Preferred candidate for Chief Inspector of Prisons announced
03 March 2010
The preferred candidate for the post of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales has been announced.
Nicholas Hardwick, currently the Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, has been selected as the preferred candidate to succeed Dame Anne Owers DBE as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.
Mr Hardwick was identified following a rigorous and open selection process, that took into account the Commissioner for Public Appointment's Code of Practice as best practice.
On 1 March 2010, Justice Secretary Jack Straw invited the Justice Committee to hold a pre-appointment hearing and report on Mr Hardwick's suitability for the post.
The Justice Secretary will consider the Justice Committee's views before making his final recommendation to Her Majesty.
Notes to editors
- HM Chief Inspector is a Crown appointment, and reports to the Justice Secretary on the treatment of prisoners and conditions in prisons in England and Wales. HM Chief Inspector also reports to the Home Secretary on conditions and treatment in all places of immigration detention in the United Kingdom.
- Nicholas Hardwick was appointed as the first Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission in December 2002. He was Chief Executive of the Refugee Council from 1995 to 2003, and worked as Chief Executive of Centrepoint from 1986 to 1995.
- Pre-appointment scrutiny hearings enable select committees to take evidence from candidates for certain key public appointments before they are appointed. Hearings are in public and involve the select committee publishing a report setting out their views on the candidate's suitability for the post. Pre-appointment hearings are non-binding but ministers will consider the committee's views before deciding whether to proceed with the appointment.
- The post of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales was established by the Criminal Justice Act 1982, amending the Prison Act 1952.
- For further information please contact the Ministry of Justice Press Office on 020 3334 3536.
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