Interim appointment of Sue McAllister as HM Chief Inspector of Probation
The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor has announced the interim appointment of Sue McAllister as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation.
The Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor, Rt Hon. Alex Chalk KC MP, has announced the appointment of Sue McAllister as the interim Chief Inspector of Probation (HMCI Probation). This interim appointment will commence on 1 October 2023 and end on 1 March 2024 or when a substantive post holder is appointed, whichever is earlier.
The recruitment of HMCI Probation is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and this interim appointment has been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) is the independent inspector of probation and youth offending services in England and Wales. The Inspectorate offers independent scrutiny of the quality of work undertaken with individual offenders to seek to improve outcomes for individuals and communities.
Biography
From 2018 to 2022, Sue McAllister was Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO). During that time, Mrs McAllister led two independent investigations into deaths of babies in custody. The PPO’s report on the death of Baby A at HMP Bronzefield was published in September 2021, and the report on the death of Baby B at HMP Styal was published in January 2022..
Prior to becoming PPO, Mrs McAllister was the Director of Reducing Offending and Prison Service Director General, Department of Justice (DOJ), Northern Ireland. She has held senior policy roles including Head of Public Sector Bids Unit at the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), and operational management roles in HM Prison Service as Prison Governor, Head of Security Group and Area Manager for the West Midlands.
Mrs McAllister also led an independent investigation into a serious disturbance at an Immigration Removal Centre for the Home Office and was a member of an independent review into a sensitive death in custody.