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.
