Types of complaint issues and where to complain

There are different types of complaint issues.

It’s important to understand what type of complaint issue you have, so you know who to complain to. The main types of complaint issues are about:

Breach of a person’s rights in prison (for more information on what your rights are in prison, click here)
A decision, act or order by the prison
Healthcare
Mental health care
Personal information privacy
Health information privacy
Discrimination
Sexual harassment
Vilification
Victimisation
Issues with your lawyer

Use the below table to:

Find your type of complaint issue; and
See who you should complain to.

Then use the links on the left side of the page to find more information on how to make each type of complaint.

Complaint issue	Examples	Internal (prison)	External complaint
Breach of your rights in prison (For more information on your rights, click here.)	– Prison staff refusing to give you the food you need for your religion or if you’re vegetarian – Prison staff not letting you outside for at least one hour a day – Prison staff not letting you have at least one 30-minute visit a week – Prison staff looking at your exempt mail when they shouldn’t be – Prison staff refusing to let you get healthcare	Unit Manager General Manager	Victorian Ombudsman
A decision, act, or order made by the prison or prison staff	– Not getting a fair disciplinary (Governor’s) hearing – Being put in management and high security or having privileges taken away unfairly – Being assaulted by a prison officer – Being refused leave to go to a funeral or appointment	Unit Manager General Manager	Victorian Ombudsman
Healthcare	– Medical staff at the prison not giving you treatment you need – Medical staff at the prison not allowing you medication that you need – Medical staff at the prison not treating you with respect and care – Medical staff at the prison not explaining treatment options to you properly or listening to your concerns	Health Services Manager General Manager	Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC) Victorian Ombudsman
Mental health care	– A psychiatrist or counsellor working at the prison not treating you with respect and care – A psychiatrist working at the prison not allowing you to have medication that you need – A psychiatrist or counsellor working at the prison not being mindful of your trauma when they work with you	Health Services Manager General Manager	Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission (MHWC)
Personal information privacy	– Prison staff looking at or sharing your personal information without your permission or a good reason – The prison collecting personal information about you that is not relevant, or beyond what their purposes are – The prison having inaccurate personal information about you	Privacy Contact Officer General Manager	Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC)
Health information privacy	– Prison or healthcare staff sharing your health information with other people without your permission – Prison staff looking at your health information without a good reason – Prison or healthcare staff asking for health information from your doctor in the community without your consent	Health Services Manager General Manager	Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC)
Discrimination	– Prison staff treating you badly or differently because of your gender or sexuality – Prison staff treating you badly or differently because of your political or religious beliefs – Prison staff making fun of you because of your disability – Prison staff refusing to give you food that you need for your diabetes	Unit Manager General Manager	Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)
Sexual harassment	– Prison staff making unwelcome sexual comments to you – Prison staff asking for sexual favours from you – Prison staff touching you in a sexual way without your consent	Unit Manager General Manager	Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)
Vilification	– Prison staff or other people in prison encouraging people to be violent towards you because of your race or religion	Unit Manager General Manager	Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)
Victimisation	– Prison staff or other people in prison threatening you when they find out you’ve made a complaint about vilification or discrimination	Unit Manager General Manager	Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)
Issues with your lawyer	– Your lawyer is not communicating with you – Your lawyer has done something in your case without your permission – Your lawyer has charged you too much money	N/A	Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner

Types of complaint issues and where to complain

CONTENTS