Who we are

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
Wendy Sinclair-Gieben

Educated in Scotland, Wendy’s career has been built on a background in Criminology, Education and Healthcare management, holding both a Bachelor in Education from the University of the West of England and from Cambridge University a Master’s degree in Criminology and Management.

Her global career has spanned teaching, working in the criminal justice sector, immigration detention and healthcare management, in Australia, the Northern Territories of Canada and the United Kingdom.

Wendy started her career as a teacher working with children with special needs in the North West Territories of Canada. She learned to appreciate the complex elements that can lead to social marginalisation or exclusion and the need for them to be recognised and addressed. In 1998 she transferred to working in prisons and throughout her prison career in the UK and Australian prison services; she has won awards and recognition for her work in rehabilitation and reintegration; in particular the prestigious Lord Justice Woolf award for Resettlement in the UK and the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA) award for Operator and Service Provider Excellence in Perth, Australia. She was recognised by the IPA as an important pathfinder in how governments can drive much better public services, at much better value for money.

She enjoys working at the extremes of social exclusion and maintains that working in a prison is immensely rewarding and that there was, until taking up this post, no other job with comparable satisfaction.

Wendy was appointed to the post of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland in July 2018.

HM Chief Inspector is appointed by the Scottish Ministers as the appointing authority for the Crown and reports directly to the Cabinet secretary for Justice on conditions for and treatment of prisoners in Scotland. HM Chief Inspector also has a statutory responsibility to inspect and report on conditions in which prisoners and custodies are transported or held in pursuance of prisoner escort arrangements.

THE HMIPS TEAM

  • Stephen Sandham, Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons
  • Calum McCarthy, Inspector of Prisons
  • Jacqueline Clinton, Thematic Lead Inspector
  • Kerry Love, Business Manager/Inspector
  • Graeme Neill, Operations Manager/Inspector
  • Dr. Liz Ravalde, Senior Researcher
  • Chelsea Keenan, NPM Co-ordinator, Scotland 
  • Dorothy Halliday, Personal Assistant and Business Support
  • Chris Collins, Prison Monitoring Co-ordinator for HMPs Greenock, Dumfries, Low Moss and Kilmarnock
  • Chris Johnston, Prison Monitoring Co-ordinator for HMPs Glenochil, Grampian, Inverness, Perth and Castle Huntly
  • ​Ewan Mackenzie, Prison Monitoring Co-ordinator for HMPs Edinburgh, Addiewell and Polmont
  • Vicky Dunlop, Prison Monitoring Co-ordinator for HMPs Barlinnie, Shotts and Cornton Vale
  • Currently vacant, Business Support for Monitoring
  • Shea Murray, Administrative Assistant