Manchester Evening News
The move comes after the M.E.N revealed the use of smuggled smartphones and a drug known as ‘spice’ is widespread within the facility
Salford’s Forest Bank prison is to introduce new body scanners in a bid to stem the flow of drugs and phones getting into the jail.
The move comes after the M.E.N revealed the use of smuggled smartphones and a drug known as ‘spice’ is widespread within the facility.
Posters signalling the new scanners have been put up in the prison visitors’ centre and in courthouses around Greater Manchester.
Bosses at the prison, which is run for the Ministry of Justice by private firm Sodexo, said the new scanners had been ‘in the planning for some months’.
It is a criminal offence to bring a mobile phone into prison, or transmit sounds or images from within a prison using a mobile phone. Those convicted can be a jailed for a maximum of two years
Last month the M.E.N uncovered and published a series of videos taken inside Forest Bank which appear to show drug-fuelled behaviour and violent bullying and humiliation of inmates.
The clips were widely shared on Instagram.
One shows two naked prisoners on all fours barking like dogs while their ‘owners’, two other inmates, control them with leads.
Another shows a prisoner – who appears to be hallucinating because of the effect of drugs – writhing on his cell bed and cowering in fear at the sight of an apple, while laughing inmates mock him.
Another expletive-ridden clip from ‘the Forest Bank crew’ shows an inmate shadow boxing in a cell in front of at least two other unseen prisoners behind the camera.
Another shows a prisoner ranting about wanting to avenge an inmate who had just broken his nose while in another clip the same inmate is seen being repeatedly punched on his arms.
A clip also shows an inmate who appears to be in severe pain because of a ‘wedgy’.
The M.E.N has also uncovered another clip which shows inmates appearing to mock Islam, which we have forwarded to Forest Bank to investigate.
In June, the Chief Inspector of Prisons raised concern about the growing use of what at the time were legal highs at the Category B Forest Bank prison in Salford, which houses 1,500 inmates.
A spokeswoman for Forest Bank said: “Prisons are a challenging environment to manage and the safety of staff, prisoners and visitors remains a top priority.
“The introduction of body scanners has been in the planning for some months and we expect them to come into operation within the next six weeks. We will continue to invest in resources such as body scanners to help stop illicit items entering the prison.”
