The Office of the Prisoner Ombudsman investigates:
• Complaints from prisoners that are or were held in Northern Ireland
• Complaints from Visitors to prisoners held in Northern Ireland
• Deaths in Prison Service custody in Northern Ireland
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The Prisoner Ombudsman is appointed by the Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland and is completely independent of the Northern Ireland Prison Service. The term of appointment of the previous Ombudsman, Lesley Carroll, ended on 29 February 2024
On 25 March 2024 Jacqui Durkin, Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, was appointed Interim Prisoner Ombudsman while the process for a new appointment for a substantive Prisoner Ombudsman is undertaken.