No win, no fee prison law compensation
Be represented by a highly-experienced solicitor in prison law at no upfront cost to you. Under our No Win, No Fee agreement you only pay a pre-agreed percentage of the compensation awarded if your case is successful
Claims against the prison service
Our Civil Liberties solicitors have many years of experience of compensation claims against the prison service. These can include:
- Death in custody.
- Medical negligence.
- Delay in your release.
- An assault on you by another prisoner or prison officer.
- Restriction of family visits.
- Discrimination.
- Inhumane, degrading or torturous treatment.
We also represent bereaved families at all stages of Coroner’s Inquest proceedings arising out of deaths in prison.
Negligent treatment and deaths in prison
We regularly represent bereaved families following a death in prison, often this can be due to:
- A failure to provide adequate healthcare.
- Failure to protect a prisoner from suicide or self-harm.
- Failure to protect a prisoner from violence within a prison.
We also act in claims of clinical negligence, personal injury and breach of human rights as a result of:
- A refusal of access to treatment.
- A delay or failure in a prisoner being diagnosed with an illness or receiving treatment.
- Mistakes providing a prisoner with treatment.
We also act for prisoners in claims of discrimination, these may include:
- A failure to meet a prisoner’s personal care needs.
- Being treated unfairly because of age, disability, gender, race, religion or sexual orientation.
Our civil liberties solicitors are recognised as one of the leading teams in claims against the prison service and our work includes claims for compensation, and support for inquests and judicial reviews.
Making a claim against the prison service
Our team are experts in bringing civil compensation claims against all types of public authorities including H.M. Prison and Probation Service and The Ministry of Justice.
We believe all prisoners must have their legal rights upheld and have the right to be safe, to healthcare and to be free from bullying, harassment and discrimination.
We care about our clients and the work we do and will treat you with respect and compassion.
Our specialist team can assist in gathering information to review your case and advise on resolution.
There’s no financial risk to you in pursuing a claim, you won’t have to pay a penny (provided that you fully assist us with your claim), other than an agreed percentage of your damages. Legal aid assistance is available in some circumstances.
Damages for family of prisoner found hanged in cell as ‘inadequate care plan’ contributed to staff ‘complacency’ over threats to kill himself
The daughter of an Oxfordshire prisoner found hanged in his cell says lessons must be learned after successfully pursuing a civil case against the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Sarah-Jane Gray took legal action after learning how staff at HMP Bullingdon, in Bicester, became ‘complacent’ with regards to her father David’s repeated threats to take his […]
Ministry of Justice pays damages to son of prisoner found dead in cell after officers missed 18 observations despite him being classed a self-harm risk
Damages have been paid to the son of a prisoner who was found dead in his cell after prison staff missed 18 scheduled observations despite knowing he was a ‘self-harm risk’. Our client was found dead in his cell having taken his own life. However, at an inquest the Coroner concluded that a failure of […]
How to make a prison injury claim
Make a claim in five easy steps
Free Initial Advice
Call us, request a callback or complete our online claim form and we will assess whether we think you have a claim.
Funding
We will help you to decide how best to fund your claim. Usually, we will be able to offer you a No win, No fee agreement.
Letter of Claim
We will send a letter to your opponent with details of your claim, setting out why we think they are at fault.
Obtain Supporting Evidence & Expert Reports
We will request copies of any supporting documents for your claim and, if appropriate, instruct expert witnesses to provide an opinion in support of your case.
Negotiate Settlement
We will review your opponent’s response to our letter of claim and update you on the merits of your claim and any valuation before making any settlement offers.
Start your claim today
Feel free to give us a call or begin your claim online
Our client reviews
We’re always committed to getting the optimum outcome for you.
FAQs
Can I make a death in custody compensation claim?
Under article 2 of the Human Rights Act, everyone should be afforded the ‘right to life’ at all times – along with the right to be treated fairly, equally and with dignity.
This means every police forces, prisons and other detention centres are required to take reasonable steps to protect an individual if they know, or ought to know, that there is a real and immediate risk to their life.
Unfortunately, these safeguards are not always followed. More more information about making a claim can be found here: Deaths in Custody.
Why choose us for your prison compensation claim?
Here at Hudgell Solicitors, we are a Legal 500 ranked law firm, so if you believe a prison or prison authorities have been negligent you can rely on our experts to hold those responsible to account.
Having worked on countless cases involving actions against the prison and justice authorities, our lawyers are some of the most experienced in the country and boast a strong track record of achieving the best possible outcomes for our clients.
If you’d like to discuss how we would pursue a case on your behalf, please get in touch and talk to us in complete confidence.
What is the time limit for filing a prison compensation claim?
Timescales to make claims vary dependent upon the type of claim.
As a general rule, a damages claim pursued under the Human Rights Act will have a 12 months limitation period.
However, there are circumstances in civil liberties cases where time limits can be extended, so we’d advise calling a member of our team as soon as possible.
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Concerns rightly raised over training and increased risk to life amid rapid rise in police use of Taser guns
In our work, involving scrutinising the actions of police officers and forces in their dealings with the public, we are often posed with the question as to what constitutes a ‘reasonable’, ‘appropriate’ and ‘proportionate’ police response. A sharp increase in the use of Taser stun guns on members of the public suggests that police forces […]
Hudgell Solicitors comment on the Civil Justice Quarterly Statistics
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have now published the quarterly civil justice statistics covering July to September 2020. These latest stats show us that Civil Justice actions continue to remain below pre-Covid levels and in particular, County Court claims were down 47% on the same period in 2019 however this was driven by a 50% […]
Can I change my solicitor part way through a claim?
The simple answer is yes, you can. It is important that your solicitor has the relevant experience and expertise to deal with your claim, and that you feel confident they are working in your best interests at all times. When finding yourself in need of legal advice, you quite rightly expect an excellent service from […]
Get in touch
Feel free to give us a call or begin your claim online