Sue McAllister has been appointed as the Prisons and Probation
Ombudsman (PPO) from 15 October 2018 for 3 years.
PPO carries out independent investigations into deaths and
complaints in custody. PPO has 2 main duties:
- to investigate complaints made by prisoners, young people in
detention (prisons and secure training centres), offenders under
probation supervision and immigration detainees
- to investigate deaths of prisoners, young people in
detention, approved premises’ residents and immigration detainees
due to any cause, including any apparent suicides and natural
causes
The appointment and re-appointment of PPO is made by the
Secretary of State for Justice and are regulated by the
Commissioner for Public Appointments. This appointment has been
made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Brief biography
From 2012 to 2016, Mrs McAllister was the Director of Reducing
Offending and Prison Service Director General, Department of
Justice (DOJ), Northern Ireland. She has held senior policy roles
including Head of Public Sector Bids Unit at the National
Offender Management Service (NOMS), and operational management
roles in HM Prison Service and NOMS as Prison Governor, Head of
Security Group and Area Manager for the West Midlands.
Mrs McAllister also led an independent investigation into a
serious disturbance at an Immigration Removal Centre for the Home
Office, and was a member of an independent review into a
sensitive death in custody.
