Decision Report 201508396

Summary

Mr C complained that upon transferring from one prison to another, an item of his property went missing. He reported this to the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) but felt that they failed to appropriately investigate the matter. SPS noted that the item was not on Mr C's property card. Mr C did not see how this was possible, noting that he had been using the item in his cell for over three years.

SPS informed us that Mr C could have been using the item without it forming part of his formal property. They explained that prisoners often share or exchange items, or donate items to other prisoners prior to being liberated, and that these practices went on outwith the recognised property process. They acknowledged that the matter was investigated under their complaints process when it should have been considered in line with their claim process. Nonetheless, they were satisfied that the matter had been appropriately investigated.

We considered that the evidence demonstrated that the SPS thoroughly investigated the whereabouts of the missing item. While we noted that the recognised lost property claim process was not utilised, we were satisfied that the issues raised were thoroughly explored. We did not uphold the complaint.