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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.”