Forest Bank inspection report 2022
Report for Forest Bank Prison
Summary
Forest Bank is a privately managed prison, located in Manchester, that has been operated by Sodexo for well over 20 years. Currently designated a reception prison, it can hold up to 1,366 men. The prison has three primary purposes: to receive those recently remanded to custody and hold them until their court appearances are concluded; to hold those who are serving fairly short prison sentences; and to hold those requiring resettlement support as their release date approaches. Convicted men with time to serve would be expected to be allocated to training establishments elsewhere. As an approach, the model has some merit. The evidence, however, would seem to suggest the prison was struggling to make it work, primarily because there was simply not enough space to be sure all new prisoners (about 300 a month) could be accommodated.