lacking, representing greater than half (53%) these circumstances of lacking property. Electrical gadgets have been talked about in 38% ofanalysed circumstances and footwear in 22%.

Transfers

When the PPO might decide the place the property went lacking, it was discovered that 40% of the complaints concerned transfers and 89% of those concerned a prison-to-prison switch. Maybe unsurprisingly, the Ombudsman additionally discovered that particular person institutions various significantly in how environment friendly they have been at taking care of prisoners’ possessions.

Dropping your private possessions  will be traumatic for individuals in jail. Judging by the case examine I’ve reproduced beneath, the rationale can usually be easy disinterest on the a part of jail employees:

Mr A submitted a grievance in February 2024 that a few of his property didn’t arrive at his present jail following his switch in November 2023. The present jail despatched the grievance to the earlier jail to reply. The earlier jail confirmed that they delivered the property to the present jail in December and that  that they had no additional property. They recommended that this was a matter for the present jail’s reception division.

Mr A submitted his grievance to the PPO and mentioned that each prisons have been saying they didn’t have his property. Mr A requested for his property to be returned or to be paid compensation.

The earlier jail offered a full audit path, together with the signed receipt, to indicate the property had arrived at Mr A’s present jail.

The PPO’s investigation discovered that Mr A’s property had been at his present jail for round two months on the time he complained. Nonetheless, as an alternative of telling Mr A the property had arrived and taking him to reception to test the property, the complaints have been all despatched to the earlier jail.

Because of the PPO’s involvement, Mr A was lastly taken to reception to test his property and have the property issued. This was eight months after the property had arrived, and 6 months since Mr A had raised a grievance.

Conclusion

The Ombudsman makes the paint that the Prisoners’ Property Coverage Framework issued in September 2022 has not resulted in a discount of property complaints to the PPO and must be correctly applied:

“Extra must be finished to make sure property is dealt with effectively, successfully and with respect to scale back tensions between employees and prisoners, in addition to enhance prisoners’ wellbeing”.

Because of Andy Aitchison for variety permission to make use of the header picture on this publish. You possibly can see Andy’s work right here