BBC 20th September 2011
Savings made at HMP Manchester are having a negative effect on prisoners, a report has found.
The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) report said problems arose as fewer overtime shifts were being offered to cover for staff absences.
It also found the transfer of inmates with severe mental health problems from the prison to secure hospitals was cause for "extreme concern".
The Ministry of Justice said cutbacks had not affected core staffing levels.
The annual report, which was published on Tuesday, said inmates who have been identified as needing to be moved to a secure mental unit should be transferred within 14 days.
'Positive step'
The IMB said this sometimes does not happen and patients could sometimes wait for a few months for a suitable bed.
It said last year, 26 patients were transferred to secure mental units, while eight patients were transferred into Manchester from secure mental units.
The report, which looked at the year up to February 28, also raised concerns over the number of prisoners arriving late from court and the need for some prisoners to eat in their cells.
The IMB praised staff for responding well to very difficult situations, and said the extension of family visits to Category A prisoners was a "positive step towards rehabilitation and resettlement".
In response to the report, the Ministry of Justice said: "Staffing levels across the prisons estate are strictly risk-assessed.
"We take the safety of our staff and security within our prisons very seriously.
"Savings have been made without the removal of frontline staff and minimum staffing levels have remained unaffected."
HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways, is a local prison which accepts people remanded into custody from the courts in the Greater Manchester area.
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