Decision Report 201407699

Summary

Mr C complained to us about the prison's handling of his complaint about staff entering his cell and removing all items except his mattress and pillow. When Mr C made his initial complaint, the prison took steps to investigate what had happened. Following that, staff were reminded of the appropriate steps that should be taken when a prisoner makes threats about self-harm. However, the prison failed to identify that Mr C was only left with a mattress and pillow. Because of that, the governor incorrectly stated that he was left with all of his bedding items. This could have been avoided if steps had been taken to clarify exactly what bedding Mr C was left with. In addition, we reviewed the written replies that were issued to Mr C's in response to his complaints and we did not consider that the points he raised were addressed appropriately. Therefore, we concluded that the prison failed to deal with Mr C's complaints appropriately and we upheld his complaint to us.