Two new panel members appointed to the IAPDC

The Secretary of State for Justice has appointed Pauline McCabe OBE and Dr Jake Hard as panel members from July 2023 to July 2026.

Pauline is an international criminal justice advisor and has delivered projects in policing and prison reform, oversight and monitoring mechanisms, and death in custody investigations on behalf of UNICEF, Penal Reform International, the Department for International Development, and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institution in Europe and Central Asia.

She previously investigated deaths, complaints, and serious incidents as the Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland and is currently a visiting Professor at the University of Ulster. Pauline was awarded an OBE for services to prisoners’ welfare. Speaking about her appointment, she said:

I am delighted to have been appointed as an independent panel member of the IAPDC. As a former prisoner ombudsman, I have seen first hand the tragedy of lives cut short by avoidable deaths in detention, and the heartache experienced by the bereaved families. I am, therefore, grateful to be given the opportunity to use my experience to contribute to the important work of the IAPDC. I look forward very much to working  with other members, Ministers and the many other stakeholders who inform the work of the Panel. 

Dr Hard is a GP with over 16 years’ experience of working in prison and is the Clinical Director in HMP Cardiff. He was the Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Secure Environments Group from 2016 to 2022 and has published work with the IAPDC. He is also the Clinical Lead for the NHSE Health and Justice Information Service. Speaking on his new appointment, he said:

Over many years, I have been aware of the important work of the IAPDC and I am honoured to have been selected to be a Panel member. Within this role, I look forward to building on the previous work of the panel and contributing my clinical knowledge and expertise in order to assist the new Chair, Lynn Emslie, in identifying further areas for further development and preventing deaths in custody for those experiencing detention or residing in secure settings.