Decision Report 201406077

Summary

Mr C complained that the prison unreasonably refused to allow him to have a matchstick model kit in use. He said a manager approved his request to purchase the kit and other prisoners had the same kit in use.

The prison is authorised in line with the prison rules to refuse to allow prisoners to have items of property in use that they consider to be a risk to the security or good order of the prison. In Mr C's case, the prison had concerns about the type of cutting tool supplied with the model kit. At the time of approving Mr C's request, the manager had been unaware of the type of cutting tool supplied with the kit. The prison also expressed concern about giving Mr C the kit without the cutting tool because they said there was a risk that an improvised cutting tool could be used. Therefore, the prison decided that Mr C could not have the kit in use. The prison also confirmed that other prisoners did not have the same kit in use. It was clear that the prison were authorised in line with prison rules to refuse to allow Mr C to have the model kit in use and because of that, we did not uphold his complaint.