Making a complaint to your prison

Usually, the first place you should try to make a complaint is your prison.

Important: before you make a complaint, read about how to get your complaint ready by using the link on the left side of this page – Collecting information and preparing a complaint.

Part 4.01 of the Deputy Commissioner’s Instructions talks about what should happen when someone in prison wants to make a complaint. Below are some of the important points.

Who can I make a complaint to?

You have the right to make a request or complaint to:

1. Your case worker
2. Your unit manager
3. The General Manager of your prison

Important: the General Manager of your prison must be available at reasonable times to get requests and complaints from people in prison, keep a record of requests and to take whatever action they think is necessary.

How do I make a complaint?

Complaints to your prison can be made in writing (a letter) or in person. It can be helpful to make a complaint in writing so that you have a hard copy of what you said and any response you get.

Important: make sure you keep a record of any complaints you make, and any response you get from prison staff.

Prison staff should make every effort to make sure you can make a complaint, including if:

• You cannot read or write
• English is not your first language
• You have an acquired brain injury or intellectual disability

What to include in a complaint

When making a complaint to someone working at the prison, make sure you let them know:

• What went wrong
• How the issue has impacted you
• What would make things right for you

Tip: it can help to think about these points and make some notes before you write your letter or have a conversation. This means you will be prepared and are more likely to say everything you want to say clearly.

What happens after I’ve made a complaint?

Complaints should be dealt with “promptly and effectively” (within 14 days).

For more complicated or sensitive complaints, the prison might send you a letter letting you know that the complaint has been received, and a proper response should be given within 28 days.

When the prison staff get your complaint, they should either resolve the issue or find out more information if they need it. According to the Deputy Commissioner’s Instructions, “all complaints should be managed with ‘clear, transparent and fair methods of resolution’”.

You should be told the outcome of your complaint, either in writing or in person.

What if I don’t get a response to my complaint, or I don’t like the response?

If you don’t get a response from the prison, or you are not happy with the response you got, you can make a complaint to an external complaint body.

Important: different external complaint bodies take complaints about different types of issues. It’s really important to make sure you choose the right one, otherwise you might have to start again.

Use the links on the left side of this page to learn more about the different types of complaints and which external complaint bodies apply.

Privacy

Complaints should be dealt with privately. Prison staff must think about confidentiality and privacy when dealing with complaints.

For more information on what you can do if your privacy wasn’t protected in a complaint, use the Complaints about personal information privacy link on the left side of this page.