New Hampshire runs one of the more streamlined grievance systems in New England. Three levels, one form at the top two, and a 30-calendar-day timeline running through every step from Level 2 onward. But there is a specific procedural trap built into the system that ends grievances before they get started: you cannot file a Level 2 grievance unless you first filed a Level 1 request slip.
That sequence is mandatory. A grievance sent directly to the Warden without going through the request slip process will be returned without action -- and the time you spent waiting for a response you were never going to get will not toll your deadlines.
New Hampshire's grievance procedure is governed by Policy and Procedure Directive Number 1.16 (PPD 1.16), Grievances and Complaints by Persons Under DOC Supervision. The policy covers all NHDOC facilities: the New Hampshire State Prison for Men (Concord), the New Hampshire State Prison for Women (Goffstown), the Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility (Berlin), Community Corrections Transitional Housing Units, the Transitional Work Center, and the Secure Psychiatric Unit/Residential Treatment Unit (SPU/RTU). It also covers DOC inmates who have been transferred to county, federal, or out-of-state facilities, and persons on parole or probation under Field Services supervision.
Why the Process Matters: The PLRA
The Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995, 42 U.S.C. section 1997e(a), requires you to exhaust all available administrative remedies before a federal court will hear a lawsuit about prison conditions. In New Hampshire, exhaustion means completing all three levels through the Commissioner's final response. Stopping after the Warden's response does not exhaust remedies.
The Supreme Court in Woodford v. Ngo (2006) held that proper exhaustion requires following all procedural rules, including the mandatory sequencing from Request Slip to Warden's Grievance to Commissioner's Grievance. Bypassing the request slip process fails the exhaustion requirement regardless of whether the underlying claim has merit.
Timeframes Are Mandatory
PPD 1.16 states this explicitly: the timeframes set out in this policy are mandatory. Prompt notice of complaints or issues is necessary to allow the Department to address issues in a meaningful way and to prevent problems from occurring. Failure to comply with the timeframes will result in a request or grievance being dismissed as untimely. Inmates should be aware that failure to comply with these timeframes might also impact the right to pursue other legal remedies.
What You Can Grieve
Issues concerning any condition of confinement can be grieved by any person under DOC supervision, including:
Discipline imposed under the disciplinary system.
Allegations of mistreatment or abuse.
Violations of any statute, PPD, rule, regulation, or posted policy.
Requests for assistance or services, or requests to reconsider any matter in which you believe you were improperly or unfairly treated.
New Hampshire's grievance policy does not list exclusions in the same categorical way as some states. The system is broadly accessible to all conditions of confinement.
Level 1: Inmate Request Slip
The first level is the Inmate Request Slip (attachment 1 to PPD 1.16). This is not the formal grievance -- it is the required first step. You must attempt to resolve the matter through the request slip process before you can file a formal grievance.
Filing deadline: Within **30 calendar days** of the date on which the event occurred. The date the request is received by staff will be stamped and initialed and is the controlling factor for timeliness -- not the date you wrote it.
Content: The request slip must contain sufficient detail to allow for investigation, including your name, the date of the occurrence, the names of staff involved, names of witnesses, the nature of the complaint or request, and what relief or action you are requesting. The request slip must refer to a single event, incident, or subject matter.
Who to address it to: Direct the request slip to the lowest level staff person with the authority to address the issue raised. This may be a Correctional Officer, unit staff, or Unit Manager/Captain. Do not send it directly to the Warden or Commissioner unless you are asking them to address something that lower-level staff cannot. Request slips addressed to the Warden or Commissioner, or that do not specify an addressee, will be given to the Unit Manager/Captain.
How it is handled: The receiving staff member will immediately determine the nature of the complaint and decide if it is within their authority to act. If not, it is forwarded up the chain of command to the Unit Manager/Captain. Any staff member between the recipient and the Unit Manager/Captain who is authorized to deal with the issue can and should do so.
Response deadline: **15 working days.** If the investigation requires more time, an extension of an additional 15 working days is available. You must be notified before the end of the initial 15-day period if an extension is being taken.
Valid responses include: granting the request, denying the request, or referring you to the person or department that can grant or deny the relief requested. If the issue exceeds unit-level authority, you will be told that and advised to appeal through the Level 2 grievance process.
Waiver of Level 1: The request slip process may be waived when you can demonstrate that using it is likely to result in identifiable risk of harm to your physical safety or psychological well-being. An unsupported allegation of fear of retaliation without more information is not sufficient. If you seek a waiver, it must be requested within the 30-day period for filing the initial request slip and addressed to the Warden (or Director if in SPU/RTU, Director of Field Services if a parolee/probationer, Director of Community Corrections if in Transitional Housing). If the waiver is denied, you have five days from the denial to comply with the request slip requirements.
Level 2: Grievance Form to Warden/Director
The second level is the formal Grievance Form (attachment 3 to PPD 1.16). This is the same carbonless triplicate form used at Level 3.
Filing deadline: Within **30 calendar days** from the date of the response to your request slip.
Who to direct it to: The Warden of the facility where you are currently housed. (If in SPU/RTU: Director in charge of SPU/RTU. If in Transitional Housing Units/Transitional Work Center: Director of Community Corrections. If a parolee/probationer: Director of Field Services.)
What to include: Sufficient detail for investigation, including your name, date of occurrence, staff involved, names of witnesses, nature of the complaint, and what relief you are requesting. You must demonstrate that the request slip process was utilized, or that a waiver was obtained. A copy of the Level 1 response should be attached. Attempts to bypass the request slip system will be returned without action and will not count toward any time requirements.
One grievance per appeal: A separate grievance must be filed regarding each request slip response that you wish to appeal.
Response deadline: **30 calendar days** from the date the grievance is received by the Warden/Director. May be extended by 15 additional calendar days with advance notice to you.
If you are not satisfied: proceed to Level 3 within 30 calendar days of receiving the Warden's response.
Level 3: Grievance to Commissioner (Final)
The third and final level is the same Grievance Form directed to the Commissioner's Office.
Filing deadline: Within **30 calendar days** of the date of the response by the Warden/Director.
What to include: Sufficient detail, the same information required at Level 2. You must demonstrate that you previously utilized the request slip process at unit level and filed a grievance with the Warden/Director. A separate appeal grievance must be filed for each Warden/Director response you wish to appeal.
How it is reviewed: The Commissioner's designee reviews the grievance, directs any necessary investigation, and responds.
Response deadline: **30 calendar days** from the date the grievance is received by the Commissioner's Office. May be extended by **30 additional calendar days** with advance notice to you.
The Commissioner's decision is **final**. Once the Commissioner's designee responds, your administrative remedies are exhausted and you may proceed in federal court.
Deadlines at a Glance
Level 1 -- Request Slip:
File within 30 calendar days of the event
Staff response within 15 working days (extendable by 15 working days with prior notice)
Level 2 -- Warden/Director Grievance:
File within 30 calendar days of Level 1 response
Warden responds within 30 calendar days (extendable by 15 calendar days with prior notice)
Level 3 -- Commissioner Grievance (FINAL):
File within 30 calendar days of Warden/Director response
Commissioner responds within 30 calendar days (extendable by 30 calendar days with prior notice)
What to Put in Your Grievance
At Level 1: state the specific complaint, the date, the staff involved, witnesses, and what you want done. Direct it to the right person. One issue per request slip.
At Level 2: explain what happened at Level 1 and why the response was insufficient or incorrect. Attach the Level 1 response. State the remedy you are seeking.
At Level 3: explain why you are appealing the Warden's response. Attach all prior documentation. The Commissioner's designee reviews the full record.
Forms: Use the required forms. Carbonless triplicate forms must be used at Levels 2 and 3 (white copy for offender records, yellow copy retained by staff, pink copy returned to you). Any grievance not submitted on the proper triplicate form will be returned unanswered with a blank copy of the form.
Families: families cannot file a request or grievance on behalf of an incarcerated person. Family members may contact Disability Rights Center -- NH or New Hampshire Legal Assistance for information about disability-related rights or legal assistance. After the Commissioner's decision, families can consult the ACLU of New Hampshire about next steps.
Extension and Waiver Provisions
Extensions are available at all levels for valid reasons, meaning situations not caused by you that prevented you from submitting within the timeframe. Valid reasons include:
An extended period of time in transit during which you were separated from documents needed for preparation.
An extended period of time during which you were physically unable to write a grievance or appeal.
An unsupported general claim of delay is not sufficient. State the specific reason for any extension request within the grievance itself.
Abuse of the Grievance System
If three request slips within a six-month period are determined to be baseless, your cumulative use of the request slip and grievance system is considered abusive. Disciplinary action under PPD 5.25 may follow. In addition, if a request contains information that could not reasonably have been believed to be true, disciplinary action may be imposed for that single request.
Reprisal protection: Inmates/residents will not be treated adversely because they use the request slip and grievance system. However, unfounded claims filed in bad faith expose you to disciplinary action.
Confidentiality: A request or grievance shall be transmitted without alteration, interference, or delay to the addressee.
New Hampshire's Federal Prison: FCI Berlin
New Hampshire has one BOP federal prison: **FCI Berlin** (Federal Correctional Institution, Berlin), located in Berlin, Coos County, northern New Hampshire -- approximately 115 miles north of Concord and 95 miles northwest of Portland, Maine.
FCI Berlin is a medium-security facility for male inmates with an adjacent satellite prison camp for minimum-security male offenders. It was built to hold approximately 1,152 medium-security and 128 minimum-security inmates and officially opened in October 2012, making it one of the newest federal prisons in the system. Warden is R. Luna.
If you are at FCI Berlin, the NHDOC process described in this article does not apply to you. Federal inmates use the BOP Administrative Remedy Program under 28 CFR Part 542, running from BP-8 through BP-11. See the InmateAid federal grievance article for the complete BOP process.
Inmates Transferred to Other Facilities
If you are a NHDOC inmate housed at a county, federal, or out-of-state facility:
File complaints about issues within that facility through the facility's own grievance process -- problems that can be corrected where you are housed should be addressed there.
For complaints about the NHDOC system, issues that arose while you were at a NHDOC facility, or issues that cannot be addressed where you are housed: file a Level 1 request slip to the lowest-level NHDOC staff person with authority to address the issue, then appeal to the Commissioner directly (the Warden level is skipped when you are not housed in a NHDOC facility). That grievance to the Commissioner must be sent within 30 days from the date of the response to the request slip. If the complaint relates to rules or procedures that cannot be addressed at the local level, you may send the complaint directly to the Office of the Commissioner within 30 days from the date the issue arose.
After Exhaustion: Where to Go Next
Disability Rights Center -- New Hampshire (DRC-NH): drcnh.org; (603) 228-0432; toll-free (800) 834-1721; 64 North Main Street, Suite 2, Third Floor, Concord, NH 03301. New Hampshire's federally designated protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities. Has federal authority to investigate cases of probable abuse or neglect in state facilities. Active on NHDOC issues as of May 2026.
ACLU of New Hampshire: aclu-nh.org. Works on civil rights and prisoners' rights in New Hampshire, including monitoring conditions at NHDOC facilities and FCI Berlin.
New Hampshire Legal Assistance: nhlegalaid.org; (603) 224-3333. Free civil legal services for qualifying low-income Granite Staters.
County Jails in New Hampshire
New Hampshire county jails are operated by county sheriffs and are separate from NHDOC. PPD 1.16 applies to NHDOC facilities and covered individuals. County jails maintain their own grievance procedures. The PLRA requires you to exhaust whatever process exists at your county facility before filing in federal court.
Special Circumstances
Parolees and probationers: the Level 1 request slip process is used by parolees and probationers, but directed to the Director of Field Services rather than unit staff. The second level is also a grievance to the Director of Field Services. Probationers/parolees follow the same three-tier framework.
SPU/RTU: the Secure Psychiatric Unit/Residential Treatment Unit uses Resident Request Slips (attachment 2 to PPD 1.16) rather than Inmate Request Slips, but the same tiered structure and deadlines apply.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to file the request slip even if I know the issue can only be resolved at a higher level?
Yes. The request slip process is mandatory unless you obtain a waiver. Even if you know the Unit Manager cannot resolve the issue, you must first file the request slip and receive a response (or be told the issue exceeds unit-level authority) before you can file the Level 2 grievance. The only exception is if you can demonstrate that filing the request slip would create identifiable risk of harm to your physical safety or psychological well-being and you obtain a waiver within the 30-day period.
What happens if the Warden does not respond within 30 days?
PPD 1.16 states that timeframes are mandatory. If no response is received and the time period has passed, you should file the Level 3 grievance to the Commissioner within 30 calendar days of when the response was due. Document that no response was received. The Commissioner's Office handles the appeal. Do not wait indefinitely for an overdue response -- your Level 3 filing window runs from the date of the response or the date the response was due.
What is the difference between the request slip and the grievance form?
The request slip (Inmate Request Slip) is the Level 1 form used to address issues with unit staff. It is an informal dispute resolution tool, not the formal grievance. The formal Grievance Form is used at Levels 2 and 3 and is a carbonless triplicate form. The same Grievance Form is used at both the Warden and Commissioner levels -- the form has separate sections for the Director (Warden) action and the Commissioner's action.
Can I submit a grievance on behalf of another inmate?
No. PPD 1.16 states that an inmate/resident shall not use the request or grievance process to submit a request or appeal on behalf of another inmate/resident.
What if I am transferred to another facility mid-grievance?
If you are transferred to a county, federal, or out-of-state facility while a NHDOC grievance is pending, contact the grievance officer or equivalent at your receiving facility and continue the NHDOC grievance process by mail. Complaints about events that occurred while you were at a NHDOC facility must be addressed under the timeframe and three-tier system in PPD 1.16. Complaints about issues that cannot be addressed at the facility where housed should be submitted directly to the Commissioner per the procedures for transferred inmates described above. --- INTERNAL LINKS TO PLACE: 1. New Hampshire inmate search (InmateAid New Hampshire page) 2. Family rights and advocacy in New Hampshire (FRA series NH article) 3. How the New Hampshire prison disciplinary process works (if spoke exists) 4. How Prison Works hub 5. Staying Connected hub --- SPEC NOTE / SOURCING (strip before publish): - Voice: formerly incarcerated narrator written TO the incarcerated person; family guidance woven in. No em dashes. No smart quotes. No double hyphens. Plain text. - Meta title char count: 57 (under 60). Meta description char count: 156 (in 150-160 range). All 4 FAQ headings under 60 chars, verified. - Defining hooks for New Hampshire: (1) MANDATORY SEQUENCING: request slip MUST precede formal grievance; bypassing = returned without action; most explicit mandatory-sequencing rule in series so far; (2) SAME FORM at Levels 2 and 3: single carbonless triplicate Grievance Form with built-in sections for Warden action and Commissioner action -- submitted upward on the same form; (3) TIMEFRAMES MANDATORY with explicit stated consequence: failure = dismissal as untimely; may impact other legal remedies; language is unusually direct; (4) 30-CALENDAR-DAY WINDOWS throughout: all substantive filing windows are 30 calendar days; consistent structure (unlike many states that use working days); (5) ABUSE THRESHOLD: three baseless requests in six-month period = deemed abusive; exact threshold stated unlike most states that say "excessive"; (6) WAIVER OF LEVEL 1 AVAILABLE: but requires identifiable risk of harm (physical safety or psychological well-being); unsupported retaliation claim insufficient; waiver must be filed within 30-day period; if denied, 5 days to comply; (7) SEPARATE GRIEVANCE FOR EACH APPEAL: one grievance per request slip response; cannot combine multiple complaints into single grievance; (8) TRANSFERRED INMATES: specific procedure for NHDOC inmates at county/federal/out-of-state facilities; Commissioner-level filing available directly in some circumstances; (9) FCI BERLIN: medium-security BOP federal prison in Berlin NH (Coos County); opened 2012; ~1,152 medium + ~128 minimum capacity; one of the newest federal prisons; Warden R. Luna; important because Berlin also has the NNHCF (state facility) -- two prisons in same small city; (10) EXTENSION AT COMMISSIONER LEVEL: 30 additional calendar days (twice the 15-day extension at Warden level); (11) PROBATIONERS/PAROLEES: covered under same PPD 1.16; Level 1 to Director of Field Services; (12) SPU/RTU: Resident Request Slips used (attachment 2); same tiered structure; (13) PINK COPY TO INMATE: specifically called out; carbonless triplicate forms; any grievance not on proper form returned unanswered with blank copy. - SOURCES: NH DOC Policy and Procedure Directive Number 1.16, Grievances and Complaints by Persons Under DOC Supervision (effective May 1, 2012; Michigan Law Policy Clearinghouse; full text fetched): Purpose (provide administrative process for formal review); Applicability (all inmates/residents/former inmates/staff); Policy III.A (all references to Prison = NHSP Men, NHSP Women, NNHCF, Community Corrections THU and TWC; also SPU/RTU, Field Services, transferred inmates); III.B (grieving = both request slip and grievance form requirements); III.C (rights respected); III.D (access to courts; adverse treatment prohibited; disciplinary for untrue requests; cumulative abuse = three baseless requests in six-month period = abusive); III.E (all conditions of confinement grievable including discipline, mistreatment/abuse, violations of statutes/PPDs/rules/regulations/posted policies, requests for assistance or reconsideration); III.F (three-tiered system with appeal process); III.G (informed through Inmate Manual and publication of PPD); III.H (transmitted without alteration, interference, or delay); III.I (no filing on behalf of another inmate/resident); IV.A Level 1 (request slip; within 30 calendar days of event; date received = controlling; single event/incident/subject matter; address to lowest level staff with authority; handling chain of command; waiver available if identifiable risk of harm to physical safety or psychological well-being; unsupported retaliation allegation insufficient; waiver filed within 30 days to Warden/Director/Director of Field Services/Director of Community Corrections; if denied 5 days to comply; response 15 working days extendable by 15 working days with prior notice; valid response = grant/deny/refer); IV.B Level 2 (grievance form to Warden/Director; within 30 calendar days of Level 1 response; content requirements; must demonstrate Level 1 used or waiver obtained; copy of Level 1 response should be attached; bypass = returned without action, not counted toward time requirements; separate grievance per Level 1 response appealed; Warden reviews, directs investigation, responds; 30 calendar days extendable by 15 calendar days with prior notice); IV.C Level 3 (grievance form to Commissioner; within 30 calendar days of Warden/Director response; content requirements; must demonstrate Level 1 and Level 2 used; bypass = returned; separate appeal per Warden/Director response; Commissioner's designee reviews; 30 calendar days extendable by 30 calendar days with prior notice); IV.D (tracking and recording system); IV.E (timeframes mandatory; failure = dismissed as untimely; may impact other legal remedies); IV.F (use of forms mandatory; carbonless triplicate; white to offender records, yellow to responding staff, pink to inmate; improper form = returned unanswered with blank form); IV.G (transferred inmates: file at facility where housed; NHDOC-specific complaints = Level 1 to lowest NHDOC staff, then Commissioner directly; 30 days from response or 30 days from date of issue if direct to Commissioner); IV.H (extension on demonstrated valid reason); IV.I (copies available from Offender Records); Wikipedia FCI Berlin (Berlin NH; Coos County; medium-security + satellite camp; built 1152+128 capacity; opened October 21, 2012; BOP's 118th facility; Warden R. Luna confirmed); Wikipedia NNHCF (Berlin NH; state facility; 665 capacity; medium security; separate from FCI Berlin); drcnh.org (Disability Rights Center -- NH; federally designated P&A; 603-228-0432; 800-834-1721; 64 North Main Street Suite 2 Third Floor Concord NH 03301; active May 2026); aclu-nh.org (ACLU of New Hampshire; active on NHDOC and FCI Berlin issues); nhlegalaid.org (NH Legal Assistance; 603-224-3333); Woodford v. Ngo 548 U.S. 81 (2006). - VERIFY FLAGS for Poorwa: (1) PRIORITY: PPD 1.16 effective May 1, 2012 is the most recent version found in research. The NHDOC PPD page (corrections.nh.gov/policy-procedure-directives) states: "We are in the process of updating our PPD page. Documents are available by contacting the office directly." Verify whether a revised PPD 1.16 has been issued after May 2012. The 2014 FOIA response stated PPD 1.16 was the only policy pertaining to the grievance process at that time. (2) Confirm all deadlines from current version: Level 1 filing window 30 calendar days from event; Level 1 response 15 working days + 15 working day extension; Level 2 filing window 30 calendar days from Level 1 response; Level 2 response 30 calendar days + 15 calendar day extension; Level 3 filing window 30 calendar days from Level 2 response; Level 3 response 30 calendar days + 30 calendar day extension. (3) Confirm whether NHDOC has issued any administrative rules (COR 311 series referenced on website) that supplement or modify PPD 1.16 for grievances. (4) Confirm FCI Berlin is still operational as a BOP facility and confirm current warden. (5) Confirm DRC-NH: drcnh.org; 603-228-0432; 800-834-1721; confirmed from drcnh.org statement of goals 2023-2024. (6) Confirm ACLU of New Hampshire: aclu-nh.org -- confirmed active February 2025 on FCI Berlin issues. (7) Confirm New Hampshire Legal Assistance: nhlegalaid.org; 603-224-3333. (8) Confirm NH state prison facilities current: NHSP Men (Concord); NHSP Women (Goffstown); Northern NH Correctional Facility (Berlin). Note Berlin has both a state facility (NNHCF) and a federal facility (FCI Berlin) -- clearly distinguish both are in Berlin NH but are separate institutions. (9) No VOLATILE flags from other series apply to this state's grievance procedure.