An inmate who took his own life at Forest Bank prison had told staff he feared for his safety, an investigation has found. James Bell was found hanged at the Salford jail on July 6 last year. Just over a week before his death the 34-year-old had told guards he 'did not want to leave his cell because he felt under threat'.
Mr Bell, who was serving a 14 month sentence for actual bodily harm, handed a note to a night officer asking to be moved to a different wing and put on the 'Do Not Unlock' list, a roll-call of prisoners whose cells are kept locked because they feel under threat from other inmates.
Staff failed to investigate safety concerns
But an investigation into Mr Bell's death by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found that, despite the request being granted, no staff ever spoke to him to ask why he felt unsafe and wanted a transfer. Mr Bell, who in the previous three months had no history of mental health issues or problems with drink or drugs, was moved from C wing to A wing on June 28.
However, there was no handover to staff and guards on his new wing didn't know he was on the DNU list. On July 2 Forest Bank received a call from the national intelligence unit, a police team which monitors organised crime inside prisons, to say Mr Bell had reported he was going to be assaulted that afternoon and should be 'locked in his cell for his own safety'.
No contact before suicide
He did not leave his cell before his death four days later. At 8.20am on July 6, 2025, staff found Mr Bell hanged in his cell. An inquest later recorded a conclusion of suicide. No details of why Mr Bell felt unsafe were ever established.
Mr Bell was the 18th inmate to die at the privately-run prison since 2022. Following Forest Bank's last inspection in December 2024, it was found levels of violence at the prison were high, particularly assaults between prisoners, with almost one in three inmates saying they felt unsafe.
Ombudsman criticises 'collective failure'
The PPO investigation found staff showed a 'collective failure of professional curiosity' and 'failed to establish' why Mr Bell felt unsafe. As a result they 'missed an opportunity to put supportive measures in place' and 'were not well placed to identify any increase in his risk of suicide and self-harm'.
The ombudsman Adrian Usher recommended Forest Bank's director 'review the appropriateness of maintaining both a Do Not Unlock process and an isolating prisoner policy to manage prisoners who do not engage with the standard regime' and ensure that staff are 'clear of their responsibilities under either approach including establishing the prisoner’s reasons for not engaging with a standard regime, and recording and communicating the prisoner’s status, particularly if the prisoner is moved'.
Sodexo, the company which runs Forest Bank, has been approached for comment.
