The prison was given a full inspection in February 2024, the full report can be read on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website, just follow the links below. In their latest report the inspectors said:
HMP Buckley Hall is a category C training prison for adult men in Rochdale, run by HM Prison and Probation Service, holding around 465 men against an operational capacity of 469. It was HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ first inspection of the prison since 2019, and found a jail in slow but, in the Chief Inspector’s words, easily arrestable decline: safety and respect were both downgraded to Reasonably Good having previously been rated Good, purposeful activity remained Not Sufficiently Good, and preparation for release remained Good.
Inspectors found real strengths to build on. Staff-prisoner relationships were described as a genuine strength underpinning much of the prison’s work, with four dedicated key workers giving regular, meaningful support to around 40% of the population. Mental health support included a well-regarded facility involving peer advocates, and substance misuse treatment was comprehensive, including newer long-acting injectable options. Preparation for release was helped by effective family engagement work, and the library was praised as a well-used, welcoming space supporting reading.
Ten concerns were raised, five of them priority issues. Self-harm rates were much higher than at the previous inspection and still rising, and inspectors found weaknesses in several important processes including prisoner consultation, complaints and applications. The physical fabric of the prison was deteriorating, with cramped, overcrowded conditions and a maintenance backlog, and there was not enough education and work space for what is meant to be a training prison, leaving around a third of men locked up during the working day. Significant weaknesses were also found in the industrial workshops, alongside delays in Mental Health Act transfer assessments, a personal development curriculum lacking structure, and gaps in sentence reviews and public protection monitoring. Almost half of prisoners said drugs were easy to get, well above the average for similar prisons, and just over a quarter of random drug tests came back positive. Despite the decline, the Chief Inspector expressed confidence that the prison’s underlying relationship culture gave it a genuine chance of recovery.
Charlie Taylor
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
May 2024
To read the full reports, go to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website or follow the links below:
- Inspection report, HM Inspectorate of Prisons website, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Buckley Hall by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (12–23 February 2024)
- Easy read summary of the 2024 inspection report
- Action plan, HM Prison and Probation Service action plan in response to the 2024 inspection of HMP Buckley Hall
- HMP Buckley Hall, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Buckley Hall (15–26 July 2019)
- HMP Buckley Hall, Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Buckley Hall (6–17 June 2016)