ABSTRACT
A relatively ‘new’ officeholder, the Prisons Ombudsman was set up in 1994, after the Woolf Report. The term ‘Ombudsman’ translates from its Scandinavian origin into ‘grievance man’ or in plain English to complaints body. The first ever Prisons Ombudsman is Sir Peter Woodhead. It is he who is charged with the task of receiving and investigating complaints on the Prison Service and making, non-binding, recommendations to the Home Secretary. Complaints to this new grievance mechanism cover various matters from prison food to issues of prison categorisation and visiting issues. Outside the remit of this ombudsman are complaints about conviction or sentences.
