Source · IMB Annual Report
Risley
Year: 2022
Published: 9 Feb 2023
Type: Prison · Cat Category C training prison
Population: 1,014
Recommendations: 5
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Risley demonstrated high standards in safety, humane treatment, and health and wellbeing during the reporting year ending March 2022. Key improvements included a decline in violence and self-harm incidents, effective staff-prisoner relationships, and successful implementation of an accelerator prison model for resettlement. However, the Board raised concerns regarding persistent property loss issues, the poor state of showers, mental health provision in segregation, and understaffing within the Offender Management Unit.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 2 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 405 | 386 |
| Prisoner assaults | 116 | 145 |
| Assaults on staff | 48 | 67 |
| Use of force | 322 | 334 |
| Drug finds | 116 | 220 |
Positive findings
The Board finds HMP Risley to be a safe establishment with good overall healthcare and fair treatment of prisoners, supported by strong staff-prisoner relationships. The prison has seen a steady decline in violence and self-harm incidents, with effective safer custody teams and use of force oversight. Positive developments include the introduction of in-cell telephony and the successful initiatives as an accelerator prison focused on employment and accommodation, leading to better outcomes for many prisoners. The chaplaincy provides excellent pastoral support, and education adapted to neurodiversity is commendable.
Key concerns
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Discussions are being held with Home Office ministers in order to help improve the ongoing repatriation/deportation procedures for foreign nationals? This question was referred to the Minister in last year’s report.
Other
To resolve the continuing ongoing issues regarding the loss of prisoners’ property, in spite of the new property framework.
Other
The Board still has ongoing concerns about the efficient provision of prisoners’ property. What plans does the prison have regarding developing a more efficient, consistent, and streamlined approach to handling and allocating prisoners’ property, on arrival, departure and movement within the prison?
Estate/Conditions
In the Board’s opinion, showers across all wings continue to be in need of major refurbishment. What plans does the prison have regarding a resolution to this issue?
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The Board remains concerned about the issue regarding cell clearances. What actions are being taken to carry out cell clearances promptly when a prisoner moves location within the prison, to reduce the loss of property?
Mental Health
The Board remains concerned about the vulnerable prisoners with mental health issues held in the CSU. We believe that more appropriate accommodation should be provided for these individuals.
Equality/Diversity
not all areas in the prison are compliant with the Equality Act.
Estate/Conditions
The Board received a lot of concerns regarding the thinness of mattresses and this is still an ongoing concern.
Staffing
This creates a challenge for staff in the offender management unit (OMU). Their target is for all the outstanding OASys assessments to be completed within 10 weeks of arrival. This has proved to be impossible this year. In March 2022 there was a backlog of 87. Over 30 had been in the prison for longer than 10 weeks. Half of these were work in progress.
Resettlement/Release
The prison does not offer the Horizon programme for men convicted of sexual offences. As the profile of the prison changes, it is important that this is addressed quickly. Otherwise, if it is mentioned in their sentence plan, men will have to be moved to other prisons.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can you advise what discussions are being held with Home Office ministers in order to help improve the ongoing repatriation/deportation procedures for foreign nationals? Repeated | Other | |
| 2 | To resolve the continuing ongoing issues regarding the loss of prisoners’ property, in spite of the new property framework. Does the Prison Service have any plans to introduce a streamlined system for handling prisoners’ property when being transferred between prisons to reduce distress to prisoners and minimise the number of compensation claims? | HMPPS | |
| 3 | The Board still has ongoing concerns about the efficient provision of prisoners’ property. What plans does the prison have regarding developing a more efficient, consistent, and streamlined approach to handling and allocating prisoners’ property, on arrival, departure and movement within the prison? | Governor / Director | |
| 4 | In the Board’s opinion, showers across all wings continue to be in need of major refurbishment. What plans does the prison have regarding a resolution to this issue? | Governor / Director | |
| 5 | The Board remains concerned about the issue regarding cell clearances. What actions are being taken to carry out cell clearances promptly when a prisoner moves location within the prison, to reduce the loss of property? | Governor / Director |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 1 | 2 |
| Equality | 6 | 5 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 0 | 0 |
| Food and kitchens | 7 | 3 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 32 | 29 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 20 | 5 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 29 | 14 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 54 | 34 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 10 | 3 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 27 | 25 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 21 | 16 |
| Transfers | 12 | 4 |
Related inspections & investigations
12 Apr 2023
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 3
· Respect 2
· Activity 1
· Release 2
Other reports for Risley
Report details
- Establishment
- Risley
- Type
- Prison · Cat Category C training prison
- Report year
- 2022
- Published
- 9 February 2023
- Responsible body
- HMP Risley
- Recommendations
- 5
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 2 — Concern
Population
| Population | 1,014 |
Service providers
Education
Novus
Family services
Phoenix Futures
Healthcare
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Library
Livewire
Social care
C&D Family Care Ltd
Substance misuse
Change Grow Live (CGL)