Report of the Inquiry into the circumstances of the Death of Bernard ...

graze. As Sonny Lodge had just been forcibly restrained it would have been good
practice to record the mark and his explanation for it. At the adjudication next day Sonny
Lodge said that he sustained “the bump on his head” during the incident.
22.7 Use of Force is unlawful unless it can be shown to be justified. On every
occasion that it is used it should not only be recorded but investigated. Similarly,
unexplained injuries should be recorded and investigated promptly for forensic and
clinical reasons. This protects prisoners and staff and provides essential management
information.
22.8 Completing forms does not guarantee useful content. Officers at Risley and also
at Manchester said that in 1998 it was customary for senior staff to prepare paperwork
for officers to sign. Other witnesses commented that Use of Force statements at the time
were generally formulaic, stating little more than the fact of the restraint and that it was in
accordance with approved techniques.
Current practice
22.9 Prison Service Order 1600 on use of force now requires staff involved in
restraining a prisoner to make a full statement of the circumstances including any prior
briefing, what led to use of force, instructions given to the prisoner, their perception of
the prisoner’s behaviour, how they tried to de-escalate the situation, and other matters,
about the particular incident.
22.10 Completion of forms does not guarantee they will be reviewed, acted upon and
any lessons learned. In respect of unexplained or non-accidental injuries to prisoners,
Governor Vince told us that Manchester has recently issued a revised form to be used
for all prisoners who are discovered to have an unexplained or non-accidental injury. As
well as completing an F213 and giving priority to medical assessment, sections within
the form provide for a statement by the prisoner, a summary report and investigation and
findings and recommendations by a responsible manager to prevent recurrence. The
Safer Custody Manager keeps a log of all F213s.
Events on G wing on 27 August
22.11 The loss of association records were not completed by Officer Downs on 27
August. Officer Downs explained this as an oversight because of the incident after the
search. However, the loss of association record ought to have been completed with the
authorising senior officer’s signature, not left to be filled out by the officer at some later
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