News
HMP Manchester prisoners locked in their cells for 22 hours per day, damning report finds
The surprise inspection found that prisoners also had limited access to jobs and educational services
A number of prisoners at HMP Manchester are locked up in their cells for twenty-two hours per day, a damning new report has found.
The prison, formerly known as Strangeways, was subject to a surprise inspection by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor back in September, who noted that there were too few jobs for inmates and limited access to education.
According to BBC News, Taylor noted in his report that with Covid restrictions still in place, ‘many prisoners were still spending over twenty-two hours a day locked in their cells with few jobs available, very limited offending behaviour programmes and face-to-face education practically non-existent’.
Peter McDermott / Wikimedia Commons
The report also said for a training prison – which held 624 men at the time of the unannounced inspection – these gaps had a ‘huge impact on the progression opportunities’, adding that prisoners lacked trust in prison staff and did not believe complaints would be dealt with robustly.
Taylor said the governor was trying to transform ‘the culture of the prison and mindset of the staff to focus on the rehabilitation of long-sentenced prisoners rather than the needs of a more transient local prison population, though much of this work had been delayed or derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic’.
He did acknowledge, however, that there were some improvements in living conditions with all but a few prisoners held in single cells and new kitchens ‘meaning prisoners could soon cook their own food’.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are pleased our work to improve rehabilitation and the prison environment at HMP Manchester has been recognised.
“Our measures during the pandemic have saved thousands of lives and improvements are already under way to address issues identified in September’s inspection.”
The director of charity Prison Reform Trust, Peter Dawson, addressed the findings in a statement, saying the report shows ‘just how far there is to travel’.
Dawson said: “Prisoners facing more time inside than ever before are not getting the opportunities they need to progress in their sentence and show they will be safe to release when the time comes. And some very basic elements of a safe, civilised prison regime are lacking, including poor oversight of use of force by staff.
“The chief inspector recently recently highlights the need for consistent long-term leadership locally. The same is true at the centre – ministers need to deliver on the promises they have made.”
News
Woman tragically dies in Manchester petrol station incident
Emergency services attended the scene but the woman was sadly confirmed dead
An elderly woman has died following a crash at a petrol station in Manchester.
Officers believe the woman, who was in her 70s, suffered a medical episode while at the wheel of her car when she crashed into a small brick wall.
She had been trying to drive the Nissan Micra off the forecourt of the Asda petrol station in Moston Lane, Harpurhey, at approximately 10.45am on Wednesday, March 22nd.
Emergency services attended the scene but the woman was sadly confirmed dead. Greater Manchester Police have appealed for any witnesses to help them.
A section of stretch of road, near the junction with Rochdale Road, was closed for a number of hours while emergency services dealt with the incident. Paramedics and two air ambulances were seen.
Anyone with information or on the forecourt at the time of the incident should contact police on 0161 856 4741 quoting log 1103-22/3/2023.
Information can also be reported online or by using the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk. If you can’t report online, call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A postbox allowing people to send letters to their loved ones in heaven has now been installed at a Greater Manchester crematorium.
The white and gold Royal Mail letterbox can be found at Howe Bridge crematorium in Atherton, Wigan Borough. It was the idea of nine-year-old Matilda Handy who wanted to send a letter to her late grandparents to help her cope with the grief of her loss.
The first was set-up at Gedling Crematorium, near Nottingham, and proved a popular concept with over 100 letters and cards posted within its first few weeks. Speaking to Granada Reports, Matilda’s mother Leanne, who is Gedling Crematorium’s Memorial Advisor, said: “She was four when my mum died, and never met my dad.
“Now the postbox is in place, I am so pleased that local people are using it, and taking some comfort from it, as another way of feeling connected to their loved ones.”
UK crematorium and cemetery operator, Westerleigh Group is now rolling out the postboxes across all of its sites.
Lindsey Edwardson, Site Manager at Howe Bridge Crematorium, said: “Feedback has shown that the process of writing a letter, or perhaps a birthday card, to a lost loved one has already brought therapeutic comfort to many people.
“Now, the communities in and around our crematorium can do the same thing. No address or stamps are required on any of the letters or cards. This is just another way in which we can provide emotional support to local families.”
A post on the Howe Bridge Crematorium Facebook page read: “We are proud to announce the official opening of our Letters to Heaven Post Box. Our thanks go to Alison Regan Civil Funeral Celebrant for her beautiful service to commemorate its opening.
“For all those who wish, you can post a letter to your loved ones that are no longer with us at the Post Box.”
News
Woman with undiagnosed brain tumour had to visit doctors nine times to get scan
Doctors told her if she had not had the surgery within a few hours or days then it could have been a different story
A woman with an undiagnosed brain tumour who was told ‘we don’t give out brain scans to 24-year-olds willy nilly’ is now campaigning for change.
Claudia Laird, from Burnley, went to see a medical professional on nine occasions as she tried to get to the bottom of why she felt so unwell. One week later, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Claudia told ITV Granada Reports: “I think the initial reaction was trusting of the GP. I was in shock after, because I found out I definitely needed that brain scan.
“It was all quite quick – they weren’t sure what was on the brain at first. It was all up in the air.
“I can’t believe I went through that. We were just waiting for the doctors to tell us the outcome. It was challenging, but more so looking back on it now. At the time, you don’t know the outcome.”
Claudia was experiencing symptoms of confusion, hallucinations and fatigue. But doctors put it down to what they thought to be gastroenteritis. After discovering the tumour, Claudia had to then undergo an eight-hour operation.
Doctors told her if she had not had the surgery within a few hours or days then it could have been a different story. She said: “I was asleep all the time. My friends would call me lazy. I thought it was because I was working long hours.
“I walked into a window thinking it was a door. I spent a night in bed with my mum and dad because I was hallucinating.”
Claudia is now training to be a paediatrician, to give people the same level of care. After the difficulty she had in getting diagnosed, Claudia has decided she does not want the same mistakes to happen to someone else.
Claudia said: “We need everybody to understand the difficulty of getting that diagnosis. It took me over nine times to get that diagnosis. I went to opticians, GP and A&E just to push to say ‘I really don’t think something is right here’.
“I want to see some changes, some research, funding into brain tumours. 1% of cancer research goes into brain tumours.”
The NHS lists the symptoms of a brain tumour as:
- headaches.
- seizures (fits)
- persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness.
- mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality.
- progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.
- vision or speech problems.
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