The Deputy Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor has approved the
appointment of Wendy Sinclair-Gieben as Chair of the Independent
Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody for a period of 3 years from
1 May 2026.
Established in 2009, the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in
Custody (IAPDC) forms part of the Ministerial Council on Deaths
in Custody in England and Wales. This appointment is made by the
Secretary of State for Justice in consultation with the
Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office, who
co-sponsor and co-fund the IAPDC.
Appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public
Appointments and recruitment processes comply with the Governance
Code on Public Appointments.
Biography
Ms Sinclair-Gieben brings significant expertise in inspections
and rights-based oversight of detention, with an extensive career
spanning a range of custody settings and jurisdictions.
As HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland for six years, she
oversaw national inspections of prisons and court custody,
championing a focus on safety, dignity and welfare. She also led
the independent
review of the response to deaths in prison custody for the
Scottish Government.
From 2022-2024, she was Chair of the National Preventive
Mechanism (NPM) and she was also a member of the Advisory Group
for the 2025 Independent Review of Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAI)
into deaths in police and prison custody in Scotland.
Alongside her inspection and oversight work, Ms Sinclair-Gieben
has held senior leadership roles including as a prison governor
in England and Wales and later as a prison director with Serco,
leading facilities in Scotland, England and Australia as well as
working in Immigration and Court Escorts. She has also served as
a non‑executive director for the National Organisation for Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (NOFASD) and is currently on
the Board of families Outside. In addition, she is a member of
the Scottish Association for the Study of Offending.
