Privacy policy

Who we are

The 'Send legal mail to prisons' service is managed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). Our personal information charter explains your rights and how we deal with your personal information.

MOJ is the data controller for the personal information we hold.

A data controller determines how and why personal data is processed. For more information, read the Cabinet Office‘s entry in the Data Protection Public Register.

What data we collect

We collect some of your personal data to help this service operate securely and efficiently. This data is limited to:

  • your name
  • your CJSM (Criminal Justice Secure Mail) email address
  • the name of the company or organisation your CJSM email is associated with
  • the address of this company or organisation
  • the name, prison number, date of birth, and prison of anyone you send mail to using this service

If you request support, your personal data may also include:

  • your email address or other contact details
  • information about yourself that you include as part of your questions, queries, or feedback

Cookies and analytics

We collect information on how you use this service using cookies and page tagging techniques (Google Analytics). This information does not contain any personal data and is only collected if you consent to this. You can find out how to give or remove consent on our Cookies page.

What we do with your personal data

Your personal data is used so that the service can:

  • confirm you meet the eligibility criteria for sending legal and confidential access mail
  • display relevant information to prison staff so they can process mail correctly
  • assist the prevention, detection, and investigation of crime or unlawful activity
  • respond to support requests if this is the best way to resolve an issue

Data is collected and processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018, and the lawful basis for processing is substantial public interest.

Who your data might be shared with

We may share your information with our staff so they can manage any legal mail sent through the service. Staff will only use your personal data in line with what we have set out in this privacy notice.

We sometimes need to share the personal information we process with other organisations. Where this is necessary, we will comply with all aspects of the data laws. The organisations we share your personal information with are:

We will not:

  • sell or rent your data to third parties
  • share your data with third parties for marketing purposes

Legal obligations

We may share your data or disclose information because of a law, regulation, or court order, and to protect our interests and legal rights.

Where your data is processed and stored

Data we collect is stored within the UK and Ireland. However, due to the global nature of the internet, data may transit through other countries outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) while going to and from the database. Data is not stored in a non-EEA country.

Feedback about the service may be stored outside of the EEA, where it could be viewed by our staff or suppliers. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this.

How long we keep your data

Data is kept in accordance with the HMPPS retention policy.

Protecting your personal data

Any personal data we collect will be protected using varying levels of encryption and only kept for the required duration.

Access to your personal data

You can find out if we hold personal data about you and ask for a copy of such data by making a 'subject access request'. To make a request, follow the guidance in the Ministry of Justice personal information charter .

If you want us to correct, stop using, or erase your personal data, or you want information about how your data is processed, you can contact the Data Protection Team.

Email

dataprotection@justice.gov.uk

Post

Data Protection Team
Ministry of Justice
5th Floor, Post Point 5.18
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ

Complaints

If you consider that your information has been handled incorrectly, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (opens in a new tab) for independent advice about data protection.

Email

casework@ico.org.uk

Telephone

0303 123 1113

Post

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Changes to this policy

We may change this privacy policy. In that case, the ‘last updated’ date at the bottom of this page will also change. Any changes to this privacy policy will apply to you and your data immediately.

We encourage you to review this privacy policy regularly to find out how we are protecting your data.

Last updated: 5 November 2024