HMP Risley sees fourfold increase in officers' use of force against inmates

The report said the prison "did not have a grasp" on inmates' resettlement needs

A prison has seen a fourfold increase in the use of force by officers against inmates since 2013, a report has found.

Inspectors reported a "marked increase" at HMP Risley near Warrington, Cheshire since its last inspection, some of which may not have been "justified".

The report also said new psychoactive substances (NPS) were "undermining prisoner well-being" and a fifth of inmates felt conditions were "unsafe".

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said the findings were "disappointing".

The report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons followed an unannounced inspection of the jail - which houses 1,115 male prisoners - in June.

While the prison had "a similar variable picture" to its last inspection in 2013, there was "some deterioration", Mr Clarke noted.

An inspection in 2011 also found the use of force in some incidents at the jail was "unjustified".

'Fundamental failing'

Mr Clarke said the high number of prisoners feeling unsafe was "worse than comparable prisons", though levels of violence were similar.

He added that while "some meaningful work was being done" to deal with the "serious destabilising" issue of NPS, commonly known as legal highs, "nearly two-thirds of prisoners thought it was easy to obtain drugs".

Risley "was not a sufficiently respectful prison", he said.

He added accommodation standards "varied greatly" and there was a "need for more hygienic conditions and improved provision of basic amenities".

The prison "did not have a grasp of the resettlement needs of the population, which was a fundamental failing for a resettlement prison," he said.

"Only 40% of prisoners indicated they thought their time at Risley had made them less likely to offend.

"The prison needs to go back to first principles in determining how best it can assess and resettle its prisoners."

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, said he hoped the jail's new governor would "develop the regime" at Risley.

"The previous governor and his staff have worked hard to improve safety, to tackle illicit psychoactive drugs and to provide support for vulnerable prisoners, but there is more to do.

"The new governor comes with an impressive track record and will build on the work of her predecessor."