PRT comment: HMP Manchester

Commenting on the findings of conditions at HMP Manchester by HM Inspectorate of Prisons today (21 December), Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust said:

“With more and more people serving ever longer sentences, the government has published a white paper that promises ‘time well spent’ in custody. Its ambitions are good. But this important report on Manchester prison shows just how far there is to travel. Prisoners facing more years 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 rightly 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.”