Damning inspection finds 'astonishing failure' at prison which holds hundreds of sex offenders
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA jail which holds hundreds of sex offenders has been accused by a watchdog of 'astonishing failure'. Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor called for a series of improvements at HMP Risley near Warrington after concerns were raised during an inspection in April.
The low-security jail – which is meant to focus on training and resettlement so inmates can develop skills and find a job when released – was 'still not fulfilling its function as a category C resettlement prison', with many prisoners locked up for 22 hours a day.
When inspectors visited, 404 of the 1,032 prisoners being held at the jail were serving sentences for sexual offences. The proportion had 'increased significantly' and represented 40% of inmates, but there were still no accredited programmes for sex offenders, despite the watchdog raising concerns seven years ago.
Mr Taylor said: "This represents an astonishing failure by the Prison Service, which has been far too slow in putting provision in place. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. "Although the effectiveness of these programmes has at times been questioned, if the Prison Service believes they are effective and necessary they should make sure that the right prisoners get access to them." Inspectors were 'particularly concerned' about public protection arrangements at Risley, branding some 'inadequate' in light of an 'understaffed' offender management unit and 'insufficient' support from probation services.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk