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Legal News

HMP Report Reveals Negative Impact of Cutbacks (21 September 2011)

Date: 21/09/2011
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, HMP Report Reveals Negative Impact of Cutbacks

A report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) has revealed that financial cutbacks at HMP Manchester have had a negative impact on prisoners. HMP Manchester, formerly referred to as Strangeways, accepts individuals remanded into custody from courts in Greater Manchester and its surrounds.

The IMB found that problems had arisen due to a lack of overtime shifts provided to cover for staff leave. The report found the transfer of prisoners with severe mental health conditions from prison to secure facilities to be extremely concerning. The annual report stated that inmates identified to be suffering from mental health issues should be transferred to a secure mental health facility within 14 days yet found that prisoners sometimes waited months for a bed to become available. Last year, 26 prisoners were moved to secure mental health units while eight prisoners were moved from secure mental health units into HMP Manchester.

The Ministry of Justice maintains that the cutbacks had not negatively impacted core staffing levels. The Ministry of Justice claims that staffing levels in prisons are strictly risk-assessed and that the safety of staff within prisons is taken “very seriously”. The report praised staff for coping well under difficult circumstances. The Ministry of Justice claims that frontline staff have not been removed under recent budget cuts and that minimum staffing levels have been maintained.

Duncan Lewis’ prison law solicitors protect prisoners’ rights. The team understands that imprisonment can cause considerable distress and possess the expertise required to provide comprehensive advice and assistance on a full range of matters concerning prison law.

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