Source · IMB Annual Report
Forest Bank
Year: 2020
Published: 10 Feb 2021
Type: Prison · Cat Category B, Reception, YOI
Population: 1,390
Recommendations: 3
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Forest Bank, a Category B male prison, faced significant challenges during its transition to a main Reception prison and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board commended staff and management for their efforts in maintaining safety and humane treatment amidst staffing shortages and a heavily restricted regime. While healthcare provision was generally good and education adapted well to in-cell learning, concerns remained regarding the impact of restrictions on purposeful activity, appropriate transfers for long-term prisoners, property issues, and increased drug smuggling.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 2 | — |
Positive findings
The Board commended the management team and staff for their exceptional work in prioritizing safety and delivering humane treatment, especially during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic, including effective partnership with Public Health England. Healthcare facilities and catering were noted as good. The education department successfully adapted to in-cell learning, and the chaplaincy and CSU staff were praised for their professionalism. The prison's complaints system was also found to be effective.
Key concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The lockdowns and ongoing restrictions have severely restricted physical visits... prisoners have necessarily experienced lengthy periods in their cells... These severe restrictions for prisoners have been both challenging and frustrating as their opportunities for education, work and association have been significantly reduced.
Overcrowding
The prison population has changed from more long-term residents to men on remand and awaiting sentence... Of the sentenced population only 40% fit Forest Banks resettlement criteria with the other 60% requiring transfer to more suitable establishments.
Other
Property continues to be a problem area with prisoners. Either, within the establishment (12 applications) when prisoners are transferred to CSU at short notice but also when prisoners are moved between establishments (22 applications).
Healthcare
Unfortunately, the waiting list for the dentist has increased because of the Covid-19 restrictions... The Covid pandemic has impacted referrals to hospital for those identified as requiring transfer under the Mental Health Act.
Substance Misuse
As visits have been restricted there has been an increase in contraband thrown over the security fences into the exercise yards... drugs have been smuggled onto the wings for residents’ use.
Staffing
Staff prisoner relationships are generally good, despite a higher than preferred turnover of staff... Unfortunately, the Board has not been able to monitor this [key worker scheme] since then.
Equality/Diversity
The prison is still without a Pagan chaplain despite attempts to rectify the situation.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Can the Minister comment on the exceptional partnership work conducted by HMP Forest Bank, HMPPS and Public Health England to control the Covid 19 outbreak and to keep staff, residents, and visitors safe and what will happen after the pandemic?
Response
I am grateful to the Board for highlighting the exceptional partnership work conducted by HMP Forest Bank, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and Public Health England (PHE), which undoubtably helped control the outbreak of the virus, ensuring the safety of staff and prisoners. As the Board is aware, this pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges which HMPPS continues to address to maintain services in custody and the community. Close collaboration and partnership working across HMPPS, local authorities, PHE, NHS England and NHS Improvement and prison healthcare providers is essential to ensuring that prisoners are safely located. HMPPS continues to work very closely with public health authorities and experts to ensure the approach taken is based on the best scientific advice available. Post Covid-19, the Director of HMP Forest Bank is confident that he will continue with this impressive partnership work to manage other health and wellbeing related initiatives. |
Ministry of Justice | In progress |
| 2 |
Can HMPPS comment on how they are ensuring that the new offender flow process supports HMP Forest Bank by progressively transferring licence recalls, category B prisoners and Lifers that a reception prison should not hold?
Response
HMP Forest Bank is a Reception and Resettlement prison. The Reception cohort comprises of men who are on remand, convicted un-sentenced, fixed term recalls, non-criminal, have 28 days or less time left to serve at the point of transfer, are newly sentenced awaiting onward allocation or are an immigration detainee. The Resettlement cohort comprises of men who are category C with more than 28 days but equal to or less than 16 months’ time left to serve. In January 2020, 76% of HMP Forest Bank’s population were in the Reception/Resettlement cohort. The Reconfiguration project team in February 2020 moved courts from HMP Manchester to HMP Forest Bank and as a result the reception population slowly increased month on month. There has been a reduction of category B men held at HMP Forest Bank, from 117 in January 2020 to 38 in December 2020. Overall, HMP Forest Bank has been demonstrating a slow positive change since January 2020 with 89% of the population correct for Reception and Resettlement cohorts as of December 2020. There will always be a small percentage of men who appear to be in the wrong place. This could be due to a prisoner awaiting a transfer to a more appropriate prison, being subject to medical or other hold, or being located at the prison for security purposes. |
HMPPS | In progress |
| 3 | Can the Director comment on the percentage difference in the levels of violence, self-harm, use of force and accidents at HMP Forest Bank between the last annual report and this one? | Governor / Director |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 13 | 7 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 0 | 3 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 3 | 8 |
| Equality | 7 | 2 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 6 | 7 |
| Food and kitchens | 1 | 4 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 35 | 34 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 17 | 22 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 31 | 127 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 22 | 12 |
| Property within this establishment | 12 | 25 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 2 | 10 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 4 | 30 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 33 | 52 |
| Transfers | 7 | 4 |
Related inspections & investigations
9 Dec 2024
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 2
· Respect 3
· Activity 2
· Release 3
Other reports for Forest Bank
Report details
- Establishment
- Forest Bank
- Type
- Prison · Cat Category B, Reception, YOI
- Report year
- 2020
- Published
- 10 February 2021
- Responsible body
- HMP Forest Bank
- Recommendations
- 3
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 2 — Concern
Population
| Population | 1,390 |
| Operational capacity | 1,460 |
| CNA (designed for) | 1,064 131% |
| Time out of cell | 1.0h/day |
Service providers
Faith-based Activities
The Message Trust
Mental Health
Greater Manchester Mental Health
Prison Operator
Sodexo Justice Services
Resettlement/Accommodation Support
Shelter
Victim Awareness Course
Prison Fellowship