Forest Bank prison bosses deny allegations staff discouraged from reporting attacks 'because it looks bad'
29.04.2024 - 06:09
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Bosses at under-fire Forest Bank prison in Salford have denied allegations staff are discouraged from reporting attacks 'because it looks bad'.
They issued a robust defence of reporting of incidents inside the troubled, privately-operated jail after two sources at the prison made a series of claims to the Manchester Evening News.
The sources said staff were told to not to report less serious assaults and to report more serious assaults as minor incidents. Prison bosses insist reporting of incidents is independently scrutinised and say all violent attacks are 'investigated carefully'.
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The allegations were made as government ministers mull over whether to remove the facilities management giant currently running the jail on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, Sodexo, when the current £1bn contract comes to an end on January 19. A decision is expected in the summer.
One guard at the prison, who the M.E.N. has agreed not to name, said: "For years, they have told us not to report what they call 'minor assaults'. So if we get barged or we fall to the ground or get hurt in restraining someone, they tell us to not report it or make fuss about it... as it goes down in their staff assault figures.
"However, what they class as a minor assault can be anything from being barged by a prisoner to literally being punch in the face."
The guard alleged they were told not to report an assault they suffered at the hands of a prisoner 'as it looks bad against the prison'. The staff member also alleged that following an attack at the hands of an inmate during an attempt to escape custody, they were told to 'get on with it'.
A second source at the jail said staff