Two members of staff at the privately-run Forest Bank Prison have been suspended over allegations of misconduct, the Manchester Evening News can reveal. Details are scarce but Sodexo, the private company which runs the prison in Salford, confirmed the staff members were suspended pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct.
The M.E.N. understands the suspensions arose after an alleged incident said to involve an inmate last weekend, but Sodexo hasn't confirmed the nature or circumstances behind the alleged misconduct they were suspended over.
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The news comes after the publication of a damning report on the prison, which said HMP Forest Bank is 'unable to fulfil its role successfully'. Education provision at the jail in Agecroft is 'inadequate' and prisoners are locked in their cells most of the day, with limited access to the gym and library.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons said 'leaders show limited ambition to improve the situation' and prison staff, according to the report, are 'disillusioned', with officer retention rates said to be poor.
In January, the Manchester Evening News reported Sodexo was to keep the contract for now after beefing up security and carrying out a major refurbishment.
This followed the issuing of a 45-day improvement notice by the government in August. The 'significant concerns and rectification notice' was slapped on the jail by the Ministry of Justice.
The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services and if progress had not been made, the company could have lost the contract, which is scheduled to run until 2025.
A spokesperson for HMP Forest Bank said: "We can confirm two members of staff have been suspended pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct. We do not comment on individuals and cannot provide any further comment." No further details have been provided by Sodexo.
The Category B prison, off Agecroft Road, opened in 2000 and accepted its first inmates in January that year. It currently houses around 1,460 men - adult men both on remand or sentenced and young prisoners between the ages of 18-21 years.
